Ford Motor Company v. Russell & Smith Ford Company

474 S.W.2d 549, 1971 Tex. App. LEXIS 2321
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 17, 1971
Docket531
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 474 S.W.2d 549 (Ford Motor Company v. Russell & Smith Ford Company) 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
Ford Motor Company v. Russell & Smith Ford Company, 474 S.W.2d 549, 1971 Tex. App. LEXIS 2321 (Tex. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinions

BARRON, Justice.

This suit was filed in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, by Steve J. La-Rocca against Russell & Smith Ford Company by reason of personal injuries sustained by LaRocca when he was burned by steam and hot water from a split or burst top radiator hose on a 1965 Ford Econoline van he had purchased from Russell & Smith Ford, an authorized dealer in Ford products situated in the City of Houston. The above defendant later joined Ford Motor Company as a third-party defendant for indemnity. After trial to a jury and based upon the verdict of the jury, the trial court entered judgment in favor of LaRocca in the sum of $109,224.00 against Russell & Smith Ford, and further entered judgment in favor of the third-party plaintiff, Russell & Smith Ford, against Ford Motor Company for full indemnity.

Ford timely filed its motion for new trial in which it attacked all the findings of the jury on grounds of no evidence, as being against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, and on other grounds hereinafter mentioned. It also filed motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and to disregard certain special issues as being supported by no evidence. Russell & Smith, the retail dealer, filed a motion for new trial on the grounds that answers to special issues 1-5 fixed liability only on Ford in favor of plaintiff, and that the jury’s answers to special issues numbers 6 and 7, regarding the location of the engine access cover, fixed liability on Ford. Complaint was also made in said motion regarding double and exaggerated damages as found by the jury. The latter motion was directed at the portion of the judgment in favor of LaRocca against Russell & Smith. The trial court overruled all the above motions.

Both Russell & Smith and Ford filed written notices of appeal. No appeal, however, was perfected by Russell & Smith. On April 20, 1971, Ford filed its appeal bond naming Steve J. LaRocca as obligee, in an apparent attempt to appeal the judgment in favor of LaRocca. However, on August 31, 1971, Ford filed its “amended” appeal bond naming only Russell & Smith Ford Company, as obligee. No objection in any respect was made, and we permitted the filing of the amended appeal bond. See Rules 404 and 430, Texas [552]*552Rules of Civil Procedure. But we are met at the outset with a motion filed by La-Rocca for dismissal and severance as to him with an affirmance of the judgment entered below on LaRocca’s behalf against Russell & Smith. We regard Ford’s appeal as against Russell & Smith in the indemnity suit to be an independent suit against the third party defendant, Ford. See Union Bus Lines v. Byrd, 142 Tex. 257, 177 S.W.2d 774 (1944). Where one party appeals from a judgment rendered against him, and other parties fail to appeal, the causes of action being separate and distinct, the judgment as to the parties not appealing becomes final. Speckels v. Kneip, 170 S.W.2d 255 (Tex.Civ.App.-El Paso 1942, writ ref’d); Eggleston v. Primrose Petroleum Co., 47 S.W.2d 359 (Tex.Civ.App.-San Antonio 1932, writ dism’d); Shamburger v. Glenn, 255 S.W. 815 (Tex.Civ.App.-Amarillo 1923, no writ); De La Vega v. League, 2 Tex.Civ.App. 252, 21 S.W. 565 (Galveston 1893, no writ); 3 Tex.Jur.2d Appeal and Error Sec. 340, p. 598 (1959). The indemnity action being separate and distinct from the judgment in favor of LaRocca against Russell & Smith, the motion filed by LaRocca to sever the causes and dismiss the appeal is granted and it is so ordered. Thus, we review only the judgment in favor of Russell & Smith, the dealer, against Ford Motor Company, the manufacturer, who has appealed on the question of indemnity. Ford Motor Company can be given full and effective relief without reversing the judgment of La-Rocca, and Russell & Smith is not required to relitigate LaRocca’s action to establish its right to indemnity or contribution from Ford Motor Company.

The jury found in substance as follows:

1. The cooling system on the Econoline vehicle was defectively designed by Ford Motor Company. “Defectively designed” and “unreasonable risk of harm” were properly defined.
2. Such defective cooling system was a producing cause of the occurrence in question.
3. The cooling system on LaRocca’s Econoline van was defective with the “Climatic Air” air conditioner on the vehicle.
4. It was reasonably foreseen and anticipated by Ford that dealers, users or consumers would cause to be installed air conditioners of the “Climatic Air” type on Econoline vehicles of the type sold Steve J. La-Rocca in July, 1965.
5. Such defective cooling system was a producing cause of the occurrence in question. (Conditionally submitted in the event of an affirmative answer to issue number 3.)
6. The location of the engine access cover inside the vehicle exposed a user such as the plaintiff to an unreasonable risk of harm.
7. Such location was a producing cause of the occurrence.
8. Prior to July, 1965, Ford represented to Russell & Smith Ford that installing air conditioning of the “Climatic” type on the 1965 Econoline with the 240 engine would not render the cooling system defective.
9. Russell & Smith’s installing the “Climatic” type air conditioner on La-Rocca’s vehicle was in reliance upon the above representation.
10. Such representation as above was a producing cause of the occurrence in question.
11. Ford failed to give such warning to Russell & Smith Ford concerning the installation of air conditioning on the vehicle involved as would have been given by a manufacturer using ordinary care.
12. Such failure above was a proximate cause of the occurrence in question.
13. When LaRocca raised the engine cover, he did not actually know and fully appreciate the nature and extent [553]*553of the danger of being burned by-steam or water because of the defective cooling system.
14. Unanswered by instruction.
15. The installation of the air conditioner in question on the vehicle did not constitute a substantial change in the design of the vehicle. “Substantial change” was defined as such change in the vehicle in question that the manufacturer would not have reasonably foreseen and anticipated.
16. The damage issue.

The appellant, Ford Motor Company, has brought forward forty-five points of error. The only cross-point of error, brought forward by appellee, Russell & Smith, was to the effect that the verdict does not constitute a verdict against Russell & Smith sufficient to support any judgment against it without likewise forming the basis for Russell & Smith’s judgment against Ford for indemnity.

Steve J. LaRocca testified that he purchased the Econoline van in question from Russell & Smith Ford Company (hereinafter designated Russell), in July of 1965. That year’s model was available with a new and larger engine, called a 240 cubic inch displacement engine, which was first installed in the 1965 model Econoline van, but which was marketed sometime in the fall of 1964.

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Bluebook (online)
474 S.W.2d 549, 1971 Tex. App. LEXIS 2321, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ford-motor-company-v-russell-smith-ford-company-texapp-1971.