Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Hammac

261 So. 2d 893, 48 Ala. App. 60, 1972 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 366
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMay 1, 1972
Docket1 Div. 48
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 261 So. 2d 893 (Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Hammac) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama 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. v. Hammac, 261 So. 2d 893, 48 Ala. App. 60, 1972 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 366 (Ala. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

BRADLEY, Judge.

The appeal is from a judgment in the amount of $8,000 awarded in favor of appellee for the negligence of appellant in producing and bottling a Coca Cola which exploded and injured appellee. A plea of the general issue was filed and a jury trial ensued resulting in a judgment for appellee.

During the empaneling of the jury appellee was allowed to challenge for cause a prospective juror on the ground that said prospective juror had been acquainted with [63]*63one of appellant’s lawyers for about twenty years. Upon being asked by the court if such acquaintance would, in any way, interfere with his being able to render a fair and impartial verdict, he replied:

“Your Honor, I don’t want to get off into a psychological thing but it is alleged that nearly a few of us are completely impartial and you can’t help but be swayed by things.”

Appellant objected to the court’s sustaining of the challenge for cause.

After judgment had been rendered appellant moved for a new trial, principally on the ground that the verdict and judgment were excessive. The motion was overruled and shortly thereafter an appeal was taken to this court from the judgment on the merits and from the judgment overruling the motion for new trial.

The record on appeal contains twelve assignments of error, but appellant argues only assignments one, six, ten, eleven and twelve. Those assignments not argued are deemed waived. Rule 9, Supreme Court Rules.

In examining the record we notice that assignments eleven and twelve do not refer us to the page or pages of the record whereon said errors occurred.

Rule 1, Supreme Court Rules, provides, in part, that: “each assignment shall list the page or pages of the transcript of the record on which the ruling is recorded.”

It has been held by our Supreme Court that Rule 1 is mandatory. Jones v. Miller, 282 Ala. 231, 210 So.2d 793; National Finance Company, Inc. v. Rowe, 281 Ala. 658, 207 So.2d 133; and Wiggins et al. v. Stapleton Baptist Church, 284 Ala. 174, 223 So.2d 519.

This court is therefore precluded from considering assignments eleven and twelve.

Assignment of error one contends that the trial court erred in overruling the motion for new trial. The motion contained nine grounds directed mainly to the contentions that the verdict was contrary to the law, contrary to the evidence, or was excessive. Appellant argued only the ground of excessiveness, hence we will consider the other grounds waived.

We think a short rendition of the evidence here would be helpful to an understanding of the issue presented to this, court.

Appellee was employed as a waitress at “Mr. Steak,” a restaurant located in Mobile, Alabama.

Should a patron wish to drink a soft drink with his meal, he would give the waitress his choice made from a list consisting of Coca Cola, Sunrise Orange or Seven-Up. Coca Cola and Sunrise Orange were bottled and supplied to customers by appellant.

The evidence revealed that there were two soft drink machines in the restaurant, one supplied by appellant.

The machines were filled by the manager or assistant manager of Mr. Steak from, racks of drinks placed next to the machines by the deliverymen of the two companies supplying the soft drinks.

The soft drinks purchased from appellant came in ten ounce “throw-away” bottles.

When a patron ordered a soft drink, the waitress would go to a machine, insert a coin, retrieve the bottle, open it on an opener on the machine and then take it to the customer.

Should the machine be empty and no time to refill it — this happens at rush hours — the waitress would insert a coin and remove a drink from the rack next to the machine.

On the day in question — a Saturday — appellee was given an order for several soft drinks. The Coca Cola machine was empty. She removed an orange drink from the [64]*64rack, opened it, and then transferred it to her left hand. She repeated this process with two Cokes; then when she removed the third Coke from the rack and started to open it, but before reaching the opener with the bottle, it exploded, propelling a piece of glass into her left wrist.

The manager of Mr. Steak was nearby, heard the noise, and went to appellee’s aid. He removed the piece of glass from her wrist, applied a cold compress and called a doctor. The doctor came to the restaurant and then drove appellee to a nearby hospital where she received treatment for her injury.

Appellee testified that since the injury, whenever a certain area of her left arm is touched, she receives a sensation similar to an electric shock, and whatever she is holding in that left hand is dropped. She further stated that since returning to work she has dropped several plates of food and other items, all caused by touching this ■sensitive area on her left arm.

Appellee stated that this defect has reduced her efficiency as a waitress, causing a decline in her earnings. She said that :she was earning, at the time of the injury, $3.00 a day plus tips, which averaged .around $15 to $17 per day; whereas after the injury she has earned only about $12 per day.

The attending physician stated that the •sensitive area is called a “neurofibroma” and will permanently afflict appellee, causing a 10% to 15% disability. He stated additional surgery might or might not help .appellee.

Appellant says that appellee’s doctor bill was $50 to $100, her hospital bill was only $18.80, and she missed just a few days from work. Appellant also showed that appellee’s earnings for the last four months of 1969 were only $195, of which $3.00 a ■day was base pay, leaving $54 earned as tips.

Appellee countered by saying that she ■now earns $4 a day in tips less than she did before the injury. The argument was that she lost $1,000 in tips from the date of the injury to the date of trial.

Appellant says that the $8,000 verdict was the result of passion, prejudice, partiality, or mistake, and the trial court erred in not ordering a new trial.

In reviewing the evidence to determine its sufficiency to support the verdict, we are required to view that evidence in a light that is most favorable to appellee, Cooper v. Watts, 280 Ala. 236, 191 So.2d 519; and, after having done so, we cannot say that the verdict is not supported by the evidence.

In deciding whether the verdict is excessive or not, we are governed by another principle of law which provides that when the trial court overrules the motion for new trial, the verdict and judgment are strengthened. Westbrook v. Gibbs, 285 Ala. 223, 231 So.2d 97.

In the instant case the trial court overruled the motion for new trial and we think rightfully so. We find no error in assignment one.

Assignment six is based on the proposition that the trial court erred in allowing appellee to strike for cause the prospective juror who had stated that he had known one of the appellant’s attorneys for twenty years.

Appellant says that the statement made by the prospective juror did not show absolute bias and was therefore insufficient to support a challenge for cause.

Appellee, in reply, says the test is probable prejudice, and that in this case the statement made by the prospective juror indicated he was probably prejudiced.

In Brown v. Woolverton, 219 Ala. 112, 121 So.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Clayton Ex Rel. Clayton v. Fargason
730 So. 2d 160 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1999)
CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Battiste
578 So. 2d 1065 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1991)
Jeffries v. Loftin
358 So. 2d 755 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
261 So. 2d 893, 48 Ala. App. 60, 1972 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coca-cola-bottling-co-v-hammac-alacivapp-1972.