Fishback v. Yale

85 So. 2d 142
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedDecember 14, 1955
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 85 So. 2d 142 (Fishback v. Yale) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fishback v. Yale, 85 So. 2d 142 (Fla. 1955).

Opinion

85 So.2d 142 (1955)

Edward W. FISHBACK, Appellant,
v.
B.W. YALE, Appellee.

Supreme Court of Florida. En Banc.

December 14, 1955.
Rehearing Denied February 14, 1956.

Charles E. Davis of Fishback, Williams, Davis & Dominick, Orlando, for appellant.

Wilson Sanders of Sanders, McEwan & Berson, Orlando, for appellee.

McNEILL, Associate Justice.

Appellant, as plaintiff below, filed his complaint against the Appellee, and alleged (1) that about the 10th day of January, 1953, plaintiff was riding in a Cadillac automobile being driven by the defendant in a southerly direction on a dirt road, to-wit, the Long Bluff Road, to a gate across said road where it intersects the north boundary of A.A. Fiezl's land where it adjoins the Tosahatchee Game Preserve; (2) that defendant stopped his automobile approximately ten feet from the gate, and plaintiff got out to open a combination lock which secured the gate; (3) that while plaintiff was unlocking the gate, as aforesaid, the defendant negligently and carelessly drove and operated his car into and against plaintiff, and as a result thereof plaintiff's left leg was crushed and pinned against a fence post and plaintiff was injured as therein alleged;

Defendant's motion to dismiss, to strike and for definite statement was overruled and defendant by his answer admitted paragraph 1 of the complaint, and all of paragraph 2 except the words, "approximately ten feet from the gate" which he denied; and denied the allegations of paragraphs 3 and 4 of the complaint; charged that at the time and place alleged plaintiff so negligently and carelessly conducted himself that he contributed to the accident and to his injuries, if any; and by paragraph 6 *143 of the answer he alleged, "that at the time of the alleged incident the plaintiff, Edward W. Fishback and Robert McEwan were on a hunting trip on the Tosohatchee Game Preserve and the defendant, B.W. Yale, had accompanied the said plaintiff and Robert McEwan purely for the ride. The said B.W. Yale not being a member of said Game Preserve and therefore not being able to participate in the hunting trip. The plaintiff, Edward W. Fishback, and Robert McEwan met the defendant, B.W. Yale, at Fort Christmas and rode with the said B.W. Yale to the hunting camp at the Game Preserve. At the time of the alleged incident the said Robert McEwan and B.W. Yale were returning from the hunting camp to Fort Christmas and the said Edward W. Fishback was being transported by the said B.W. Yale as a guest passenger in the automobile of said defendant. That as part of said transportation from the hunting camp to Fort Christmas it was necessary to pass through the gate referred to in the complaint, which gate was locked with a combination lock, the combination of which was known only to said members of said Game Preserve. In order to complete the act of transportation in which the said B.W. Yale was engaging it was necessary to pass through said gate in order to continue on to Fort Christmas. That under the circumstances alleged in the complaint, the defendant B.W. Yale cannot be held liable to the plaintiff, Edward W. Fishback, except for gross negligence."

On April 13, 1954, plaintiff moved to strike the sixth paragraph of the defendant's said answer and defendant moved for summary judgment upon the depositions of the plaintiff, the defendant and Robert McEwan theretofore filed. By order of May 31, 1954, plaintiff's said motion to strike paragraph 6 of defendant's answer was denied, and on the same day defendant's motion for summary judgment was granted and final summary judgment was rendered in favor of defendant. From this judgment this appeal was taken, and appellant assigns as error that the trial court erred: In granting defendant's motion for summary judgment; and in entering said judgment; in finding defendant liable to plaintiff only for gross negligence; in finding there was no evidence legally sufficient to sustain a charge of gross negligence; in denying plaintiff's motion to strike defendant's sixth answer; in finding for defendant and against plaintiff and in finding plaintiff was a guest passenger in the automobile of the defendant.

It appears from the record that the judgment appealed from was rendered on the depositions of the plaintiff, the defendant and one Robert McEwan and from these depositions it appears that plaintiff and Robert McEwan were members of the Tosahatchee Hunting Club but defendant was not a member thereof; that only members of this club could hunt on the Club's preserve or property; that by arrangement between McEwan and defendant, defendant met plaintiff and McEwan at Fort Christmas where plaintiff and McEwan at defendant's invitation transferred into his Cadillac and defendant drove them to plaintiff's hunting camp at the hunting club where they transferred to plaintiff's jeep which plaintiff drove into the swamp where plaintiff and McEwan might hunt while defendant remained in the jeep until they returned thereto; whereupon, they then drove in plaintiff's jeep back to plaintiff's camp and there plaintiff and McEwan assisted defendant into defendant's car, and with defendant driving they all started back to Fort Christmas where plaintiff had left his car, and in order to leave the hunting club property it was necessary to open a gate located across the road they were traveling locked with a combination lock, the combination whereof was known only to members of the club and on arrival at the gate, defendant was driving his car, witness McEwan was (as stated by plaintiff and McEwan) sitting in the middle and plaintiff on the right side; plaintiff dismounted, unlocked the gate which swung open in the opposite direction from the car; it was dark and the headlights of the car were turned on, the car was stopped three to ten feet from the gate, and plaintiff was standing two or three feet off of the road to the right of the car; while plaintiff was unlocking the gate *144 witness McEwan and defendant were talking and witness McEwan did not realize the car had moved until it struck plaintiff. The road over which the car was being driven was a dirt road and not a public road and was wet in spots; plaintiff and witness McEwan did not pay defendant anything for transporting them to and from the hunting club and at the time of plaintiff's injury he and witness McEwan were being transported by defendant back to plaintiff's car at Fort Christmas and plaintiff testified that the car was headed straight to the gate; that he saw the car coming toward him rapidly and veering to the right; that he made an effort to move as fast as he could but before getting further than raising his left leg it was struck; that he had known the defendant about a year; that he had been places with him before; that no one was allowed to hunt on Tosahatchee except members; that defendant was not going to hunt there; and that the defendant just went along for the ride.

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Bluebook (online)
85 So. 2d 142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fishback-v-yale-fla-1955.