United States Fourth Circuit

Plaintiff's outburst during closing arguments does not merit a new trial under Fed. R. Civ. P. 59 where the emotionally charged nature of the conduct has, at worst, a minimal effect on the jury, and the trial court gives a specific, contemporaneous instruction to the jury to ignore the comment.

Appellate Information

• Argued 04/02/2001
• Decided 05/25/2001
• Published 05/25/2001

Judges

• Before LUTTIG and TRAXLER, Circuit Judges, and THORNBURG, United States District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:Carl D. Edwards, Jr., Vanantwerp, Monge, Jones & Edwards, Ashland, KY, for Appellant.  John Allen Kessler, St. Albans, WV, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:Raymond C. Haley, Woodward, Hobson & Fulton, L.L.P., Louisville, KY; Thomas J. Obrokta, Jr., Jenkins, Fenstermaker, P.L.L.C., Huntington, WV, for Appellant.  Timothy R. Murphy, Charleston, Jeffrey T. Jones, Law Offices of Jeffrey T. Jones, P.L.L.C., Charleston, WV, for Appellee.