Frozen Foods Express v. Odom

229 S.W.2d 92, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2019
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 3, 1950
Docket2782
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 229 S.W.2d 92 (Frozen Foods Express v. Odom) 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
Frozen Foods Express v. Odom, 229 S.W.2d 92, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2019 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

LONG, Justice.

L. A. Odom instituted this suit against Frozen Foods Express and H. L. Stovall to recover damages growing out of an alleged collision between plaintiff’s truck and a truck belonging to defendant, Frozen Foods Express, a corporation, and driven by its agent, defendant H. L. Stovall. Plaintiff alleged that on June 3, 1947, his truck was being driven by Henry Menton in an easterly-direction on paved U. S. Highway No. 80 in Palo Pinto County, Texas, and that a truck belonging to defendant, Frozen Foods Express, and driven by H. L. Stovall, was also traveling in an easterly direction on said highway and while said truck belonging to said defendant was attempting to pass the truck and trailer belonging to the plaintiff, that said truck belonging to the defendant collided with the truck belonging to the *94 plaintiff and caused damage to the truck and trailer and to several head of sheep being transported on said truck. Plaintiff alleged that defendants were guilty of negligence in causing said collision in the following particulars: (a) that the driver Stovall turned said truck van suddenly across the highway in the path of plaintiff’s truck; (b) that Stovall turned said truck across the road and caused the collision; (c) that Stovall failed to keep a proper lookout; (d) that Stovall changed the course of the truck without seeing that there was sufficient without seeing that there was sufficient space for such movement to be made in safety. Defendants answered by a general denial and plead that the driver of plaintiff’s truck was guilty of contributory negligence. The jury found all issues submitted in favor of the plaintiff. The court entered judgment, in keeping with the jury verdict in favor of plaintiff for $1,200.03 damages to his truck, $850.00 damage to his trailer, and $200.00 as compensation to plaintiff for rentals alleged to have been paid by him on a truck and trailer while his was being repaired. From this judgment, defendants have appealed.

By Points 1, 2 and 3, defendants contend the court erred in overruling their objections to special issues Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Said special issues were as follows:

“Special Issue No. 1: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant H. L. Stovall at the time and place in question collided the trailer of the truck he was operating with plaintiff’s truck? Answer: Yes.

“Special Issue No. 2: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the said Stovall in so colliding said trailer of said truck with plaintiff’s truck, if you so find, under all the facts and circumstances at the time and place in question, was guilty of negligence, as the term is herein defined? Answer: Yes.

“Special Issue No. 3: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that said negligence, if you find same was negligence, w-as the proximate cause of the damages complained of? Answer: Yes.”

Defendants objected to said issues as follows :

“1. Defendants except to Special Issue No. 1 for each and all of the following reasons :

“(a) Because there is no evidence to support the submission of such special issue and an affirmative finding thereto would be contrary to the weight of the evidence.

“(b) Because such issue is purely eviden-tiary and not an ultimate issue of fact to be determined in this case.

“(c) Because such issue amounts to the submission of a general charge.

“2. Defendants object to Special Issue No. 2 for each and all of the following reasons :

“(a) Because there is no evidence to sup' port the submission of such special issue and an affirmative finding thereto would be contrary to the weight of the evidence.

“(b) Because such issue amounts to the submission of a general charge when this case is being submitted upon special issues.

“3. Defendants object to Special Issue No. 3 for all of the following reasons:

“(a) Because there is no evidence to support the submission of such special' issue.

“(b) Because such issue when conditioned upon Special Issue No. 2 amounts to the submission of a general charge.”

Defendants insist the trial court erred in overruling these exceptions. They argue with much force and submit authorities which sustain their position that the issues submitted were not proper. They take the position that it was the duty of the court to submit an issue as to each special act of negligence plead. We agree with the position taken by defendants but we believe the exceptions are not sufficient to distinctly point out the defects urged here. The defendants did not object to the charge because it failed to submit the specific acts of negligence plead. They did object because the issues amounted to the submission of “a general charge.” This was not sufficient. Rule 274, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, provides that a party objecting to a charge must point out distinctly the matter to which he objects and the grounds of his objections. It is true defendants, in their point presented to this court, say that the issues submitted were not limited to the specific *95 acts of negligence alleged but this objection was not made in the trial court and consequently defendants cannot now complain of the failure of the trial court to so submit such issues.

We have given this question our mature thought and have endeavored to find all of the authorities bearing thereon and we here submit the following in support of our holding: Panhandle & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Friend et ux., Tex.Civ.App., 91 S.W.2d 922; Wise et al. v. City of Abilene, Tex.Civ.App., 141 S.W.2d 400; Southern Underwriters et al. v. Boswell, Tex.Civ.App., 141 S.W.2d 442; Classen et al. v. Benfer et al., Tex.Civ.App., 144 S.W.2d 633; Browning et al. v. Graves et al., Tex.Civ.App., 152 S.W.2d 515; Texas Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Wimberley, Tex.Civ.App., 108 S.W.2d 860; Gulf, C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Bouchillon et al., Tex.Civ.App., 186 S.W.2d 1006.

We believe the issues submitted, in the absence of a proper objection, are sufficient to uphold the judgment based thereon. Where issues submitted are incompletely stated, or improperly combined, a verdict based thereon, in the absence of a proper objection pointing out to the court such defects, is as effective as if the issues were correctly submitted. Duff v. Roeser & Pendleton, Inc., Tex.Civ.App., 96 S.W.2d 682; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Snow, Tex.Civ.App., 114 S.W.2d 682; Rivers v. Westbrooks et al., Tex.Civ.App., 126 S.W.2d 46.

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Bluebook (online)
229 S.W.2d 92, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2019, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frozen-foods-express-v-odom-texapp-1950.