South Dakota § 15-6-59(a) - Grounds for new trial.

§ 15-6-59(a). Grounds for new trial.

A new trial may be granted to all or any of the parties and on all or part of the issues for any of the following causes:

(1)    Irregularity in the proceedings of the court, jury, or adverse party or any order of the court or abuse of discretion by which either party was prevented from having a fair trial;

(2)    Misconduct of the jury; and whenever any one or more of the jurors have been induced to assent to any general or special verdict or to a finding on any question submitted to them by the court, by a resort to the determination of chance, such misconduct may be proved by the affidavit of any one of the jurors;

(3)    Accident or surprise which ordinary prudence could not have guarded against;

(4)    Newly discovered evidence, material to the party making the application, which he could not with reasonable diligence have discovered and produced at the trial;

(5)    Excessive or inadequate damages appearing to have been given under the influence of passion or prejudice;

(6)    Insufficiency of the evidence to justify the verdict or other decision or that it is against law;

(7)    Error of law occurring at the trial; provided, that in the case of claim of error, admission, rejection of evidence, or instructions to the jury or failure of the court to make a finding or conclusion upon a material issue which had not been proposed or requested, it must be based upon an objection, offer of proof or a motion to strike.

On a motion for a new trial in an action tried without a jury, the court may open the judgment if one has been entered, take additional testimony, amend findings of fact and conclusions of law or make new findings and conclusions, and direct the entry of a new judgment.

When the motion be made for a cause mentioned in subparagraphs (1), (2), (3), or (4), it must be made upon affidavits attached to and made a part of the motion, unless as to a cause mentioned in subparagraph (1), the irregularity or abuse of discretion is sufficiently disclosed by the record to support such motion. When the motion is made under subparagraph (6) it shall state the particulars wherein the evidence is claimed to be insufficient.

Source: SDC 1939 & Supp 1960, §§ 33.1605, 33.1606; SD RCP, Rule 59 (a), as adopted by Sup. Ct. Order March 29, 1966, effective July 1, 1966; SL 1978, ch 178, § 568.