Alabama Supreme Court Gives Memorandum in Support of Affirmance

In February of 2026, Huie partner Stewart McCloud received a favorable Memorandum Opinion from the Alabama Supreme Court in favor of the defendant and affirming the trial court’s denial of plaintiff’s Motion for a New Trial. This case arose from a rear-end collision where liability (fault) was undisputed. The defense focused entirely on challenging the Plaintiff’s alleged injuries and medical causation – the link between the accident and the medical complaints.

A key dispute in the case involved a contradictory medical testimony, where the Plaintiff offered testimony from Plaintiff’s treating physician, who testified that the accident caused Plaintiff’s injuries. The Defendant offered testimony from a neurosurgeon, who testified that the MRI imaging showed only age-related degenerative changes, not an acute injury from the collision.

After deliberating, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the Defendant. The Plaintiff moved for a new trial, arguing that liability, damages, and causation were “proven and uncontradicted.” The trial court denied Plaintiff’s motion.

On appeal, the Plaintiff argued the verdict was against the great weight of the evidence. The Alabama Supreme Court disagreed, noting that when there is conflicting medical testimony, it is the jury’s responsibility to assign weight to this conflicting expert testimony and resolve credibility issues regarding the Plaintiff’s subjective complaints. The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed the verdict, issuing a 48-page Memorandum in Support of Affirmance.