Builders Transport, Inc. v. Grice-Smith

167 S.W.3d 1, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 1839, 2005 WL 552486
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 9, 2005
Docket10-01-00130-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 167 S.W.3d 1 (Builders Transport, Inc. v. Grice-Smith) 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
Builders Transport, Inc. v. Grice-Smith, 167 S.W.3d 1, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 1839, 2005 WL 552486 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinions

OPINION

FELIPE REYNA, Justice.

The surviving relatives of Roy Cell Smith, Jr. (collectively, “Appellees”) filed a wrongful death and survival action against Builders Transport, Inc. and its employee John Alfred Landry for damages sustained after a semi owned by Builders Transport and driven by Landry overturned, ejecting Smith who died as a result. A jury found in Appellees’ favor and awarded them $4.4 million in damages. Builders Transport1 contends on appeal that there is no evidence or factually insufficient evidence to support the verdict, that the court improperly charged the jury on Appellees’ theories of recovery, and that the jury’s award of $1 million for Smith’s pain and mental anguish is excessive.

Because the charge faded to require the jury to determine the factual predicates necessary to determine whether Builders Transport was negligent under the theories alleged and because the charge failed to require the jury to determine whether Landry had actual or apparent authority to invite Smith to ride with him, we will reverse and remand.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Landry applied for a job with Builders Transport in June 1995. Builders Transport hired Landry after he completed Builders Transport’s three-week driver training program and obtained a commercial driver’s license. Landry then completed a four-week on-the-job training program, driving under the supervision of other company drivers.

On the occasion in question, Landry was delivering a load of tires to a plant in Houston. When he arrived on a Saturday morning, he learned that the plant was closed for the weekend. He decided to visit his brother in Galveston. While there he came in contact with Smith, a friend of his. Smith asked Landry to take him to Builders Transport’s headquarters in Dallas the following Monday so he could apply for a job. Smith also asked him to take Smith’s friend Anthony Henry. Although Landry knew that company policy prohibited drivers from transporting passengers, he agreed to take Smith and Henry to Dallas after delivering the tires to the plant in Houston.

Landry consumed alcoholic beverages and narcotics over the course of the weekend. Henry saw Landry drinking a 40-ounce can of malt liquor shortly before they left Galveston. As they were leaving [6]*6Galveston, the trailer came unhooked. While Landry reconnected the trailer, he asked Smith and Henry to buy him another drink. They got him a 16-ounce malt liquor which Landry drank as they drove to Houston.

The semi overturned' as Landry exited the interstate in Houston. Smith was ejected from the cab when it overturned. The semi skidded on its side along a concrete retaining wall and a guardrail for about 200 feet.

The medical examiner opined that the trailer ran over Smith and mangled the lower part of his body as it passed over. The medical examiner testified that Smith was conscious when he was ejected from the cab and lost consciousness sometime thereafter.

Landry pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Smith’s wife Loretta Yvette Grice-Smith filed a wrongful death and survival action against Builders Transport and Landry in her individual capacity, as representative of his estate, and as next friend for their three minor children. Smith’s parents and the mother of his fourth .child were also plaintiffs. Appellees alleged that Builders Transport was vicariously hable for Landry’s negligence under the theory of re-spondeat superior. Appellees alleged that Builders Transport was directly liable for its own negligence under theories of negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent supervision, and negligent entrustment.

The court directed a verdict in Appel-lees’ favor on the question of Landry’s negligence. The court submitted questions to the jury regarding: whether Landry was acting in the scope of his employment on the occasion in question; whether the negligence of Builders Transport, if any, was a proximate cause of the occurrence; whether Smith’s negligence, if any, was a proximate cause; the apportionment of responsibility among those found negligent; and compensatory damages.

The jury found that Landry was acting in the scope of his employment and that the negligence of Builders Transport and of Smith were proximate causes of the occurrence. The jury apportioned responsibility among Landry, Builders Transport, and Smith as follows: Landry 55%; Builders Transport 30%; and Smith 15%. The jury awarded $1 million for Smith’s pain and mental anguish and for funeral and burial expenses. The jury awarded $600,000 to Smith’s wife and each of his four children for past and future damages. The jury awarded $200,000 to each of Smith’s parents for past and future damages.

NEGLIGENCE

Builders Transport contends in its third through sixth issues respectively that there is no evidence or factually insufficient evidence to support the jury’s finding of negligence under Appellees’ theories of negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent supervision, .and negligent entrustment.2 Because the trial court submitted a broad-form negligence question, the verdict must be upheld against a sufficiency challenge if the record contains sufficient evidence to support a finding on any one of these theories. See Prudential Ins. Co. v. Jefferson Assocs., Ltd., 896 S.W.2d 156, [7]*7160 (Tex.1995); In re C.N.S., 105 S.W.3d 104, 105 (Tex.App.-Waco 2003, no pet.).

Builders Transport argues in its fourth issue that there is no evidence or factually insufficient evidence to support the jury’s finding that it was negligent in training Landry. Because we conclude that the record contains some evidence and factually sufficient evidence to support the jury’s finding under this negligence theory, we do not address Builders Transport’s third, fifth, and sixth issues. Id.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

When we decide a “no evidence” point, “we consider all the evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party, indulging every reasonable inference in that party’s favor.” Associated Indem. Corp. v. CAT Contracting, Inc., 964 S.W.2d 276, 285-86 (Tex.1998); Honda of Am. Mfg., Inc. v. Norman, 104 S.W.3d 600, 604 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2003, pet. denied); Burleson St. Bank v. Plunkett, 27 S.W.3d 605, 612 (Tex.App.-Waco 2000, pet. denied). We will sustain a no evidence point if: (a) there is a complete absence of evidence of a vital fact; (b) we are barred by rules of law or evidence from giving weight to the only evidence offered to prove a vital fact; (c) the evidence offered to prove a vital fact is no more than a mere scintilla; or (d) the evidence conclusively establishes the opposite of the vital fact. Marathon Corp. v. Pitzner, 106 S.W.3d 724, 727 (Tex.2003). “More than a scintilla of evidence exists if the evidence furnishes some reasonable basis for differing conclusions by reasonable minds about a vital fact’s existence.” Minyard Food Stores, Inc. v. Goodman, 80 S.W.3d 573, 577 (Tex.2002).

A factual sufficiency issue requires us to determine whether the challenged “finding is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence that it is manifestly unjust, shocks the conscience, or clearly demonstrates bias.” In re C.H.,

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Bluebook (online)
167 S.W.3d 1, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 1839, 2005 WL 552486, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/builders-transport-inc-v-grice-smith-texapp-2005.