Cain v. Zurich Insurance Company

426 S.W.2d 575, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2272
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 1, 1968
Docket17069
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 426 S.W.2d 575 (Cain v. Zurich Insurance Company) 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
Cain v. Zurich Insurance Company, 426 S.W.2d 575, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2272 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

CLAUDE WILLIAMS, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case in which Loyd D. Cain sought recovery for total and permanent disability benefits against Zurich Insurance Company, the insurance carrier for his employer, Poco Graphite, Inc. The case was submitted to a jury on special issues and in response thereto it was found that Cain had sustained temporary total disability for a period of sixteen weeks and three days. Based upon this verdict the trial court rendered judgment in favor of Cain for such period of disability, less the compensation previously paid, and he, being dissatisfied, brings this appeal.

In his brief appellant presents sixteen points of error but in oral argument before this court states that his principal contentions are contained in his points 6 and 12 through 16, inclusive.

By his sixth point of error appellant says:

“Error occurred by act between Zurich Insurance Company and State Farm Mutual Insurance Company where Zurich gained information from State Farm Mu *577 tual Insurance Company in the form of statement given to State Farm Mutual Insurance Company.”

In his statement under this point appellant asserts that during the trial of this cause, without prior notice to him, defense counsel produced a written statement which he had given to State Farm Mutual Insurance Company some five years prior to this trial, involving another claim for personal injuries made against that insurance company, and used such statement for impeachment purposes during cross-examination of appellant. He says that at no time prior to the trial was he advised' that State Farm had given Zurich the statement nor was he given advance notice that such statement had been obtained and was to be used against him in this trial.

He argues that (1) the act on the part of the two insurance companies abridged his rights under the equal protection' clause of the Constitution of the United States, and (2) the act on the part of the two insurance companies constituted a conspiracy for the purpose of impeding the due course of justice and therefore his rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (42 U.S.C.A. § 1985) were violated.

Appellant’s point is without merit and must be overruled for several reasons:

(a) The point of error was not incorporated in the amended motion for new trial and therefore cannot be considered by this court for the first time on appeal. In accordance with Rule 324, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, appellant properly filed his motion and amended motion for new trial in which he set forth twenty-eight assignments of error. None of these assignments complain of the matters now before us in appellant’s Point No. 6. Rule 374, T.R.C.P., specifically provides that:

“The motion for new trial, when required to be filed under these rules, shall constitute the assignments of error on appeal or writ of error. A ground of error not distinctly set forth in the motion for new trial, in cases where a motion for new trial is required shall be considered as waived.”

It is settled law that in a case tried before a jury and judgment rendered upon the jury verdict the filing of the motion for new trial and its denial, either expressly or by application of law, are prerequisite to an appeal. Errors which are not brought to the attention of the court upon presentation of a timely and properly filed motion are waived and are not preserved for appellate review. Wagner v. Foster, 161 Tex. 333, 341 S.W.2d 887 (1960); Texas Power & Light Co. v. Cole, 158 Tex. 495, 313 S.W.2d 524 (1958); Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Bailey, 151 Tex. 359, 250 S.W.2d 379 (1952); Kent v. Smith, 410 S.W.2d 833 (Tex.Civ.App., Tyler 1967); Bishop v. Carter, 408 S.W.2d 520 (Tex.Civ.App., Waco 1966) ; Hortenstine v. McKlemurry, 402 S.W.2d 946 (Tex.Civ.App., Waco 1966); Ballard v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 391 S.W.2d 510 (Tex.Civ.App., Corpus Christi 1965).

(b) The error complained of is not fundamental. Fundamental error occurs when the error involves matter of public interest and the record affirmatively and conclusively shows error or that the court rendering the judgment was without jurisdiction of the subject matter. It has been held that error is not fundamental when it is necessary to examine the statement of facts to discover such alleged error. None of the essential elements of fundamental error appear in this record. Schafer v. Stevens, 352 S.W.2d 471 (Tex.Civ.App., Dallas 1961); McCauley v. Consolidated Underwriters, 157 Tex. 475, 304 S.W.2d 265 (1957); Ramsey v. Dunlop, 146 Tex. 196, 205 S.W.2d 979 (1947); City of Deer Park v. State, 154 Tex. 174, 275 S.W.2d 77 (1954).

(c) Appellant did not object to the use of the statement in question during the trial of the case. It is elementary that failure to make a timely objection to proffered evidence will prevent a party from complaining on appeal of its admission by the *578 trial court. Cross v. Houston Belt & Terminal Ry. Co., 351 S.W.2d 84, 96 A.L.R.2d 1 (Tex.Civ.App., Houston 1961, writ ref’d n. r. e.).

(d) An examination of the record reveals no evidence which would justify the charge of “conspiracy” or “impeded the due course of justice” as between the two insurance companies.

Appellant’s sixth point is overruled.

In his restatement of his Points of Error Nos. 12 through 16, appellant says:

“Reversible error exists where counsel continually ignores ruling of the court and by inflammatory use of cross-examination injects error into the record.”

In his statement under this combined group of points appellant lists thirty-nine instances by referring to the page number in the statement of facts, together with the line numbers on each page, and contends that the remarks of appellee’s counsel, as well as the court’s remarks, revealed by the thirty-nine instances constitute prejudicial error, both singly and combined, which thereby deprived appellant of a fair and impartial trial.

We find no merit in any of these points and they must be overruled for the following reasons:

(a) Appellant’s points were not properly preserved in his motion for new trial and may not be brought forth on appeal for the first time.

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426 S.W.2d 575, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cain-v-zurich-insurance-company-texapp-1968.