Herrin Transp. Co. v. Peterson

216 S.W.2d 245, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 915
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 2, 1948
DocketNo. 12025.
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 216 S.W.2d 245 (Herrin Transp. Co. v. Peterson) 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
Herrin Transp. Co. v. Peterson, 216 S.W.2d 245, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 915 (Tex. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinion

MONTEITH, Chief Justice.

This.action was brought by appellee, E. A. Peterson, for recovery of damages from appellant, Herrin Transportation Company, for personal injuries alleged to have been received by him in a collision between an automobile being operated by appellee and a truck owned by appellant.

On the trial of the case a jury found in answer to special issues submitted that at the time of the collision appellant’s truck was being operated' at a rate of speed in excess of that which a person of ordinary care and prudence would have operated it under similar circumstances; that the driver of the truck failed to keep such lookout immediately before the collision as would have been kept by a person of ordinary prudence; that the driver of the truck failed to make such an application of his brakes as would have been made by a person of ordinary prudence and that he failed to turn his truck to the left or to reduce the speed of the truck immediately before the collision; that each of such acts were the proximate causes of the collision in question and that such acts were negligence as that term was defined in the charge. The jury found that the collision in question was not the result of an unavoidable accident and returned a verdict in favor of appellee in the sum of $22,000.00. The court rendered judgment in accordance with the verdict.

The trial court prepared and caused to be filed his findings of fact and conclusions of law in which he found that a juror, Lee Kasprazak could neither read nor write the English language. He found that the judge who impaneled the jury for the Civil District Courts of Harris County had asked the prospective jurors to let him know if they could not read and write, but that Lee Kas-prazak did not advise the judge in response to said question, that he could not do so> and; that the Judge concluded that he could read and write the English language and that he was accepted as one of the jurors for the week. The Court found that attorneys for appellant had rightfully assumed that said juror was qualified with respect to reading and writing and that counsel for appellant was not guilty of lack of diligence in failing to further question him concerning his ability to read and write or in not making further investigation of his qualification in that respect prior to the return of the jury’s verdict.

Under its first point of error appellant complains of the action of the trial court in refusing to grant a new trial for the reason that it did not receive a fair trial by a jury of qualified jurors on account of the fact that one of the jurors could neither read nor write the English language.

It is the established rule in this state that objections going to ¡the qualifications of jurors shall be made before the return of the verdict in order that a party to a suit may not conceal his knowledge of the fact of such disqualification and take chances 'on a verdict in his favor and if the verdict is against him, take advantage of such irregularity for the purpose of obtaining a new trial.

In the early oaise of Boetge v. Landa, 22 Tex. 105, under a similar state.of facts, the court held that “The pretense that the verdict ought to have been set aside because the jurors were not sufficiently acquainted with the ‘English language to understand the testimony and the instructions of the Court, was entitled to no' consideration. The jury was doubtless accepted by the parties according to the usual forms of practice, and they could not afterwards be heard to question the competency of jurors accepted by themselves.”

In the case of Schuster v. La Londe, 57 Tex. 28, the court held that “The objection, after verdict, that a juror was not a. freeholder, certainly comes too late.”

In the case of Newman v. Dodson, 61 Tex. 91, the court held that the court did not err in holding that the objection to the jurors summoned by the Sheriff came too-late after verdict because the revised statutes contemplate that all such objections should be made before the cause proceeds, to trial.

*247 In the case of Rice v. Dewberry, Tex.Civ.App., 93 S.W. 715, this court, under a similar state of facts, held that an objection that a juror who had sat in the trial of a cause was not a qualified juror, came too late when not made until after the verdict had been returned.

In the case of Travelers’ Insurance Company v. Peters, Tex.Civ.App., 3 S.W.2d 568, 571, it was contended that appellant’s motion for a new trial should have been granted for the reason that it had developed upon the hearing of the motion that one of the jurors in the case was unable to write the English language and was therefore disqualified, and that on this account appellant had been deprived of a trial by twelve competent jurors, as provided by law. In overruling appellant’s contention t'he court said: “ * * * the mere disqualification of a juror for some reason under the statute, such as being unable to read and write, not a freeholder, etc., is not a ground for new trial after verdict.” Citing numerous authorities. On appeal, The Supreme Court said “We have carefully considered the other assignments urged by plaintiff in error, and have reached the conclusion that no reversible error is shown thereby.” 17 S.W.2d 457, 458; rehearing denied 18 S.W.2d 590.

In the case of International and Great Northern Railroad Co., v. Woodward, 26 Tex.Civ.App. 389, 63 S.W. 1051, writ of error refused, appellant complained of the fact that one of the jurors was neither a freeholder in the State nor a householder in the county, the court held that this matter could not be raised for the first time after verdict.

The following authorities are in accord with the above announced rule: Freeman v. McElroy, Tex.Civ.App., 149 S.W. 428, writ of error refused; Squyres v. State, 92 Tex.Cr.R. 160, 242 S.W. 1024; Price v. Humble Oil & Refining Co., Tex.Civ.App., 152 S.W.2d 804; Davidson v. Whitaker, Tex.Civ.App., 196 S.W.2d 57.

There is no suggestion in the record that Mr. Kasprazak, the questioned juror, was in any way biased or prejudiced. As far as the record in this case reflects he was wholly and completely disinterested and it was not shown that his presence oh the ■ jury either did or was reasonably calculated to bring about an improper verdict and judgment. A careful review of the authorities leads to no conclusion other than that the trial court was correct in d&ying the motion for new trial.

Under its second point of error, appellant contends that the trial court should have declared a mistrial when Dr. Brown, a witness for appellee, stated that he had examined cases for a number of physicians and insurance companies. This statement was made at a time when the witness was being cross-examined by counsel for appellant in reference to the making of examinations for counsel for appellee and with reference to his having appeared as a witness on several occasions in .their cases. The statement did not link the defense of the case with any liability insurance companies nor does the record disclose the type of insurance referred to by the witness.

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216 S.W.2d 245, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 915, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/herrin-transp-co-v-peterson-texapp-1948.