Dickens County Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Ratliff

458 S.W.2d 949, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 2334
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 12, 1970
DocketNo. 8107
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 458 S.W.2d 949 (Dickens County Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Ratliff) 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
Dickens County Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Ratliff, 458 S.W.2d 949, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 2334 (Tex. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

NORTHCUTT, Justice.

The principal question presented here relates to the power of the district court to enter judgment in the case submitted to a jury on special issues where three issues were answered by the jury, and one issue was unanswered. The parties hereto will be designated as they were in the trial court. Jimmie Bennett sued Dickens County Electric Cooperative, Inc. for damages for the loss of his personal property caused by a fire as a result of the defendant’s negligence. Ethel Sheridan and husband, Pat Sheridan, sued Dickens County Electric Cooperative, Inc. for the destruction of certain buildings caused by fire as a result of defendant’s negligence. The two cases were consolidated for trial and all issues here involved apply to both suits. The Bennetts were renting the house owned by the Sheridans that was wired for electricity. On the afternoon of November 13, 1969, there was an electrical power failure at the house in question. The defendant was notified of the failure and later that same afternoon, the defendant’s employees went and corrected the failure, and electric current was renewed that same afternoon. At 4:00 A.M. the next morning when the Bennetts arose, the house was on fire up in the attic, and the house was completely [950]*950destroyed, and many of the Bennett’s personal items were destroyed. The special issues submitted by the court and the answers thereto covering the rights of the plaintiffs to be entitled to recover damages against the defendant were as follows:

“SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 1
(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant, its agents or employees, prior to the time the service lines in question were energized had notice that a dangerous condition existed at the Bennett home with reference to the service lines in question:
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer Yes
(b) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant, its agents or employees, prior to the time the service lines in question were energized, in the exercise of ordinary care, should have known that a dangerous condition existed at the Bennett home with reference to such service lines in question ?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer Yes
(c) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at the time in question the Defendant, its agents or employees were negligent in energizing the service lines leading into the Bennett home ?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer No
If you have answered the above Special Issue ‘yes’, and only in such event, then answer:
(d) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such negligence, if any, was a proximate cause of the fire?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer-
SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 2
(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Defendant’s employees. failed to properly inspect the electric lines leading to the Bennett home for defects, if any, prior to energizing same?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer Yes
If you have answered the above Special Issue ‘yes’, and only in such event, then answer:
(b) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such failure, if any, was a proximate cause of the fire?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer No
SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 3
(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the electric line or lines leading to the Bennett home were not properly insulated at the time the Defendant energized such lines the evening prior to the fire the following morning?
The Jury will answer ‘They were properly insulated’ or ‘They were not properly insulated’.
We, the Jury, answer They were not properly insulated.
If you have answered the above Special Issue ‘They were not properly insulated’, and only in such event, then answer:
(b) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Defendant’s failure to properly insulate such electric line or lines, if it so failed to do, prior to energizing such line or lines, was negligence ?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer No
[951]*951If you have answered the above Special Issue ‘yes’, and only in such event, then answer:
(c) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such negligence, if any, was a proximate cause of the fire?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer -
SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 4
(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant was negligent in failing to relocate the electric line or lines leading into the Bennett dwelling prior to the fire in question?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer-
If you have answered the above Special Issue ‘yes’, and only in such event, then answer:
(b) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such negligence, if any, was a proximate cause of the fire?
The Jury will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
We, the Jury, answer -”

The verdict was signed by the foreman and received and filed with the district clerk. Plaintiffs did not in any manner object to the issues submitted by the court, and did not request any additional special issues covering the right to recover. Consequently, the plaintiffs based their right to recover upon the four issues above set out. The defendant, however, filed and presented to the court numerous objections as to the special issues (many of which should have been sustained). All of said objections were overruled by the court. The defendant filed its motion for judgment setting out many reasons why it was asking the court to accept the verdict of the jury, and to disregard the failure of the jury to answer Special Issue No. 4 to render judgment for the defendant. The trial court entered the following order overruling defendant’s motion for judgment:

“BE IT REMEMBERED that on March 31st, 1970, there came on to be heard the Defendant’s motion to accept the verdict of the jury, disregard the failure of the jury to answer Special Issue No. 4, and to enter a judgment for the Defendant, and the Plaintiff’s motion to declare a mistrial.

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Related

Clayton v. Clayton
547 S.W.2d 719 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Ware v. Marquez
511 S.W.2d 594 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1974)
Bennett v. Dickens County Electric Cooperative, Inc.
475 S.W.2d 319 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
458 S.W.2d 949, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 2334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickens-county-electric-cooperative-inc-v-ratliff-texapp-1970.