Forrest v. Faust

110 S.W.2d 147, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1228
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided November 3, 1937·No. No. 10169.·Published

Opinion

SLATTON, Justice.

Arthur Faust instituted this action against John P. Forrest to recover damages for an alleged assault and battery which was charged to have been committed upon Faust by an agent of Forrest

*148 Special issues were submitted to the jury, and upon favorable answers made thereto judgment was entered in favor of Faust. The appellant complains of the action of the trial court in refusing to give his special requested issues, as follows, to wit:

"(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Daniel Webster, the alleged agent of the defendant, acted in self-defense in the difficulty between him and the plaintiff? Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’
“(b) Did the said Daniel Webster, the alleged agent of defendant, act only and solely in self-defense in the difficulty between him and the plaintiff? Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’”

Appellant also complains that the trial court erred in overruling his objection to the court’s charge; whidi objection was for the reason that the charge failed to affirmatively present the issue of self-defense. The trial court prepared a charge to be submitted to the jury, to which the only objection urged by appellant was that it-did not affirmatively present, on behalf of appellant, the right of self-defense of appellant’s agent, and, at the same time, the appellant tendered to the trial court four special requested issues. The two issues refused by the court are quoted above; the two given by the court are as follows:

“(a) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that a man of ordinary prudence, situated as Webster was, would have thought or supposed he was about to be assaulted or injured by the plaintiff, Arthur Faust? Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’
“(b) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Daniel-Webster, agent of the defendant, used only such. force as was reasonably necessary -against plaintiff upon reasonable apprehension - of serious bodily injury to himself' on the date of the alleged difficulty? Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’”

The two issues given were answered in the negative by the jury.

The appellant specially pleaded that the assault and battery was provoked by Faust, and that any resistance offered by Webster was within his -right of self-defense. The evidence was in conflict as to the legality of the assault upon Faust by the agent of Forrest. Otherwise stated, there was a conflict in the evidence as to who began the difficulty. The-rule is well established that--a defendant is entitled to an affirmative submission of the issues raised by the pleadings and evidence supporting his defense or defenses. Texas Ind. Ins. Co. v. Thibodeaux (Tex.Com.App.) 106 S.W.2d 268.

Some of the cases hold that if the trial court imperfectly submits such issues, to preserve the error on appeal, it is only necessary to object thereto, pointing out such imperfections with sufficient certainty to apprize the court of the defect, or to prepare and request a correct charge curing the defect. Some of the cases hold that where the trial court wholly omits issues raised by the pleading and the evidence, in order to preserve the point on appeal it is necessary to submit to the court correct issues on the subject. For an able discussion of this subject, see Harris v. Thornton’s Dept. Store (Tex.Civ.App.) 94 S.W.(2d) 849, and authorities there cited; and Harris v. Leslie (Tex.Sup.) 96 S.W.(2d) 276.

Here the trial court in his preliminary charge wholly failed to submit/ the affirmative issue of self-defense, which was raised by the pleadings and the evidence. Thereupon, the appellant presented to the trial court the four special requested issues quoted above, and made in the form of an obj ection that the charge did not affirmatively present the issue of self-defense. The trial court gave two of the special requested issues, and refused two of such issues.'

The appellant, under the pleadings and proof, had only one defense; that of self-defense. His defense was affirmatively submitted to the jury in language chosen by the appellant. In the case of Texas & N. O. Ry. Co. v. Neill, 100 S.W.2d 348, 349, our Supreme Court used the following language: “Further, the requested- issue which was given related alone to the defense of assumed risk; Since the railroad- company requested the court to give that issue as a submission, of that defense, it is in no position to complain that another requested issue submitting the same defense in different language was not given. It was not entitled to two issues submitting the same question and cannot complain that the court selected one of its two requested issues thereon.”

Here the four requested issues related alone to the right of self-defense, which was the only defense raised by the pleadings and proof. Clearly, the appellant was not entitled to all of the issues. Moreover, the requested issues quoted above, which were refused by the court, were objectionable, in that there was included the term “self-defense,” without any legal defi *149 nition of such term. We can think of no legal term which in law has a more distinct legal meaning than that of “self-defense.” It would have been a most violent presumption to assume -that a jury of twelve men would have the same conception of the meaning of the term, much less the true legal definition. The second special requested issue above quoted, which was refused by the court, was incorrect in another particular, in that it did not place the burden of proof. The burden of proof was upon appellant. Therefore, the only defense presented by the pleadings and proof having been submitted by the trial court in language chosen by the plaintiff, and the refused special requested issues being incorrect, and relating to the same defense as submitted, there was no error of which the appellant is in a position to complain. All assignments relating to the charge are overruled.

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Forrest v. Faust, 110 S.W.2d 147, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1228 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

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