Lee v. Bunch

Justice PLEICONES:

We granted certiorari to review the Court of Appeals’ decision in Lee v. Bunch, Op. No.2004-UP-550 (S.C. Ct.App. filed October 27, 2004), in which the court ordered a new trial due to the trial court’s failure to exclude evidence of plaintiffs pre-accident alcohol consumption. We reverse the Court of Appeals and reinstate the original jury verdicts in favor of Bunch.

FACTS

This case arises out of a 1997 traffic accident involving John David Lee (Lee) and Robert Allen Bunch (Bunch). The motorcycle driven by Lee hit the driver’s side of Bunch’s automobile, as Bunch was moving…