The Jury Charge

1
The Jury Charge

• TRCP 271-279, 285-289

2
The Purpose

• The charge is the collection of questions,
  definitions, and instructions the court submits
  to the jury to resolve the factual disputes in
  the case.
• It is the trial courts responsibility to submit
  a proper charge.

3
References

• 1. OConnors Texas Forms Civil Trials, 81.
• 2. Texas Pattern Jury Charges (State Bar of
  Texas).
• 3. Courts Charge Reporter (Butterworth 1995).
• 4. Barber, Texas Court Charges-Negligence Actions
  (Butterworth 1993).
• 5. Robins, Texas Special Issues Forms
  (Butterworth 2d ed. 1995).

4
Texas Pattern Jury Charge

• Authoritative, but not always correct.
• See State v. Williams, 940 S.W.2d 583, 584 (Tex.
  1996). (erroneous premises liability charge).
• When a case is submitted on an erroneous charge
  from the PJC, the appellate court should reverse
  and remand, not render. City of San Antonio v.
  Rodriguez, 931 S.W.2d 535, 536 (Tex.1996).

5
Preparing a Draft

• 1. Each party should prepare a complete version
  of the charge-including its opponents jury
  questions, instructions, and definitions before
  engaging in discovery.
• 2. Review and revise just before trial.
• 3. Review and revise after the introduction of
  evidence and before the informal charge
  conference.

6
More Stuff

• Broad Form Questions ???
• Proper Tender of Request
• Examine live pleadings and the evidence before
  preparing the draft charge

7

• Cluster of related requests
• Proper Burden of persuasion
• Proper Condition
• Proper Damage Questions
• Proper measure
• Proper Segregation
• Proper Tie
• Alternative theories of damage

8
Informal Charge Conference

• Deadline for requests
• The proposed charge
• Time to examine

9
The Formal Charge Conference

• Make a record
• Challenging the charge
• When to object
• When to request omission in the charge
• Court omits a question
• Court omits any partys definition of instruction

10
When to object or request

• Court omits opponents question
• Court places erroneous burden of persuasion
• Short-hand rule to challenge the charge

11
Deadline to object request

• The charge
• Supplemental instructions
• Presumption of timeliness

12
Making the formal request for additions