LANHAM v. SULLIVAN et al

Filing 117

ORDER DENYING 71 Motion to Bifurcate. Ordered by US DISTRICT JUDGE MARC THOMAS TREADWELL on 3/7/2017. (tlh)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
MACON DIVISION
WILLIE MARION LANHAM,
Plaintiff,
v.
JERRY SULLIVAN, et al.,
Defendants.

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CIVIL ACTION NO. 5:15-CV-246 (MTT)

ORDER
Defendants have moved to bifurcate the issues of liability and damages claiming
“[t]his is not a typical auto wreck case.” Doc. 71. This is true only in the sense that the
wreck involved trucks rather than automobiles. It is a routine wreck case. Nothing
about the issues of liability or damages suggests any reason to burden the Court, the
parties, and the jury with a bifurcated trial. While a defense verdict would in hindsight
suggest that a jury did not have to hear medical testimony, and the Court must be
diligent to ensure the jury’s decisions are based on the facts and the law and not
prejudice or sympathy. That is true in any wreck case.
Accordingly, the Defendants’ motion to bifurcate is DENIED.
SO ORDERED, this 7th day of March, 2017.
S/ Marc T. Treadwell
MARC T. TREADWELL, JUDGE
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT