Gass v. Baggerly

332 S.W.2d 426, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2006
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 5, 1960
Docket15556
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 332 S.W.2d 426 (Gass v. Baggerly) 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
Gass v. Baggerly, 332 S.W.2d 426, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2006 (Tex. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

*427 YOUNG, Justice.

The suit was for damages following personal injuries to plaintiffs A. B. Gass and Truman L. Boyd, suffered in a collision between the car driven by Gass with a trailer-truck operated by Baggerly and owned by F & S Trucking Company of Pasadena, Harris County; the place being in the 8300 Block of South Central Expressway and occurring about 1:00 o’clock in the morning of September 19, 1957. On a tria4 and jury answers to special issues, a judgment was entered for the individuals owning the trucking company and Baggerly; and that plaintiffs take nothing by their suit, followed by this appeal.

Point of impact of the two vehicles was less than 100 feet south of the intersection of Ledbetter Drive, an east and west highway, and the Expressway (Route No. 75) running north and south. Baggerly, his truck loaded with liquid chlorine from Pasadena, Texas, and destined for the Dallas Sewage Treatment Plant, was in process of moving to the left on Expressway intending to turn west into Ledbetter Drive. Plaintiffs Gass and Boyd, police officers of the City of Dallas, and engaged in patrol duties, were also traveling north on the Expressway, the collision occurring at place and manner thus generally stated. The two officers experienced an entire loss of memory from just prior to the collision until later at the hospital; and hence were unable to testify as to the unfortunate occurrence or details concerning same. The issues raised by pleadings of the parties and the evidence is generally reflected in the following summary of numbered jury answers; it being noted that defendant Baggerly was found free of negligence on all plaintiffs’ issues; but with contributory negligence found against plaintiffs on three sets of defensive issues:

(1) That Baggerly did not fail to keep a proper lookout; (3) was not driving his vehicle at a rate of speed that was excessive under the surrounding circumstances; (5) did not fail to signal his intention of turning into the left hand northbound traffic lane; (8) did not drive his vehicle from a stopped position on the shoulder of the road into the roadway in question when such movement could not have reasonably been made with safety; (11) did not drive his vehicle to his left into the left hand traffic lane of the highway in question when such movement could not have reasonably been made with safety. Damages for personal injuries sustained by Truman L. Boyd was fixed at $10,000; to A. B. Gass at $2,000.

(17) That A. B. Gass was not driving the police car at a rate of speed that was excessive under the surrounding circumstances; (19) that plaintiff Gass failed to use ordinary care in timely applying the brakes on the police car; (20) which was a proximate cause of the collision; (21) A. B. Gass failed to keep a proper lookout; (22) which was a proximate cause; (23) the failure of Gass to turn the police car to his right was not negligence ; (23-a) failure of Gass to turn police car to the left was negligence; and (23-b) a proximate cause of the collision; (24 — a) failure of plaintiff Gass to sound the horn of his police car was not negligence; (25) the car of plaintiff Gass was not following defendants’ vehicle more closely than was reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicle, the traffic upon and the condition of the highway; (27) plaintiff Truman L. Boyd did not fail to keep a proper lookout; (29) plaintiff Boyd did not fail to warn the driver of the police car of defendants’ vehicle. Note: It appears without dispute that on the occasion in question, plaintiffs were engaged in a joint enterprise.

First to be considered are the objections to appellants’ points 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, on grounds that same are multifarious, too general and indefinite — violative of Rules 321 and 322, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure — and hence must be treated as *428 waived under Rule 374. 1 Manifestly several of these points are open to the objections made; for a point is multifarious when it embraces more than one specific ground of error and seeks to attack several distinct and separate errors or rulings. Darling v. Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 209 S.W.2d 660. But we will discuss the points below quoted seriatim, in light of the objections made; also generally, concerning their merits.

Point one complains initially that the Court approved a defendants’ judgment without allowing them to file motion non obstante veredicto. The matter is not briefed. Even so, the Court was authorized to render judgment after jury verdict upon its own motion perforce of Rule 300, Texas Civil Procedure. Appellants in fact filed such a motion, which was presented, acted upon and overruled as was motion for new trial on September 2, 1958. And with reference to the cited Sections of Article 6701d, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. appellants pled no acts of negligence based thereon, or if raised, the errors if any have been waived because not briefed.

Point two may be considered only to extent of the charge of jury misconduct. Rule 327, T.C.P. Five jurors testified; appellants’ version of their testimony being as follows: That Juror Rita Martin had been holding out for a “yes” *429 answer to issue 11 (negligence of Bag-gerly); that relying on representations made to her by other jurors that a change by her to a negative answer would not affect the right of plaintiffs to recover the sums awarded to them; she doing so in order to reach a unanimous verdict. Juror Brady testified to being told by Foreman Lougee that plaintiffs would get the money awarded regardless of how certain of the issues were answered. We have studied all testimony adduced on motion for new trial and conclude that same well supports the court’s implied finding that the charge of misconduct was not established. The testimony of juror Rita Martin was inconclusive ; 2 stating first that during the trial she did not give full credence to the testimony of Baggerly with respect to his movements of the truck-trailer; during jury deliberations stating that she did not believe the plaintiffs would get the amount awarded unless some negligence of Bag-gerly was involved; and finally appearing to change over on issue 11 for lack of evidence to the contrary. And Foreman Lougee expressly contradicted above testimony of Juror Brady; the latter further stating that he answered all issues from a preponderance of the evidence.

Point 3 is multifarious, too general to specify error and therefore waived under Rules of Procedure above cited. Texas Life Insurance Co. v. Jordan, Tex. Civ.App., 253 S.W.2d 906. Moreover the objections and exceptions to the charge were not shown to have been presented to the Court and by him refused as required by Rule 272, T.C.P. Similarly with respect to point 4. Nor were the requested issues separated from objections and exceptions as required by Rule 273. Neither was the point adequately briefed.

Subject of point 5 is the following: during course of jury argument defense counsel stated:

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Bluebook (online)
332 S.W.2d 426, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2006, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gass-v-baggerly-texapp-1960.