Wayne Bitgood v. Gordon Greene Post Number 27 of the American Legion

OPINION

Chief Justice SUTTELL,

for the Court.

A barroom altercation led to a jury verdict awarding $448,130 in damages to the plaintiff, Wayne Bitgood, on his negligence claim against Gordon Greene Post Number 27 of the American Legion (Post 27 or defendant). The jury also determined that the plaintiffs own negligence was a proximate cause of his injuries and attributed twenty percent of the overall negligence to him. Post 27 now appeals from the Superior Court judgment, contending that the trial justice erred in denying its motion for a new trial and/or remittitur. This case came before the…