Davidson v. Industrial Commission

82 N.E.2d 866, 52 Ohio Law. Abs. 194, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 814
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 2, 1947
DocketNo. 1175
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 82 N.E.2d 866 (Davidson v. Industrial Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davidson v. Industrial Commission, 82 N.E.2d 866, 52 Ohio Law. Abs. 194, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 814 (Ohio Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

OPINION

By PHILLIPS, J.

Plaintiff while an employee of the Youngstown Pressed Steel Division of the Mullins Manufacturing Company, a corporation amenable and a contributor to the Workmen’s Com[195]*195pensation Fund of Ohio, eoncededly received an injury to his right leg on July 8, 1943, and received compensation for that injury until November of the same year. During April, May and June, 1945, while employed by the Pastry Shop of Warren, Ohio, he suffered, as he alleged, “a recurrence, reactivation and acceleration” of the injury to his right leg sustained on July 8, 1943, which was injured in the same area in 1930 and for which he was compensated, and claims that as a result of such “recurrence, reactivation and acceleration” of the injuries received July 8, 1943, he has suffered permanent disability since June 2, 1945.

Subsequently the Industrial Commission of Ohio upon rehearing denied plaintiff compensation for the claimed “recurrence, reactivation and acceleration” of such injuries on the ground that “his present disability did not result from the injury suffered July 8, 1943”.

Upon appeal duly prosecuted to the court of common pleas a jury sitting therein returned a verdict finding plaintiff entitled to participate in such fund, and it is from the judgment of that court entered upon such verdict that defendant appeals to this court on questions of law.

Even if the trial judge did err to defendant’s prejudice in overruling its motion for a verdict directed in its favor made at the conclusion of plaintiff’s testimony, as urged by it, it cannot urge such error now for the reason that it did not stand on its exception to such ruling but proceeded with its defense.

“When a motion of a defendant for a directed verdict is made at the conclusion of plaintiff’s evidence and overruled, the defendant has an election either to stand on his exception to the ruling or to proceed with his defense; and if he accepts the ruling, however erroneous it may be, and proceeds with his defense, introducing evidence on his own behalf, he thereby waives his right to rely on the denial of his original motion.” Halkias, Appellee, v Wilkoff Co., Appellant, 141 Oh St 139, syllabus 2.

Upon conclusion of all the evidence counsel for defendant renewed its motion for a verdict directed in its favor made at the close of plaintiff’s case, which was overruled, but it has not been urged here that the court erred to its prejudice in overruling such renewed motion.

Plaintiff offered no medical testimony to support the allegations of his petition nor his contention upon trial of the “recurrence, reactivation and acceleration” of the injury [196]*196to his right leg sustained on July 8, 1943. Upon cross-examination of defendant’s medical witness his counsel propounded the following hypothetical question:—

“Q. And assuming that in July of 1943, while working for the Mullins Manufacturing Company, his leg, in the region which you examined, was struck with an iron hook, and caused that area to open, and the previously inactively ulcerated molitis or other bony condition, and was aggrivated, and resulted in his suffering swelling and pain and soreness and ulceration in that region, would you think that, having that previous condition which I just called to your attention, and standing on his leg all day long as a baker, in a room that was quite hot, with a hot oven there — that that standing under those circumstances — having in mind the previous condition, might cause the area to break open again.” (sic).

The trial judge sustained defendant’s objection to that question. Counsel for plaintiff then asked the same witness the following question:—

“Q. And if the man stated that while on the job, that area did break open again, and became ulcerated and swollen, and the leg became weak, would you say that could reasonably follow.”

The trial judge overruled defendant’s objection to that question and permitted the witness to answer it.

Counsel for defendant now claim that the court erred in his ruling because “the question obviously was a continuance of the first question as indicated by the use of the word ‘and’ at the beginning of the question, and also by the use of the word ‘again’ in the question”; and was “objectionable on the same basis as the previous question” because “it. is improper to ask an'expert witness to take unproven facts into consideration in forming his opinion”.

In our opinion the trial judge did not err to defendant’s prejudice, as its counsel urges, in permitting such question to be asked and answered.

Now it is the claim of counsel for defendant that plaintiff’s counsel was guilty of misconduct in his argument to the jury by stating and assuming as facts matters and things which were not in evidence and by commenting on testimony which had been ruled out. The trial judge sustained defendant’s objection to a lengthy hypothetical question, which need not be stated here, and counsel for plaintiff proffered the following answer:—

[197]*197“Anything that might aggrivate this condition, such as traumatism, excessive exercise, or standing on his leg a long time, might aggrivate this condition (sic).”

In his closing argument to the jury counsel for plaintiff quoted the proffered answer to which defense counsel objected, and tó which counsel for the defendant replied:—

“Mr. Sieman: We have a right to bring to the jury all possible evidence, we haven’t excluded anything, we have brought out all the evidence we could, we think you were entitled to have it, and we give it to you: * *

Counsel for plaintiff further argued:—

“* * * when he had his leg struck by the hook, and hurt his leg, they paid him- compensation for that, even though he had a heart condition at the time, and arterio-sclerosis.”

Counsel for defendant objected to this, the court did not rule upon it, and counsel for plaintiff added “well, high blood pressure”. Then the following colloquy transpired:—

“Miss Polcar: In ’46 is when found— ■
“Mr. Sieman: We will let the jury determine whether I am mis-stating the fact or not.
“They paid compensation even though he had some other conditions at the time: * *

It is observed that the trial judge did not rule on defendant’s objection to the argument of plaintiff’s counsel, and defendant’s counsel states by brief that “the jury was not instructed by the court to disregard the above quoted statements of plaintiff’s counsel, nor did plaintiff’s counsel reprimanded by the court, nor did plaintiff’s counsel retract his statements” which we interpret as charging the trial judge with prejudicial error in failing so to do. We find no request not to mention insistence by defense counsel for a ruling by the court on the objection to the argument of plaintiff’s counsel, nor any request for instruction to the jury to disregard such argument nor to reprimand plaintiff’s counsel; and while it is the duty of the trial judge to keep the arguments of counsel within reasonable bounds, yet in this case a duty was imposed upon defendant’s counsel to at least make a reasonable effort to protect defendant’s record.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
82 N.E.2d 866, 52 Ohio Law. Abs. 194, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davidson-v-industrial-commission-ohioctapp-1947.