McDonough Power Equipment, Inc. v. Greenwood
United States Supreme Court
464 U.S. 548 (1984)
- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
Billy Greenwood and his parents (plaintiffs) brought suit against McDonough Power Equipment, Inc. (defendant) to recover damages for injuries sustained by Billy when his feet came into contact with the blades of a lawnmower manufactured by McDonough. During voir dire, Greenwood’s counsel asked the prospective jurors whether anyone themselves, or someone in their immediate family, had sustained injuries resulting in any disability or prolonged pain and suffering. Ronald Payton, who eventually became a juror, did not respond to this question. After a three-week trial, the jury found for McDonough. Greenwood filed a motion for new trial after Greenwood discovered that Payton’s son was injured in a tire accident, a fact that had not been revealed during voir dire and, as Greenwood argued, prejudiced their right to peremptory challenge. The district court denied Greenwood’s motion, finding that the matter was fairly and thoroughly tried, and that the verdict was well-supported by the evidence. The Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed and ordered a new trial in favor of Greenwood’s motion. McDonough appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Rehnquist, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
