Dickson v. J. Weingarten, Inc.

498 S.W.2d 388, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2190
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 18, 1973
Docket817
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 498 S.W.2d 388 (Dickson v. J. Weingarten, Inc.) 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
Dickson v. J. Weingarten, Inc., 498 S.W.2d 388, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2190 (Tex. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

CURTISS BROWN, Justice.

The principles governing liability of occupiers of premises to their business guests for on the premises injuries are well settled. Such occupier is charged with the duty of establishing and maintaining the premises in a reasonably safe condition. He has the additional duty to warn of any danger of which he is aware or should be aware. He is, however, not an insurer. Liability may not be imposed by the mere fact that one is injured. When complaining of transitory conditions (such as substances on the floor) the burden is on the plaintiff to offer evidence, circumstantial or direct, that such occupier or his employee placed the substance on the floor or that it had been there sufficiently long that he either knew or should have known of its presence. This is a “slip and fall” case governed largely by these principles.

*390 After a trial on the merits the jury-found: (1) that Travis Dickson fell in the store on September 27, 1968; (2) that J. Weingarten, Inc. created a dangerous condition on its premises by putting water on its floor; (3) that J. Weingarten, Inc. failed to correct such dangerous condition; (4) failed to find that such failure to correct was negligence; (S) failed to answer a proximate cause issue which plaintiff had predicated on the preceding negligence issue which was answered negatively; (6) that J. Weingarten, Inc. maintained a dangerous condition on its premises by having water on the floor; (7) that J. Weingar-ten, Inc. knew of such dangerous condition; (8) that J. Weingarten, Inc. should have known of such dangerous condition; 1 (9) that J. Weingarten, Inc. failed to correct such dangerous condition; (10) failed to find that such failure to correct such dangerous condition was negligence; (11) made no answer to a proximate cause issue because it was predicated by the plaintiff on the preceding negligence issue which was answered negatively; (12) failed to find that the failure of J. Weingarten, Inc. to know of the dangerous condition was negligence; 2 (13) made no finding on a proximate cause issue based on such failure because it was predicated by the plaintiff on the preceding negligence issue which was answered negatively; (14) failed to find that Travis Dickson failed to keep a proper lookout; (15) made no finding to a proximate cause issue based on lookout because defendant had predicated such issue on an affirmative answer to the preceding proper lookout issue which was answered negatively; (16) $33,750 general damages; and (17) $5,700 medical expenses.

After filing of plaintiff’s motion to disregard findings of special issues and motion for judgment non obstante veredicto the trial court entered judgment for the defendant.

The appellant (also referred to herein as Dickson or plaintiff) has perfected this appeal and raised his points of error contending: (1) that the trial court erred in not granting a new trial or declaring a mistrial when, because of a disqualification, only eleven jurors were able to enter into deliberations on the verdict; (2) that the trial court erred in refusing to grant a new trial because the answers of the jury to special issues 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 were against the great weight and overwhelming preponderance of the evidence; (3) that the trial court should have granted plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto because the jury’s answers to issues number 4, 10 and 12 were not supported by any evidence; (4) that the trial court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto; and (5) that the court erred in failing to grant a mistrial based upon claimed conflicting answers to certain special issues.

Having considered all of these points we have reached the conclusion that they are without merit and the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed.

During the course of the trial, appellee (also referred to herein as Weingarten or defendant), through counsel, called the attention of the court to the fact that one of the jurors was then under indictment on a felony charge. When the court discharged this juror the defendant made a motion for a mistrial. This motion was opposed by the plaintiff and he urged the court to continue the trial with eleven jurors. The trial court was thus, over the objection of the defendant, induced and persuaded by plaintiff to continue the trial. Plaintiff, having lost the case, now says that the action that he had procured from the trial court was error.

The parties may by consent agree to continue to try a case with less than twelve jurors. Vernon’s Ann. Tex.Rev.Civ. *391 Stat.Ann. art. 2191 (1964). See Vernon’s Ann.Tex.Const, art. V, sec. 13. Regardless of consent of the parties, should one or more jurors “die, or be disabled from sitting” during the trial, the court may direct that the cause continue. 3 R. McDonald, Texas Civil Practice, sec. 11.14 (1970). The trial court has discretion with respect to determining such disability. However, such discretion largely lies in the area of determining whether illness, mental disability, misconduct, drunkenness or other fact constitutes being “disabled from sitting.” See McDonald, supra. By urging the court to continue the trial, plaintiff lacks appellate posture to attack such action in this Court. He not only waived his right to complain by failing to object, 3 but expressly consented and acquiesced in the action. A party may not secure a reversal for a claimed error that he invited. 4 Tex.Jur.2d Appeal and Error — Civil, secs. 764, 765 and 766 (1959) ; Yaeger v. Long Bros. Drilling Co., 147 S.W.2d 276 (Tex.Civ.App.-San Antonio 1941, writ ref’d; Keels v. First Nat. Bank of Groveton, 71 S.W.2d 372 (Tex.Civ.App.-Galveston 1934, no writ); Reynolds v. Mc-Man Oil & Gas Co., 11 S.W.2d 778, 785 (Tex.Com.App.1928, holding approved).

By his second point plaintiff attempts to raise the contention that the answers of the jury to issues 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 were against the great weight and overwhelming preponderance of the evidence. He made no assignment in his motion for new trial properly raising such “sufficiency” points. Having failed to file a motion for new trial raising such points he has not laid an appropriate predicate for appellate review on such ground. Smith v. Texas Pipeline Company, 455 S.W.2d 346, 351 (Tex.Civ.App.-Corpus Christi 1970, writ ref’d n.r.e.); Shelton v. Ector, 364 S.W.2d 425 (Tex.Civ.App.-Dallas 1963, no writ).

The main thrust of plaintiff’s appeal is presented by his points 3 and 4 which urge that the answer of the jury to issues number 4, 10 and 12 were not supported by any evidence and that the trial court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto. In plaintiff’s view the jury’s findings that defendant created and failed to correct a “dangerous condition” on its premises constituted negligence and proximate causation as a matter of law.

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Bluebook (online)
498 S.W.2d 388, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickson-v-j-weingarten-inc-texapp-1973.