Durbin v. Hardin

775 S.W.2d 798, 1989 Tex. App. LEXIS 2389, 1989 WL 106550
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 3, 1989
Docket05-89-00073-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 775 S.W.2d 798 (Durbin v. Hardin) 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
Durbin v. Hardin, 775 S.W.2d 798, 1989 Tex. App. LEXIS 2389, 1989 WL 106550 (Tex. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

LAGARDE, Justice.

Christie Durbin, John Durbin, and Christie Durbin as next friend of Adam Durbin (the “Durbins”) appeal an order of dismissal which was entered after the trial court granted Manuela and Anthony Hardin’s (the “Hardins”) special appearance. In three points of error, the Durbins contend that: (1) the trial court erred in excluding as hearsay the testimony of a police officer as to statements against the interest of Manuela which she made to the officer through an interpreter; (2) the trial court erred in granting the Hardins’ special appearance since the testimony of the investigating officer, had it been admitted, raised a fact issue as to whether or not the Har-dins knowingly entrusted their automobile to Francisco Rodriguez, who caused the accident; and (3) this Court should decline to follow, or should overrule, Gulf, C. & S.F. Ry. Co. v. Giun, et al., 131 Tex. 548, 116 S.W.2d 693 (Tex.Comm’n App.1938, opinion adopted). For reasons that follow, we overrule all three points of error and affirm.

Christie was injured on July 22, 1986, when Rodriguez, while driving the Hardins’ 1980 Chevrolet, ran a stop sign and collided with Christie’s vehicle. Christie was several months pregnant at the time, and she later delivered Adam, who was bom with significant and serious birth defects which the Durbins believe to be a direct result of the accident.

The accident was investigated by Officer Kevin Lindsay of the Balch Springs Police Department. Because Rodriguez spoke only Spanish and Lindsay spoke only English, Officer Pete Lopez was called to the scene to translate. Rodriguez made a brief statement and then refused to speak any more when Manuela came upon the scene. Manuela and Officer Lindsay then had a conversation, through Officer Lopez, regarding the Hardins’ vehicle. Although she apparently speaks fluent English, as her attorney admitted, Manuela chose to speak in Spanish. According to Officer Lindsay, Manuela stated, through Officer Lopez, that Rodriguez had permission to take the Hardins’ automobile to wash it. Manuela denies ever saying this.

The Durbins brought this lawsuit against Rodriguez for negligence and against the Hardins for negligent entrustment. Rodriguez was never served and was subsequently nonsuited. At the time that the Hardins were served with citation, they were living in Chicago, Illinois. The Har-dins filed a special appearance, stating that they no longer lived in Texas and objecting to the jurisdiction of the Texas courts because they were not amenable to the process issued by Texas courts. They also alleged that they did not commit a tort in Texas because Rodriguez was driving their automobile on July 22, 1986, without their authority, permission, or knowledge.

A hearing was held on the Hardins’ special appearance on September 23, 1988. The only evidence offered at the hearing was excerpts from the Hardins’ depositions, offered on their behalf, and the deposition testimony of investigating Officer Lindsay, offered on behalf of the Durbins. Manuela testified that Rodriguez did not have permission to drive the vehicle. 1 An *800 thony concurred and also stated that he filed a stolen vehicle report.

Officer Lindsay was a traffic supervisor for the Balch Springs Police Department who “worked” the accident of June 22, 1986, and completed the accident report. He talked to Manuela on the day of the accident. Officer Lindsay was allowed to testify that on the day of the accident he had no reason to believe that Rodriguez did not have permission to drive the Hardins’ vehicle; however, because he spoke with Manuela through an interpreter, much of Officer Lindsay’s testimony was excluded as hearsay.

Subsequently, the Durbins presented and filed a bill of exceptions which set forth Officer Lindsay’s testimony regarding Manuela’s statements to him. Had Officer Lindsay’s testimony been allowed at the special appearance hearing, he would have testified that: Manuela did not tell him that Rodriguez was operating the vehicle without permission; when a vehicle owner tells him at an accident scene that the driver did not have permission to drive the vehicle, his normal procedure is to immediately arrest the driver; he had no reason to believe that Rodriguez was driving the vehicle without permission; based on his conversation with Manuela, all indications were that Rodriguez had permission to drive the vehicle on the day of the accident; and that Manuela never complained to Officer Lindsay that Rodriguez was driving the vehicle without permission or that Rodriguez had stolen the vehicle.

The Durbins’ original petition alleged sufficient facts to subject the Hardins to the jurisdiction of the Texas courts. Having met the threshold requirement, the burden then shifted to the Hardins to prove that the Texas courts did not have jurisdiction. See Carbonit Houston, Inc. v. Exchange Bank, 628 S.W.2d 826, 829 (Tex. App. — Houston [14th Dist.] 1982, writ ref’d n.r.e.). The only basis of jurisdiction alleged by the Durbins in their petition was the commission of the tort of negligent entrustment by the Hardins. The tort of negligent entrustment requires evidence that the defendant entrusted the vehicle to the negligent driver. See Schneider v. Esperanza Transmission Co., 744 S.W.2d 595, 596 (Tex.1987).

At the special appearance hearing, the Hardins demonstrated that they did not entrust the vehicle to Rodriguez, because they never gave Rodriguez permission to drive their vehicle; as a result, they did not commit a tort in the State of Texas; and being non-residents, the court lacked personal jurisdiction over them. Before this Court, the Durbins argue that the trial court erroneously excluded Officer Lindsay’s testimony; thus, erroneously granted the special appearance.

The Durbins argue that, although Giun is facially opposed to their contention, that case is distinguishable or, alternatively, should be overruled. Giun involved a lawsuit filed against a railroad company by the deceased’s wife. The widow attempted to testify as to what the engineer (who operated the train on the date that the deceased was hit by the train) told her through an interpreter. The trial court refused to permit the widow to testify concerning what an engineer stated in a conversation with her through an interpreter at the scene of the accident shortly after it occurred. The Commission of Appeals determined that the trial court properly excluded the testimony as hearsay. The court noted:

“A person conversing with a third person through an interpreter is not qualified to testify to the other person’s statements, because he knows them only through the hearsay of the interpreter. Ordinarily, therefore, the third person’s words cannot be proved by anyone except the interpreter himself.”

Giun, 116 S.W.2d at 696.

The Durbins contend that the language of Giun

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Saavedra v. State
297 S.W.3d 342 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Saavedra, Jose Carmen
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2009
Cassidy v. State
149 S.W.3d 712 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Alcazar v. Hill
98 P.3d 1121 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2004)
Dwayne Cassidy v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004
Gomez v. State
49 S.W.3d 456 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
775 S.W.2d 798, 1989 Tex. App. LEXIS 2389, 1989 WL 106550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/durbin-v-hardin-texapp-1989.