Lewis v. Haavig

The plaintiff, Laurie Lewis, as administrator of the estate of her deceased husband, Wilford Lewis, brought this wrongful death action against the defendant, Thomas Haavig III. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum of $1,192,753, which was reduced by 40% for the decedent’s comparative negligence, resulting in a judgment of $715,651. The defendant filed a posttrial motion seeking a new trial, which the trial court granted. We granted plaintiffs petition for leave to appeal pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 306 (166 Ill. 2d R. 306). We reverse the trial court’s order…