Doherty v. Lord

59 N.Y. St. Rep. 445
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 15, 1894
StatusPublished

This text of 59 N.Y. St. Rep. 445 (Doherty v. Lord) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doherty v. Lord, 59 N.Y. St. Rep. 445 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1894).

Opinion

Bischoff, J.

The trial court properly rejected the juror to whose exclusion from service defendants’ counsel excepted. The juror alluded to admitted that he had conceived a prejudice againgi plaintiffs generally in actions to recover damages for personal iafc juries from the fact that he had been a defendant in such an actionf' and that only “ strong evidence ” would induce him to find in plaintiff’s favor. This we understand to mean that the juror had actual bias against plaintiff, which would prevent him from find[446]*446ing a verdict against the defendants upon a mere preponderance of the evidence, and that to overcome his bias the juror would require plaintiff to present a case free from all reasonable doubt. Such is not the rule in civil causes. N. Y. & Brooklyn Ferry Co. v. Moore, 1 Silv. Ct. App. R. 52 ; 1 St. Rep. 374. In answer to an inquiry by defendants’ counsel the juror subsequently stated that he thought he could render an impartial and just verdict upon the evidence. This did not conflict with his "previous statement as to the degree of the evidence which the juror would require of the plaintiff, and obviously did not exclude the fair inference that in the absence of absolute certainty of defendants negligence and plaintiff’s freedom from contributory negligence would not render a verdict in the latter’s favor. It was within the exercise of a sound discretion on the part of the trial justice, sitting as the trier of the competency of the persons summoned as jurors, to reject any of them whose indifference between the parties litigant was in doubt. Freeman v. People, 4 Denio, 35 ; Halsled v. Man. Ry. Co., 32 St. Rep. 109 ; 11 N. Y. Supp. 4. If the doubt be solved against the juror’s competency , an appellate court -should not disturb the trier’s determination. Reynolds v. U. S., 98 U. S. 245. “ It is certainly much to be desired that jurors should enter upon their duties with minds entirely free from prejudice. Perhaps, on general and public questions, is scarcely possible to avoid receiving some prepossessions, and where a-private right depends upon such a question, the difficulty of obtaining jurors whose minds are entirely unfluenced by opinions previously formed is undoubtedly considerable. Yet they ought to be superi- or to every exception; they ought to stand perfectly indifferent between the parties; and although the bias which was acknowledged in this case might not, perhaps, have been so strong as to render it positively improper to allow the juror to be sworn on the jury, yet it was desirable to submit the case to those who felt no bias either way, and, therefore, the court exercised a sound discretion in not permitting him to be sworn.” Mima Queen & Child v. Hepburn, 7 Cranch, U. S. 290, 297.

The complaint alleged that “ the defendants were then the owners of a certain truck or vehicle and two horses, which was then passing along said highway, in the possession of defendants’ servant, who was driving the same,” and defendants’ counsel moved the dismissal of the complaint at the opening of the trial for insufficiency, in that it was not alleged that the truck was being driven by defendants’ servant in the course of the latter’s employment. The presumption , however, was that the servant, while in charge of tiie truck, was acting within and not in violation of his duty. Turner v. Kouwenhoven, 100 N. Y. 115. Aided by this presumption, the averment of the complaint was sufficient, the motion to dismiss was, therefore, properly denied.

•The complaint further alleged that in consequence of the injury sustained by him from the collision plaintiff “ was for about one month prevented from attending to his business.” Defendants’ counsel objected to the introduction of evidence for plaintiff which tended to show the nature of the latter’s employment at the time [447]*447of, and immediately before the collision, and the value of his earnings, on the ground that there was no sufficient allegation of special:damages. We are of the opinion that the complaint was sufficient if the loss of plaintiff’s earnings in the particular employment in which he was engaged at the time he sustained the injury may be considered special damage. But, if otherwise, the evidence was, notwithstanding, competent. Loss of time and the inability of the injured party to earn money, are among the main. elements of damage which naturally flow frotii an injury. Compensation for these is, therefore, part of the general damages to which the injured person is entitled, and is included in the allegation of the latter. Sutherland on Damages, vol. 1, § 93 ; Am. & Eng. Ency. of Law, vol. 5, p. 40. “ The plaintiff was entitled to recover (if at all) for the time lost in consequence of the injury received, and to show what it would have been worth to him.” Beisiegel v. N. Y. C. R. R. Co. 40 N. Y. 9, 10; see, also Ward v. Vanderbilt, 4 Abb. Ct. App. Dec. 521; Masterson v. Mount Vernon, 58 N. Y. 391. Loss of time and earnings are “ the direct and necessary consequences of the injury and sustained strictly and almost exclusively as an effect from it”; and evidence of the particular calling of the person injured “may have an application without any inquiry into any remote or contingent consequences which could not have been foreseen or.which are peculiar to the circumstances of the plaintiff.” Wade v. Leroy, 20 Ho. U. S. 33, 44. Being competent generally, the evidence objected to was admissible. If defendants wished to have its effect limited to particular aspects, it was incumbent upon counsel to - aslc the court to instruct the jury regarding-them. Gumb v. Twenty-third St. R. R. Co., 114 N. Y. 411, 414 ; 23 St. Rep. 748 is not to the contrary. There the plaintiff had been permitted to prove and recover, as j>art of his damages, moneys alleged to have been paid for assistance in his business during his incapacity. These payments were held to be special damages because not the inevitable result of the injury, and not recoverable because not alleged. Defendants’ exceptions to the admission of the evidence alluded to are, for the reasons stated of no avail.

A further exception appears to the admission of plaintiff’s testimony, which tended to show that his injury was continuous. Under a general allegation of damages, plaintiff was entitled to prove and recover for pain and suffering endured up to the time of the trial, as well as for such pain and suffering as he was reasonably certain to endure thereafter. We also ruled in Schuler v. Third Ave. R. R. Co., 1 Misc. R. 351; 48 St. Rep. 663, following the adjudications there collated.

It appeared in evidence that the truck with which the plaintiff collided bore the name of defendant’s firm. This fact, taken with defendants’ failure to deny their ownership, was prima facie evidence that the truck was defendants’ property, and the driver in charge of it their servant. Seaman v. Koehler, 122 N. Y. 646 ; 33 St. Rep. 729 ; Wylde v. Northern R. Co., 53 N. Y. 156 ; Tuomey v. O'Reilly, Skelly & Fogarty Co., 3 Misc. R. 302, 307; 52 St. Rep. 119 ; Wennerstrom v. Kelly, 57 St. Rep. 522; 27 N. Y. Supp. 326. Aside from these inferences, however, the evidence is abund[448]*448antly to the effect that the truck was used by defendants, and that the driver was employed by them in their business.

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25 N.E. 279 (New York Court of Appeals, 1890)
Seaman v. . Koehler
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92 N.Y. 122 (New York Court of Appeals, 1883)
Chesebrough v. . Conover
35 N.E. 633 (New York Court of Appeals, 1893)
Wylde v. Northern Railroad Co. of New Jersey
53 N.Y. 156 (New York Court of Appeals, 1873)
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21 N.E. 993 (New York Court of Appeals, 1889)
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24 N.E. 275 (New York Court of Appeals, 1890)
Gall v. . Gall
21 N.E. 106 (New York Court of Appeals, 1889)
Ward v. Vanderbilt
4 Abb. Ct. App. 521 (New York Court of Appeals, 1863)
Freeman v. People
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Wennerstrom v. Kelly
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Bluebook (online)
59 N.Y. St. Rep. 445, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doherty-v-lord-nysupct-1894.