Peterson v. Wilson - 141 F.3d 573 (5th Cir. 1998)

Peterson v. Wilson

141 F.3d 573 (5th Cir. 1998)

I. Issue
Did the district court err by granting a new trial simply because the court would have come to a different conclusion than the jury did?

II. Fact
The district court met with and interrogated the jurors outside the presence of the parties and their respective counsel, and then proceeded to act in direct reliance on the jurors' comments as though they constituted newly discovered evidence of a kind that the court properly consider.

III. Procedure
Peterson filed this suit, arguing that his property interest in his employment at TSU was damaged.  The jury found for P.  D renewed his motion for j.m.l. and added his alternative motion for new trial.  The district court granted the new trial on its own motion, reasoning that the jury completely disregarded the Court's instructions.  P filed a motion for reconsideration, which the district court rejected.  The case was re-tried and ended in a jury verdict in favor of D.

IV. Holding
Receiving testimony from the jurors after they have returned their verdict, for the purpose of ascertaining that the jury misunderstood its instructions, is prohibited by F.R.E. 606(b).  We reverse the district court's grant of a new trial, vacate the court's judgment rendered on the basis of the jury verdict in the second trial, and reinstate the results of the first trial.