Bell v. Baptist Memorial Hospital Inc.

At issue here is a trial court order granting appellees a new trial after the jury returned a $450,000 verdict for appellant in a wrongful death action. Appellees admitted liability in the case and the trial was held solely to determine damages. The court granted appellees’ motion for a new trial after the rendition of the verdict on grounds that (1) the verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence, (2) appellant’s trial counsel had made an improper *29“Golden Rule” argument in his closing statement, and (3) the jury had considered matters outside the record, i. e., the tax…