Barham v. Turner Construction Co. of Texas

803 S.W.2d 731, 1990 WL 265213
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 11, 1990
Docket05-90-00048-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by67 cases

This text of 803 S.W.2d 731 (Barham v. Turner Construction Co. of Texas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barham v. Turner Construction Co. of Texas, 803 S.W.2d 731, 1990 WL 265213 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

STEWART, Justice.

George Russell Barham and United States Fire Insurance Company (Insurance Company) 1 appeal from a take nothing judgment in favor of Turner Construction Company of Texas (Turner Construction) in Barham’s suit for damages arising from a construction accident. Barham and Insurance Company assert seven points of error on appeal. In their first five points, Bar-ham and Insurance Company contend that the trial court erred in: (1) submitting a definition of negligence which excluded consideration by the jury of the negligence of Turner Construction, the general contractor, in failing to furnish safe materials, to provide a safe place to work, and to inspect; (2) submitting a definition of negligence which limited the jury to consideration of the work performed by Crane Safety and Maintenance, Inc. because it was an impermissible comment on the weight of the evidence; (3) refusing to submit the theory of product liability; (4) admitting photographs of Barham taken by Turner Construction’s investigator because they were procured by fraud and misrepresentation on the part of said investigator in violation of Disciplinary Rule 7-104; and (5) failing to grant Barham’s motion for mistrial based on the admission of the al *734 legedly improperly obtained photographs. In points six and seven, Barham and Insurance Company argue that the answer of the jury to question 3 (point six) and to questions 1(a) and 2(a) (point seven) are so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly unjust. We disagree. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Turner Construction, as the general contractor, hired Crane Safety and Maintenance, Inc. (Crane Safety), as a subcontractor, to erect steel columns at the Coit Central Tower project. Barham was foreman of the Crane Safety crew. While the crew was erecting one of four forty-foot steel columns, a steel erection plate, 2 which was wired to the top of the column, fell and struck Barham’s head, which was covered by a hardhat. Barham sued Turner Construction and Southern Industrial Steel Company (SISCO), fabricator of the steel column, alleging causes of action for negligence and strict product liability. Barham alleged damages which included inability to work at his occupation as an iron worker after the accident, permanent loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of physical capacity. The jury found that Barham’s injuries were not proximately caused by the negligence of Turner Construction, but were proximately caused by the negligence of Barham and SISCO, and attributed fifty percent of the negligence to each. SISCO settled with Barham and was dismissed from the suit. This appeal involves only the take nothing judgment in favor of Turner Construction.

DEFINITION OF NEGLIGENCE

In the first point, Barham and Insurance Company contend that the trial court erred in submitting a definition of negligence which excluded consideration by the jury of the negligence of Turner Construction, the general contractor, in failing to furnish safe materials, to furnish a safe workplace, and to inspect. They argue that the trial court incorrectly defined negligence to limit the jury to consideration of the work performed by Crane Safety, thereby failing to submit the question of Turner Construction’s negligence in the performance of its duties to Crane Safety’s employees. Bar-ham and Insurance Company further argue that Turner Construction’s duty to furnish a safe workplace and to inspect did not depend upon Turner Construction’s right to control Crane Safety’s work. Turner Construction acknowledges that it had certain duties to Crane Safety’s employees, but asserts that Barham and Insurance Company fail to recognize the parameters of a general contractor’s duty to its subcontractors and that the instructions submitted by the trial court to the jury accurately reflected Turner Construction’s duties as a general contractor under the facts of this case.

The trial court submitted the following definition of negligence to the jury: “ ‘Negligence’ with regard to [Turner Construction] means the failure to use ordinary care in the exercise of its control, if any, over the details of the work performed by [Crane Safety].” Barham objected and requested the following definition:

“Negligence” means failure to use ordinary care, that is, failing to do that which a person of, ordinary prudence would have done under the same or similar circumstances or doing that which a person of ordinary prudence would not have done under the same or similar circumstances.

Additionally, Barham requested the following issues on Turner Construction’s right to and exercise of control over Crane Safety's work:

Did [Turner Construction] have a right to control any of the details of the work of erecting the column in question?
Did [Turner Construction] actually exercise any control over the details of the work of erecting the column in question?

The trial court refused to submit Barham's requested issues.

*735 The trial court must submit explanatory instructions and definitions that will enable the jury to render a verdict and must explain any legal or technical terms. Tex.R.Civ.P. 277. The trial court has considerable discretion in deciding which instructions are necessary and proper when submitting issues to the jury. Clancy v. Zale Corp., 705 S.W.2d 820, 825 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1986, writ ref'd n.r.e.); K-Mart Corp. Store No. 7441 v. Trotti, 677 S.W.2d 632, 637 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1984), writ ref'd n.r.e. per curiam, 686 S.W.2d 593 (Tex.1985). In determining whether there has been an abuse of discretion, this Court may not substitute its judgment for that of the trial court, but must determine only whether the trial court’s action was arbitrary or unreasonable. K-Mart Corp. Store No. 7441, 677 S.W.2d at 636. Error in a jury charge supports reversal only if it comprises such a denial of the rights of the complaining party as was reasonably calculated to and probably did cause the rendition of an improper judgment. Island Recreation Dev. v. Republic of Texas Sav., 710 S.W.2d 551, 555 (Tex.1986).

The essential elements of actionable negligence are a legal duty owed by one person to another, a breach of that duty, and damages proximately resulting from such breach. Colvin v. Red Steel Co., 682 S.W.2d 243, 245 (Tex.1984). The plaintiff has the burden of establishing each of these elements. Gray v. Baker & Taylor Dulling Co., 602 S.W.2d 64, 65 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1980, writ refd n.r.e.). The existence of a legal duty under a given statement of facts is essentially a question of law for the court. Id.; see Abalos v. Oil Dev. Co.,

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803 S.W.2d 731, 1990 WL 265213, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barham-v-turner-construction-co-of-texas-texapp-1990.