Helen Teran v. Alexander Piloto

Summary

The Florida Third District Court of Appeal affirmed a final judgment entered for Alexander Piloto after an eight-day jury trial. The court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying a motion for a new trial based on closing-argument comments and that the jury’s verdict was supported by competent substantial evidence despite conflicting evidence.

Holdings

1. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Teran's motion for a new trial based on the challenged closing-argument comments.
2. The verdict was not against the manifest weight of the evidence because the parties presented conflicting evidence and the verdict was supported by competent substantial evidence.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying a motion for a new trial based on comments made by Piloto's counsel during closing argument.
2. Whether the jury's verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence.

Disposition

affirmed