Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Arkansas v. Jordan

54 S.W.2d 403, 186 Ark. 1006, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 388
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedNovember 7, 1932
Docket4-2725
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 54 S.W.2d 403 (Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Arkansas v. Jordan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Arkansas v. Jordan, 54 S.W.2d 403, 186 Ark. 1006, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 388 (Ark. 1932).

Opinion

Mehappy, J.

The appellee brought suit in the Conway Circuit Court alleging that in August, 1531, he purchased a bottle of Coca-Cola which contained a decayed or rotten cockroach; that the appellant negligently and ■carelessly caused to be sold in the regular course of trade the bottle of Coca-Cola which contained the decayed cockroach.

Appellee drank part of the contents of the bottle before he discovered the cockroach. As the result of drinking part of the contents, he became a victim of ptomaine poison, from which he suffered, and is still suffering, and will suffer to some extent the rest of his life.

Appellee further alleged that, since swallowing the contents of the bottle, he had been unable to eat and digest any normal meal, but was subject to violent vomiting, which caused him great pain and humiliation; that he was permanently injured. There were other allegations of suffering and inability to sleep.

The defendant filed answer denying all the material allegations of the complaint.

The evidence offered by appellee tended to show that he bought a bottle of Coca-Cola from the Arkansas Bottling Works on West 7th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas, and drank a part of it. It was bought from the Johnson Grocery Company. He drank part of it and swallowed something that was in the bottle, and called attention to Mrs. Johnson. She examined it and said that .there was a bug in the bottle. Appellee showed the bottle to the manager of the appellant, who examined it and said that there was a bug in the bottle. Later appellee delivered the bottle to Dr. Scoggin.

The drinking from the bottle made appellee sick. Before he drank it he weighed 207 pounds, and now weighs 35 pounds less. Mrs. Johnson testified corroborating the statement of appellee, and physicians testified as to his physical condition.

The appellant’s testimony tended to show that a cockroach in the bottle would not produce the effect testified to by appellee and his witnesses. Appellant also introduced evidence showing the manner in which the Coca-Cola was manufactured and bottled, and showed that it was impossible for anything to get into the bottle unless some of the "inspectors were negligent.

There was a verdict and judgment for $4,000, and the case is here on appeal.

Appellant insists on a reversal of the judgment because of remarks made'by appellee’s counsel in the opening statement to the jury.

Several depositions had been taken by the appellee before the trial, and immediately before the trial began the appellant’s attorney called the attention of the court to the depositions, and objected to them as incompetent and irrelevant, and objecting at that time to counsel for appellee in making his opening statement to make any reference to said depositions.

The court, at that time, overruled the objections of appellant, but did not pass on the competency or admissibility of the depositions.

In making the opening statement to the jury the ap-pellee’s attorney said: “They claim that no foreign substance gets into it. You can see what that is (here exhibits bottle). A reputable citizen of Little Rock, Mr. Bellingrath, testifies — he will just tell you it is absolutely impossible for any foreign substance to get in and remain in a bottle of Coca-Cola. We propose then to produce that.”

Appellant objected, and the attorney for appellee stated that he wanted the record to show the depositions would only be offered in rebuttal if they undertake to show that it can’t get in.

The appellee’s attorney further said in his opening statement: “The deposition of Quinn Glover, son of Congressman Glover, will tell you that he bought a Coca-Cola — bought it from these people, with foreign substance in it. I will not go much in detail about it. You understand the situation.”

The appellant’s attorney then objected and excepted to counsel’s statement. After this the evidence was introduced, and at the close of appellant’s testimony the ap-pellee offered the depositions that had been referred to before tbe beginning of the trial. The court examined the depositions and held the testimony incompetent. The court did not state why the depositions were incompetent, and it is not necessary for us to pass on the admissibility of this evidence.

Appellant cites Kansas City Sou. Ry. Co. v. Murphy, 71 Ark. 256, 85 S. W. 428, and quotes at length from the opinion in that case. The court said in that case: “The control of argument is in the sound judicial discretion of the trial judge, and it is his duty to keep it within the record and within the legitimate scope of the privilege of counsel, and this he should do on his own initiative; if he fails to restrain counsel, then it is the right of opposing counsel to object to the argument. This should be a definite objection to the alleged improper remarks, and call for a ruling of the court thereupon, and if the court then fails to properly restrain and control the argument within its proper bounds, and to instruct the jury to disregard any improper remarks and admonish the counsel making it, then an exception should be taken to the action of the court. A mere exception to argument interposed to make a record in the appellate court, and not calling for a ruling of the trial court, is insufficient. ’ ’

The court also said in that case: “However, a wide range of discretion must be allowed the circuit judges in dealing with the subject, for they can best determine at the time the effect of unwarranted argument; but that discretion is not an arbitrary one, but that sound judicial discretion the exercise of which is a matter of review.”

In the instant case objection was made before the appellee’s attorney had begun his opening statement; the attorney for appellant had objected to the depositions that had been taken, and objected to the counsel for ap-pellee in his opening statement making any reference to the depositions. The court overruled this objection, and did not at that time pass on the question of the admissibility of the depositions.

The appellee’s attorney then, in his opening statement to the jury, made the statement above set out, but the appellant did not take the steps which the case referred to by it, K. C. S. Ry. Co. v. Murphy, says must be taken.

One of the things required is that he should call for a ruling of the court upon his objection. No ruling of the court was made, and none called for. No request was made by appellant to instruct the jury to disregard the remarks of the attorney, or to admonish counsel making it. Moreover, there was nothing in the remark of the attorney that could have prejudiced the jury against the appellant. The circuit judge, not having passed on the admissibility of the depositions up to that time, probably was uncertain himself as to whether or not they were admissible. When the 'depositions were finally presented to the circuit judge, he held that they were incompetent. Certainly up to that time the appellee’s attorney had not intentionally stated anything that he expected to prove which he thought was incompetent.

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Bluebook (online)
54 S.W.2d 403, 186 Ark. 1006, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 388, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coca-cola-bottling-co-of-arkansas-v-jordan-ark-1932.