Darling v. Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Co.

209 S.W.2d 660, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1044
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 23, 1948
DocketNo. 5836.
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 209 S.W.2d 660 (Darling v. Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Co.) 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
Darling v. Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 209 S.W.2d 660, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1044 (Tex. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinion

PITTS, Chief Justice.

This is a suit for a declaratory judgment under the Texas Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act filed by Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company. It grew out of the execution of a release when a settlement was had between the parties as a result of injuries received .by appellant, E. J. Darling, when he was employed as a locomotive fireman by appellee, while he was engaged within the scope of his employment oil June 22, 1945, at which time he received injuries to his back and other parts of his body for which injuries he asserted liability claims against appellee. Appellee granted. *663 appellant a leave of absence from his duties and advanced money to him in order that he might procure medical attention. On November 26, 1945, a settlement was made by the appellant and Walter R. Irwin, general claim agent for appellee, as a result of which settlement appellant executed a release and signed the same in the presence of four witnesses, namely: Mrs. E. J. Darling, appellant’s wife; J. W. Sossaman, appellant’s father-in-law; Walter R. Irwin and W. A. Martin, the two latter witnesses being agents of appellee, all of whom heard all the negotiations at the time of the settlement. On or about April 10, 1946, appellant called Walter R. Irwin by long distance telephone from Lubbock and talked to him in Amarillo. During the telephone •conversation appellant told Walter R. Irwin •that he was not satisfied with the settlement previously made and told him either then or in a personal conversation the next day that he must have more money as a result (of his injuries or he would file suit against appellee for additional damages as a result of his injuries. Appellee did not pay him any more money but soon thereafter on April 12, 1946, filed this suit against appellant pleading the contract of employment on the date of the claimed injuries, .appellant’s claimed injuries, advancements •of money made by appellee to appellant, a final settlement made with appellant by ap-pellee, the execution of a release by appellant, the terms of the release, appellant’s threats to file an action against appellee to ■set aside the release and assert additional • claims of liability and prayed for a declaratory judgment construing the terms of the release favorable to appellee and discharging it from further liability. The contents ,of the release in question are as follows:

“Release In Full
“For the Sole and Only Consideration of 'Six Thousand Eight Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($6,800.00) the receipt of which is 'hereby acknowledged, I hereby release and forever discharge the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company, its agents and employes, from any and all claims and de-rniands which I now have or may hereafter have on account of any and all injuries, including any injuries which may hereafter .develop as well as those now apparent, sustained by me at or near Muleshoe, Texas, on or about June 22, 1945, while I was employed by the said Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company as Locomotive Fireman and in the performance of my duties as such working with its Freight Train Extra 4095 East; including any and all expenses incurred by me, or that may hereafter be incurred by me, for any and all medical attention, hospitalization, etc., on account of or in any manner in connection with such injuries sustained by me as a result of accident of the above mentioned date, as well as any and all damages sustained by me by reason of the loss of or damage to personal effects, or otherwise, or for any other thing, whether mentioned herein or not. This settlement is made and release given without any promise or representation whatsoever upon the part of the said Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company or any of its officers, agents or employes, or demand by me, that employment of any kind or nature whatsoever will be given me in the future, or that I will be given or carried on leave of absence in the future, or that I will be given free transportation, or anything else, and it is expressly understood and agreed and I here state that the payment hereinabove recited is the sole and only consideration for this settlement and the execution and delivery by me of this release, it being intended by this settlement and release to fully, finally and completely release and forever discharge the said Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company, its agents and employes, of and from any and all claims, demands and causes of action of every nature or character whatsoever which I now have or may hereafter have or could assert against the said Railway Company by reason of any and all injuries sustained by me in and as a result of the accident above referred to and mentioned, or for any other loss or damage resulting from or in any manner whatsoever growing out of said accident. The amount of One Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($100.00) was paid to me, the said E. J. Darling, on September 25, 1945, by Draft No. 10636 of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company, and the amount of Two Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($200.00) was paid to me, *664 the said E. J. Darling, on November 12, 1945, by Draft No. 10651 of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company, or the total sum of Three Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($300.00), as advance payments on any settlement that might be made with me on account of the injuries sustained by me in and as a result of the above mentioned accident, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged by me, and the balance of Six Thousand Five Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($6,500.00) of the total sum of Six Thousand Eight Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($6,800.00) this date agreed upon in full settlement and satisfaction of any and all claims I now have or may hereafter have on account of personal injuries, damage to personal effects, or anything else, sustained by me in or in any manner as the result of said accident above mentioned is this date paid to me by Draft No. 10936 of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged.
“In making this settlement I am not relying upon any statement made by any agent, or physician of said Railway Company as to what my injuries are, or how serious they are, or when or to what extent I may recover therefrom.
"It Is Definitely And Expressly Understood That In Making This Settlement No Promise Or Representation Whatsoever Is Or Has Been Made To Me Relative To Future Employment Or Any Other Thing.
“ T have read the above release and I fully understand the same.*
“In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 26th day of November A.D. 1945.
(Signed) “E. J. Darling (SEAL)
(Signed) “Mrs. E. J. Darling
(Signed) “J. D. Sossaman
Witness
(Signed) “Walter R. Irwin
(Signed) “W. A. Martin”

A photostatic copy of the release is in the record and the statement "I have read the above release and I understand the same” at the bottom of the release and just above the date line and signatures was written in long hand. According to the testimony of appellant, it was inserted by him in his own handwriting after he had examined the release and before he signed it.

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Bluebook (online)
209 S.W.2d 660, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1044, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/darling-v-panhandle-santa-fe-ry-co-texapp-1948.