Closing argument

AuthorJim Wren/Laura Brown
Pages411-436
CLOSING ARGUMENT
18-1
CHAPTER 18
CLOSING ARGUMENT
I. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
§18:01 Damages Are Driven by the Desire to Make a Statement
§18:02 Prepare Your Jurors to Argue Damages
§18:03 Help Jurors Make a Signif‌icant Difference
§18:04 Stand for the Protection of Values
§18:05 Value Positives Rather Than Negatives
§18:06 Provide Guidance for Intangible Damages
§18:07 Engage Jurors With the Right Kind of Passion
§18:08 Adjust for Your Own Age
II. ORGANIZATION
§18:20 Time and Structure
§18:21 Use of Visuals
§18:22 Rebuttal
III. SAMPLE ARGUMENTS FOR SPECIFIC DAMAGES
§18:30 Death Case
§18:31 Loss of Relationship
§18:32 Loss of a Child
§18:33 Injury to a Child
§18:34 Loss of a Spouse
§18:35 Loss of a Parent
§18:36 Death of the Elderly or Terminally Ill
§18:37 Pain
§18:38 Brain Injury
§18:39 Connective Tissue Injury
§18:40 Disf‌igurement
§18:41 Future Damages
§18:42 Lost Earnings and Earning Capacity
§18:43 Life Care Plan
§18:44 The Close Calls on Damages
IV. SAMPLE COUNTERS TO COMMON DEFENSE THEMES
§18:50 Prohibition on Sympathy
§18:51 Apologies and Regrets
§18:52 Money Won’t Make a Difference
§18:53 Just Economic Damages Only
§18:54 Preexisting Condition
§18:55 Lottery and Greed vs. Reasonableness and Fairness
§18:56 The Elephant in the Room: Collateral Sources
CLOSING ARGUMENT
Proving Damages to the Jury 18-2
V. ADMISSIBILIT Y ISSUES
§18:60 Per Diem or Unit of Time Argument
§18:61 Golden Rule Argument
§18:62 References to Amount of Damages Claimed or Expected
§18:63 References to Amounts of Verdicts in Other Cases
§18:64 References to Income Tax Consequences
§18:65 Direct Appeal to Fear and Self-Interest
§18:66 Use of Inf‌lammatory or Abusive Language

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