Free Proposed Jury Instructions - District Court of Colorado - Colorado

Case 1:01-cv-02056-JLK

Document 184

Filed 06/06/2007

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Civil Action No.

01-cv-2056-JLK

UNITED STATES AVIATION UNDERWRITERS, INC., a New York corporation; PAUL LEADABRAND, an Idaho resident; and JEFLYN AVIATION, INC. dba ACCESS AIR, an Idaho corporation, Plaintiffs, vs. PILATUS BUSINESS AIRCRAFT, LTD., a Colorado corporation; PILATUS FLUGZEUGWERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, a Swiss corporation; PILATUS AIRCRAFT, LTD., a Swiss corporation; PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA, INC., a Canadian corporation; and DOES 1 through 500, Inclusive, Defendants.

PLAINTIFFS' PROPOSED REVISIONS TO COURT'S DRAFT JURY INSTRUCTIONS (Doc. 183)

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USAU v. Pilatus

Plaintiffs' Proposed Revisions to Jury Instructions
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Case 1:01-cv-02056-JLK

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Filed 06/06/2007

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Pursuant to the Court's Minute Order (Doc. 183), plaintiffs respectfully propose the following revisions to the Court's draft jury instructions:

1.

No. 1.12 With no anticipated objections from the defendants, the plaintiffs propose adding

the following stipulated fact at the end of 1.12: "34. As a result of the loss of the airplane, plaintiff Paul

Leadabrand suffered damages in the total amount of $3,023.35."

2.

No. 3.8 The rebuttable presumption of "no defect" created by C.R.S. § 13-21-403(1)(b).

is unnecessary and confusing. "If a plaintiff fails to present sufficient evidence that a product is defective, he cannot satisfy the burden of persuasion or establish a prima facie case and a court will direct a verdict for the defendant. On the other hand, a plaintiff

who has presented sufficient evidence to defeat a motion for a directed verdict has necessarily rebutted the presumption ... Therefore, no reason exists for a trial judge to instruct a jury on the statutory presumption" of "no defect" found in section 13-21-403. (Mile Hi Concrete, Inc. v. Matz, 842 P.2d 198, 205 (Colo. 1992); Perlmutter v. U.S. Gypsum Co., 4 F.3d 864, 875 (10th Cir. (D.Colo.) 1993) ["Under Mile-Hi Concrete, it is not necessary to instruct the jury on the presumption ... if the plaintiff has presented evidence sufficient to survive a motion for a directed verdict."]) "It is precisely because the plaintiff (the party against whom the presumption is directed) already has the burden of going forward with evidence in this case that an instruction based on the statutory presumption ... is meaningless." (Mile Hi Concrete v. Matz, supra, 842 P.2d at p. 205.)

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3.

No. 4.6 The draft instruction (Question 4) requires the jury to find on favor of defendants

if plaintiffs' fault was greater than the combined fault of the defendants. This is a misstatement of Colorado law as it applies to product liability cases (like this). In a product liability case, the plaintiffs may recover damages even if the plaintiffs' own fault is greater than the fault of the defendants. (C.R.S. § 13-21-406(1).)

Respectfully Submitted, Dated: June 6 , 2007 s/ Jeffrey J. Williams Jon A. Kodani, Esq. Jeffrey J. Williams, Esq. LAW OFFICES OF JON A. KODANI Attorneys for Plaintiffs United States Aviation Underwriters, Inc. et al. 2200 Michigan Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90404-3906 Tel: (310) 453-6762 Fax: (310) 829-3340 Email: [email protected]

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE U.S. Aviation Underwriters et al. v. Pilatus Business Aircraft etc. et al. D.Colorado Case No. 01-K-2056 [XXXXX] I hereby certify that on June 6, 2007 , I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such filing to the following e-mail addresses: For Defendant Pratt & Whitney Thomas J. Byrne, Esq. Byrne, Kiely & White 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 1300 Denver, CO 80203 Tel. (303) 861-5511 Fax (303) 861-0304 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

For Pilatus Defendants Robert B. Schultz, Esq. Law Offices of Robert B. Schultz 9710 W. 82nd Avenue Arvada, CO 80005 Tel. (303)456-5565 Fax (303)456-5575 Email: [email protected]

[

]

I hereby certify that on , I have mailed or served the document or paper to the following non CM/ECF participants in the manner (mail, hand delivery, etc.) indicated by the non-participant's name: s/ Jeffrey J. Williams Jeffrey J. Williams, Esq. LAW OFFICES OF JON A. KODANI Attorneys for Plaintiffs United States Aviation Underwriters, Inc. et al. 2200 Michigan Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90404-3906 Tel: (310) 453-6762 Fax: (310) 829-3340 Email: [email protected]

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