Closing argument

• Author: Jim Wren/Laura Brown
• Pages: 417-444

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