Joslin v. Griffith

Barney, J.,

The plaintiff recovered a verdict in this automobile accident case. The defendant accounts for the result by pointing to the introduction of testimony exposing his liability insurance coverage to the jury. He contends that his motions for mistrial, based on that testimony, should have been granted below.

We find insurance referred to in our cases as a “poisonous” fact. Ryan v. Barrett, 105 Vt. 21, 23, 162 Atl. 793. Its unnecessary interjection into a case as an immaterial fact has been repeatedly held to require retrial. Bliss v. Moore, 112 Vt. 185, 187, 22 A. 2d 315. Our policy is…