Section 31 Jury Not Informed of Other Settlements

• Library: Damages 2012

Settlements tend to be highly prejudicial and are kept from the jury absent a clear and cogent reason for admitting a particular agreement. Asbridge v. Gen. Motors Corp., 797 S.W.2d 775, 781 (Mo. App. E.D. 1990). Accordingly, it was not prejudicial error for the trial court to not inform the jury that a codefendant settled with the plaintiff during jury deliberations, and, regardless of the verdict rendered, the judgment against the nonsettling defendant was simply reduced by the amount of that settlement...