Federal Underwriters Exchange v. Carroll

130 S.W.2d 1101, 1939 Tex. App. LEXIS 286
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 7, 1939
DocketNo. 3495.
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 130 S.W.2d 1101 (Federal Underwriters Exchange v. Carroll) 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
Federal Underwriters Exchange v. Carroll, 130 S.W.2d 1101, 1939 Tex. App. LEXIS 286 (Tex. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

O’QUINN, Justice.

This is a compensation insurance ease. Federal Underwriters Exchange brought this suit against J. W. Carroll to set aside an award of the Industrial Accident Board of the State of Texas made in his favor. The grounds alleged for setting aside the award were that the award was “unjust and unfair and the same should be set aside and held for naught.”

Defendant in error Carroll answered by general demurrer, general denial, and filed cross-action to recover compensation as for total and permanent incapacity at the rate of $20 per week. Plaintiff in error answered the cross-action by general demurrer, special exceptions to cross-plaintiff’s petition, and general denial.

When the case was reached for trial, plaintiff in error took a non-suit and the cause proceeded to trial on the cross-action. The case was tried to a jury upon special issues upon their answers to which judgment was rendered in favor of defendant in error Carroll for total incapacity for a period of 208 weeks with compensation for said time at the rate of $20 per week. Motion for a new trial was overruled and we have the case on writ of error for review.

Plaintiff in error’s brief presents 22 propositions based upon 36 assignments of error. The first eight propositions are presented grouped. They relate, in a general way, to the submission to the jury of special issues inquiring as to injuries suffered by defendant in error, and as to incapacity of defendant in error resulting from the injuries suffered by him, and to the failure of the court to submit an issue as to whether any of the disability of defendant in error was caused by a blow on his back after October 26, 1937, the date he alleged he received his injury. These propositions complain that the submission of the issues pertaining to the question of “injury” and “incapacity” were submitted too generally.

The issues questioned are Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, IS, and 21. They are (with the jury’s answers) :

“Special Issue No. 1. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that J. W. Carroll sustained an injury on or about the 26th day of October, A. D. 1937?” Answer: “Yes.”
“Special Issue No. 2. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such injury, if any, was a result of an accident?” Answer: “Yes.”
“Special Issue No.-5. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that J. W. Carroll became totally incapacitated for work on account of the injury, if any, sustained by him, if he sustained any?” Answer: “Yes.”
“Special Issue No. 6. On what date, if any, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that said total incapacity, if any, began?” Answer: “October 29, 1937.”
“Special Issue No. 11. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that J. W. Carroll sustained partial incapacity on account of the injury, if any, sustained by him ?” Answer: “No.”
“Special Issue No. IS. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the injury, if any, sustained by J. W. Carroll was the producing cause of his incapacity to work, if any?” Answer: “Yes.”
“Special Issue No. 21. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that no part of the disability of J. W. Carroll, if any, since October 26, 1937, is due to injuries sustained by him before October 26, 1937?” Answer “No part is due to prior injuries” or “some part is due to prior injuries.” Answer: “No part is due to prior injuries.”

As before stated, plaintiff in error excepted to these issues because, it insists, they were too broad and did not limit the jury in arriving at their answers, to the consideration of the particular injuries alleged by defendant in error to have been received by him on October 26, 1937, but permitted them to go outside of the pleadings and evidence. These objections were overruled. The assignments are without force. There was only one injury alleged, that of October 26, 1937. The injury alleged was one to defendant in error’s back causing various injuries to several portions of his body, muscles, ligaments, tendons, spine, nerves, etc., with resultant effects, causing his total incapacity. The evidence offered related solely to this injury and its effects on his body. The court instructed the jury to determine the issues from a preponderance of the evidence. There is nothing in the record to indicate that such findings were not made from a *1103 “preponderance” of the evidence. The jury found that defendant in error sustained the injury alleged; that it was received in the course of his employment; that because of this injury he suffered total incapacity, which total incapacity began on October 29, 1937; and that the injury received by him was the producing cause of his incapacity. None of these assignments point to any evidence of “outside” matters which the jury might have considered. No reference to the record is made of any such evidence. Nor do the assignments complain that the findings are not supported by the record. Furthermore, the jury found in answer to special issue No. 21 that no part of the disability of defendant in error was caused by 'injuries sustained by him prior to October 26, 1937, the date of the injury here involved.

In Southern Underwriters v. Kelly, Tex.Civ.App., 110 S.W.2d 153, a compensation case, Special Issue No. 1 was identical with Special Issue No. 1 in the instant case, and the objection that it was too general was there made as here. It was overruled, and application for writ of error was dismissed. This holding has support in Traders’ & General Ins. Co. v.. Line, Tex.Civ.App., 70 S.W.2d 787; Associated Indemnity Ins. Corp. v. Baker, Tex. Civ.App., 76 S.W.2d 153; Royal Indemnity Co. v. Neely, Tex.Civ.App., 80 S.W.2d 478. Others could be cited. If it could be said the form of the issues submitted was error it was harmless.

Plaintiff in error presents its ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth propositions grouped. They relate to the question of coverage, that is whether or not defendant in error was an employee of the insured under the policy asserted. The policy of compensation insurance was issued by plaintiff in error to G. H. Vaughn—Individual, G. H. Vaughn Production Company and G. H. Vaughn Drilling Company, jointly. It is insisted that defendant in error was not shown to be covered by the policy—that an issue should have been submitted as to whether he was an employee of both G. H. Vaughn Individually and G. H. Vaughn Drilling Company. Defendant in error alleged that he was injured while in the course of his employment as- an employee of G. H. Vaughn. The jury found that he did sustain his injury while so employed. There being but one policy of insurance, and it covering the employees of G. H. Vaughn, as well as the employees of G. H. Vaughn Production Company and G. H. Vaughn Drilling Company, it would seem to cover all employees working in connection with G. H. Vaughn in either of the capacities. It nowhere appears that G. H.

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Bluebook (online)
130 S.W.2d 1101, 1939 Tex. App. LEXIS 286, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-underwriters-exchange-v-carroll-texapp-1939.