Bryan v. Campbell

720 S.W.2d 62, 1986 Tenn. App. LEXIS 3029
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMay 23, 1986
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 720 S.W.2d 62 (Bryan v. Campbell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bryan v. Campbell, 720 S.W.2d 62, 1986 Tenn. App. LEXIS 3029 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

CRAWFORD, Judge.

This is an appeal of a judgment on a jury verdict awarding compensatory and punitive damages for the tort of outrageous conduct.

Plaintiff, Bobby Bryan, owned a tavern known as The Inn Between in Hardin, County, which he had purchased from the defendant, Charles Edward Campbell. As security for the balance of the purchase price, Campbell had a trust deed on the property. The property was insured for fire and extended coverage by Overseas and Domestic Underwriters of Tennessee, and although the record is not entirely clear, it appears that Campbell was a loss payee under the policy.

A fire occurred March 27, 1984, which extensively damaged the tavern. The damage was repaired in April of 1984 by Paul Childers. The insurance company issued a check dated May 15, 1984, in the amount of $13,198.00 to pay for the repairs to the property and the check was made payable to Bobby Bryan, Charles Edward Campbell [63]*63and the Bank of Mississippi.1 On that same date, Childers and Bryan located Campbell at the Iuka Hospital where Campbell was a patient and requested that Campbell endorse the check so that Child-ers could be paid. Campbell refused to endorse the check and referred them to his attorney in Mississippi who also represented the Bank of Mississippi. The Bank of Mississippi endorsed the check later, but Campbell refused to do so on several occasions.

On June 11, 1984, Childers filed suit in the Chancery Court against Bryan, Campbell, the Bank of Mississippi and the insurance company in which he sought judgment for the amount due him for the repairs to the property. The named defendants filed responsive pleadings joining issue on the complaint, and the insurance company tendered the money into court. On August 1, 1984, Bryan filed a cross-claim against Campbell alleging that Campbell’s refusal to endorse the check was outrageous conduct that caused serious mental and financial injury to Bryan. Campbell filed an answer joining issue on the allegations of the cross-claim. On February 26, 1985, all matters in controversy, except Bryan’s cross-claim against Campbell, were compromised, settled, and dismissed, and Bryan and Campbell stipulated that they wanted their case tried on submission to the jury for a general verdict.

The case proceeded to trial and the tort of outrageous conduct was the sole theory upon which Bryan relied and the sole theory charged by the court in the instructions to the jury. The jury returned a verdict against defendant for $4,500 compensatory damages and $4,500 punitive damages on which the court rendered the judgment resulting in this appeal.

Campbell has presented two issues for review by this Court, and the first issue, which we have rephrased, is whether there is any material evidence to support the verdict of the jury.

This Court’s function in reviewing jury verdicts is succinctly stated in Mason v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, 640 S.W.2d 561 (Tenn.App.1982):

Of course, in testing the validity of a plaintiff’s jury award we must view the evidence in the light most favorable to plaintiff. This court has no right to weigh the evidence in a jury case, but must indulge every reasonable inference in favor of the plaintiff when there is material evidence in support of the verdict. Houser v. Persinger, 57 Tenn.App. 401, 405, 419 S.W.2d 179,181 (1967). We must look at all the evidence, take the strongest legitimate view of it in favor of the plaintiff and allow all reasonable inferences in plaintiff's favor. Norman v. Liberty Life Assurance Co., 556 S.W.2d 772, 773 (Tenn.App.1977); Truan v. Smith, 578 S.W.2d 73, 74 (Tenn.1979). Our duty upon review of conflicting evidence in a jury trial is not to determine where the truth lies, but only to determine if there was any material evidence to support the verdict below. Davis v. Wilson, 522 S.W.2d 872, 875 (Tenn.App.1974); Chattanooga Gas Co. v. Underwood, 38 Tenn.App. 142, 149, 270 S.W.2d 652, 655 (1954). Even if we would have reached conclusions different from those reached by the jury, if there is some material evidence to support the verdict, it must be affirmed. Davis v. Wilson, supra; Chattanooga Gas Co. v. Underwood, supra at 149-150, 270 S.W.2d at 655-656.

Id. at 564.

The record reflects that Bryan received the insurance company check on or about May 15, 1984, and, at about that time, approached Campbell about endorsing the check while Campbell was a patient in the hospital. Bryan attempted to have Campbell endorse the check on approximately two other occasions prior to Childers filing his suit on June 11, 1984, seeking payment for the repair work. Bryan’s cross-claim alleging outrageous conduct was filed in August, 1984, and at no time, prior thereto [64]*64nor subsequent thereto, did Bryan attempt to seek the trial court’s assistance in requiring the endorsement of the check.

Bryan testified that Campbell told him that the reason he would not endorse the check was because the property had not been restored to the same condition it had prior to the fire. Bryan also stated that Campbell would not endorse the check because Campbell thought Bryan was going to obtain some of the proceeds personally.

Bryan further testified to the following: he was greatly upset when his tavern burned; his stress continually got worse “especially when Mr. Campbell wouldn’t sign the check;” he was “all tore up” after Childers filed the lawsuit; he had to increase the dosage of his ulcer medicine from one tablet per day to four tablets per day, because his ulcers were bothering him more; he had great difficulty sleeping; he felt that his life was not worth anything and he was a nervous wreck; and after the lawsuit was filed he was unable to get insurance and was threatened with foreclosure, which forced him to sell the business on March 4, 1985, to a Ken Hurst.

Bryan presented witnesses who testified that the building’s interior was better after the repairs had been made than it was prior to the fire. One of the workers who helped repair the tavern testified that while working on the repairs he overheard Campbell voice complaints about the quality of the work. One of Bryan’s former employees testified that Bryan became such a “nervous wreck” that she had to quit working for him. She stated that after Campbell refused to endorse the check, Bryan increased his drinking to a point where he would get drunk.

We now must decide whether the above related evidence constitutes material evidence to sustain the verdict that defendant committed the tort of outrageous conduct.

In Medlin v. Allied Investment Company, 217 Tenn. 469, 398 S.W.2d 270 (1966), our Supreme Court recognized the tort of outrageous conduct as provided in the Restatement (2d) of Torts, § 46(1), which we quote:

46. Outrageous Conduct Causing Severe Emotional Distress

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Bluebook (online)
720 S.W.2d 62, 1986 Tenn. App. LEXIS 3029, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bryan-v-campbell-tennctapp-1986.