Emert v. St. Louis Public Service Co.

370 S.W.2d 366, 1963 Mo. LEXIS 682
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedSeptember 9, 1963
DocketNo. 49561
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 370 S.W.2d 366 (Emert v. St. Louis Public Service Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Emert v. St. Louis Public Service Co., 370 S.W.2d 366, 1963 Mo. LEXIS 682 (Mo. 1963).

Opinion

DALTON, Presiding Judge.

Action for $25,000 damages for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained by reason of defendant’s negligence, when defendant’s streetcar collided with the rear of plaintiff’s automobile. Defendant filed and submitted a counterclaim for $399.02 for property damage sustained in the collision, when the right front doors of the streetcar were torn off by the rear bumper of plaintiff’s automobile. Verdict and judgment were for defendant on plaintiff’s claim and for plaintiff on defendant’s counterclaim. Only the plaintiff has appealed.

Plaintiff charged in his petition and by Instruction No. 1 submitted a finding that plaintiff’s said automobile, at a certain time and place, was stopped on or near the south rail of the eastbound streetcar tracks; that plaintiff’s said automobile had been so stopped for approximately ten to twelve seconds; that at said time defendant’s eastbound streetcar, operated by one of its employees to the rear of plaintiff’s automobile, was negligently and carelessly caused to overtake, run into and collide with the rear-end of plaintiff’s automobile; and that plaintiff was injured thereby.

By defendant’s Instruction No. 2 defendant submitted the plaintiff’s alleged contributory negligence in the operation of his automobile in that “plaintiff’s automobile overtook and passed [to the right of] [368]*368the front end of said moving streetcar and that, immediately thereafter, plaintiff suddenly turned his automobile to the left and onto the eastbound streetcar tracks and brought said automobile to a sudden stop directly in the path of and in close and dangerous proximity to said moving eastbound streetcar, without giving a timely and adequate warning of his intention to stop * * * ”

Appellant has assigned error on the action of the trial court in overruling plaintiff’s motion for a directed verdict in plaintiff’s favor on the issue of defendant’s liability “for the reason that there was a complete lack of probative evidence to support the jury verdict in favor of defendant on plaintiff’s cause of action, and [that] such verdict was based upon speculation and conjecture.”

At the close of all the evidence plaintiff asked the court to direct a verdict in his favor and against the defendant on the issue of liability, “and as grounds therefor, states that defendant’s own evidence shows that defendant’s operator was guilty of negligence in the operation of the streetcar on the occasion in question, which negligence directly and proximately caused the collision and injuries mentioned in the evidence.”

Plaintiff’s counsel also orally asked “the Court to instruct the jury that their finding with reference to the issue of negligence on the defendant should be in favor of the plaintiff in view of the evidence and the law.” Both motions were overruled.

In this court appellant argues “that, under all of the circumstances, there was a complete lack of probative evidence to support the verdict in favor of defendant; that the trial court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion for directed verdict on the issue of liability; that the verdict of the jury could only be, and was, based solely upon speculation and conjecture, and that by reason thereof the trial court committed reversible error in overruling plaintiff’s motion for new trial.”

Appellant cites eight cases in support of the alleged error in overruling the plaintiff’s motion for a directed verdict. In none of the cases cited was a verdict directed in favor of plaintiff and in none of them was the procedure here sought authorized. The assignment is based upon a misunderstanding as to the applicable law, and we find no merit in the assignment.

In Bloch v. Kinder, 338 Mo. 1099, 93 S.W.2d 932, the court said: “ * * * in a case of this character, a verdict for defendant need not be supported by affirmative, substantial evidence tending to show that defendant was not guilty of negligence, because the burden was not on defendant to acquit himself of the charge of negligence. The burden was on plaintiff to show, prima facie, that defendant was guilty of the negligence charged. The absence of such a showing by plaintiff would authorize a verdict for defendant.” And see Cluck v. Abe, 328 Mo. 81, 40 S.W.2d 558, 559[1-3]; Dixon v. Edelen, Mo.Sup., 300 S.W.2d 469, 472[1-3]; J. D. Streett & Co. v. Bone, Mo.Sup., 334 S.W.2d 5, 10[7]; Tonkins v. Monarch Bldg. Materials Corp., Mo.Sup., 347 S.W.2d 152, 157[5-7]; Scott v. Gray, Mo.Sup., 337 S.W.2d 38, 41 [2, 3]. Nor do the facts in evidence in this case, as hereinafter stated, bring it within the exceptions to the general rule as stated in Rogers v. Thompson, 364 Mo. 605, 265 S.W.2d 282, 287[1]; and Daly v. Schaefer, Mo. App., 331 S.W.2d 150, 154.

Appellant further contends that Instructions No. 2, 3 and 4, given at defendant’s request, “hypothesized findings which were not supported by substantial credible evidence, and thereby said instructions permitted a finding and verdict for defendant based on speculation and conjecture.”

Since the issues in the trial court were found for defendant on plaintiff’s claim, we shall review the evidence most favorable to defendant and disregard the unfavorable evidence. See Conley v. Crown Coach Co., 348 Mo. 1243, 159 S.W. 2d 281, 283[1-3]. The same rule applies [369]*369when determining whether defendant’s instructions are supported by evidence. In Rothe v. Hull, 352 Mo. 926, 180 S.W.2d 7, 9, the court said: “The rule is that we may consider only the evidence most favorable to a defendant recovering a verdict in determining whether an instruction given at defendant’s request is unsupported by evidence. Moffett Bros. & Andrews Commission Co. v. Kent, Mo.Sup., 5 S.W.2d 395, 402; Branson v. Abernathy Furniture Co., 344 Mo. 1171, 130 S.W.2d 562, 570; Poague v. Kurn, 346 Mo. 153, 140 S.W.2d 13, 17. It is immaterial whether the issue is presented by plaintiff on appeal from a judgment entered on the verdict for defendant, or on an appeal by a defendant from an order of the trial court granting a new trial on the ground that defendant’s instruction is unsupported by the evidence.” And see Highfill v. Brown, Mo.Sup., 340 S.W.2d 656, 661; Thayer v. Sommer, Mo. Sup., 356 S.W.2d 72, 77[5]; Hopper v. Conrow, Mo.Sup., 347 S.W.2d 896, 899 [1-3]; Palmer v. Lasswell, Mo.Sup., 287 S.W.2d 822, 827[2-4].

The evidence favorable to defendant tended to show that at about 12:30 p.m., August 20, 1960, Joseph Hagen, one of defendant’s employees, was operating a streetcar in an eastwardly direction on Easton Avenue in the City of St.

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370 S.W.2d 366, 1963 Mo. LEXIS 682, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/emert-v-st-louis-public-service-co-mo-1963.