Bezdek v. Patrick

103 N.W.2d 318, 170 Neb. 522, 1960 Neb. LEXIS 97
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 3, 1960
Docket34702
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 103 N.W.2d 318 (Bezdek v. Patrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bezdek v. Patrick, 103 N.W.2d 318, 170 Neb. 522, 1960 Neb. LEXIS 97 (Neb. 1960).

Opinion

Wenke, J.

This is the second appearance of this cause in this court. See Bezdek v. Patrick, 167 Neb. 754, 94 N. W. 2d 482. Therein we vacated a verdict in favor of defendant Kenneth Patrick, reversed a judgment entered thereon, and remanded the cause generally for retrial. *524 Plaintiff Joseph Bezdek’s cause of action was again tried and submitted to a jury, which brought in a verdict for defendant on which judgment was entered. Plaintiff filed a motion for new trial and has perfected this appeal from the overruling thereof.

We shall not again set out the basic facts upon which appellant’s cause of action is premised for they are fully and correctly set out in our first opinion. Appellant contends that he was not given the benefit of our holding in that opinion to the effect that appellee, in certain respects, was guilty of negligence as a matter of law. In our first opinion we held that appellee was guilty of negligence as a matter of law in that he did not maintain a proper lookout and in that he did not have his truck under control. On the second trial the trial court did not so inform the jury but submitted the matter of these two issues to the jury as a fact question. The principles applicable to this contention are as follows:

“It is a fundamental principle of jurisprudence that material facts or questions which were in issue in a former action, and were there admitted or judicially determined, are conclusively settled by a judgment rendered therein, and that such facts or questions become res judicata and may not again be litigated in a subsequent action.” Callahan v. Prewitt, on rehearing, 143 Neb. 793, 13 N. W. 2d 660. See, also, Benedict v. Eppley Hotel Co., 161 Neb. 280, 73 N. W. 2d 228.

“The rule' that the findings of this court on a first appeal become the law of the case on a retrial of the same issues is not available where on the second trial the facts are materially and substantially different.” Callahan v. Prewitt, supra. See, also, State ex rel. Davis v. American State Bank, 115 Neb. 81, 211 N. W. 201; Phelps County Farmers’ Mutual Ins. Co. v. Johnston, 66 Neb. 590, 92 N. W. 576.

“Where on appeal findings of fact are made which become the law of the case and there is a remand for *525 a new trial, on such retrial, such findings are binding on the parties, the trial court and this court, unless on the retrial the facts relating to the issues upon which the findings were made are materially and substantially different from those adduced on the former trial, and the burden of showing a difference shall rest upon the party making the claim.” Callahan v. Prewitt, supra. See, also, Benedict v. Eppley Hotel Co., supra.

“The determination of the question of whether or not the evidence on a retrial is different from that adduced on an earlier trial is one for the court and not for the jury.” Callahan v. Prewitt, supra. See, also, Benedict v. Eppley Hotel Co., supra.

Appellee did not show the facts relating to these issues, upon which our findings were made, were materially and substantially different at the second trial from those adduced on the first trial. In fact, he made no showing as to what they were on the first trial. In view thereof our previous findings in regard thereto were binding on appellee, the trial court on the second trial, and upon us on this appeal. Not only was the appellee guilty of negligence in these two respects, which are specifications of negligence (a) and (b) as found in the trial court’s instruction No. 2, but the evidence establishes that such conduct was, as a matter of law, a proximate cause of the accident in which appellant was injured. Appellant was entitled to have the jury so informed and it was prejudicial error on the part of the trial court not to do so.

In the original action appellee pleaded contributory negligence as a defense but did not set out any specifications of negligence on the part of appellant relating thereto but did in connection with a counterclaim, which was withdrawn at the second trial. Upon remand appellee was granted leave to amend his answer by setting out numerous specifications of negligence under his defense of contributory negligence and by its instruction No. 3 the trial court submitted 11 of these to *526 the; jury. It is of course true that when, upon remand, new issues of fact are properly raised which were not present in the former adjudication and there is suffh cient competent evidence adduced to support such new allegations of fact to make them a jury question, the doctrine of the law of the case has no application there7 to. State ex rel. Davis v. American State Bank, supra.

But in the former adjudication certain issues as to appellant’s conduct being negligent were raised and we determined, in regard thereto, that there was no evidence of any absence of control by appellant óf his automobile that could in any way have been considered negligence or that could be considered as having contributed to the collision; that the charge of negligence of appellant consisting of absence of control by him of his automobile should not have been submitted to the jury; that the charge that appellant failed to have and maintain a proper lookout was unfounded; that there was no evidence to support or justify the charge that appellant failed to apply his brakes; and that there was no fault shown on the part of appellant which caused his inability to engage the second gear of his automobile. In view of the record we think the law of the case is applicable to the foregoing for the same reasons as have been hereinbefore set forth. Consequently the trial court should not have submitted specifications of negligence numbered 2, 9, and 10, as found in its instruction No. 3, and it was error for the trial court to do so.

In our first opinion we said appellee pleaded contributory negligence and that this issue should, under the record as made, be submitted to the jury as a factual matter for its determination upon proper instructions. As stated in Pankonin v. Borowski, 167 Neb. 382, 93 N. W. 2d 41: “If there is evidence which will sustain a finding for the litigant who has the burden of proof in a cause, the trial court may not disregard it and decide the case as a matter of law.”

From the evidence adduced a' jury could find that *527

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Bluebook (online)
103 N.W.2d 318, 170 Neb. 522, 1960 Neb. LEXIS 97, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bezdek-v-patrick-neb-1960.