Hunt v. Hunt

423 S.W.2d 682, 1968 Mo. LEXIS 1078
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJanuary 8, 1968
DocketNo. 52846
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 423 S.W.2d 682 (Hunt v. Hunt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hunt v. Hunt, 423 S.W.2d 682, 1968 Mo. LEXIS 1078 (Mo. 1968).

Opinions

FINCH, Judge.

This is an action by a wife against her husband to recover $10,000 for personal injuries sustained in a one-car accident on August 30, 1958. The trial resulted in a jury verdict for $1500 and plaintiff appealed from the action of the trial court in overruling her motion for a new trial. The appeal went to the Kansas City Court of Appeals, which reversed and remanded for new trial on the issue of damages only. On application, the case was ordered transferred to this court, and we now consider it as though the original appeal had come directly to this court. Supreme Court Rule 84.05(h), V.A.M.R.

At the time of the accident in question, plaintiff was a student at Kirksville State Teachers College and had a date with the defendant that evening. They were married on June 24, 1959.

This was the second trial of this suit. The first trial resulted in a $6,000 verdict but the trial court granted a new trial for errors in instructions, which action was affirmed on appeal. Hunt v. Hunt, Mo.App., 387 S.W.2d 234.

Plaintiff’s brief asserts three points as a basis for a new trial, as follows: First, that the court erred in its ruling on the voir dire with respect to the issue of insurance. Second, that the court erred with respect to admission in evidence of intramural volleyball games at the College in which plaintiff allegedly participated after the accident, and in permitting examination of plaintiff with reference thereto. Third, that the court erred in various rulings on objections with respect to argument of counsel for defendant. We do not find any prejudicial error in any of these instances, as we shall point out.

The first assignment of error relates to the action of Mr. Collins in stating on voir dire to the jury that he, Mr. Foley and Mr. Hulen represented the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. Plaintiff’s counsel had sought unsuccessfully in a conference prior to voir dire examination to have the court instruct counsel that they should not mention that they represented the insurance company.

In Mavrakos v. Mavrakos Candy Co., 359 Mo. 649, 223 S.W.2d 383, Division One of this court held such a statement to be proper. We need not and do not review that question herein because the trial court promptly sustained plaintiff’s objection to the statement and instructed the jury to disregard the remark. A mistrial was not requested.

Plaintiff, on appeal, complains that the trial court did not admonish counsel, as requested. The matter of reprimanding counsel is discretionary with the trial court. Louis Steinbaum Real Estate Co., et al. v. Maltz, et al., Mo., 247 S.W.2d 652, 31 A.L.R.2d 1052. We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion.

Plaintiffs second complaint is with respect to admission of records of volleyball games. We note that plaintiff herself testified that she played volleyball during the period in question. In our judgment, the admission of the records provided only cumulative evidence and could not have been prejudicial error. Kelly v. Terminal Railroad Ass’n of St. Louis, Mo., 315 S.W.2d 699 [3]. Hence, a consideration of whether the records fall within the Business Records Act would serve no useful purpose and we do not discuss it further.

Finally, plaintiff complains of various arguments by counsel to the jury. A consideration of these complaints should take into consideration certain facts established by the evidence. Plaintiff and defendant were husband and wife and were happily married. They came together to the trial at Moberly, and plaintiff testified that if [685]*685the case lasted more than one day, they expected to stay there together that night. Plaintiff testified that she and her husband had two bank accounts, both of which were joint accounts.

In the course of the opening argument to the jury on behalf of plaintiff, these statements were made:

“ * * * Now you will remember that the defendant neither sat at this table during the whole trial nor did he ever testify in his behalf. The lawyers didn’t call him. * * * Now the defendant didn’t testify to that because Mr. Collins didn’t call the defendant. He wasn’t here to testify he was driving the car. He could have told you what he did if Mr. Collins wanted you to have all the information available to you.
“I say to you that you have been deprived of all the information you could have about this accident.
⅜ ⅜ ifi ‡ ⅜ j}í
“It means, find for Pat Hunt if the defendant, who didn’t testify and who Mr. Collins wouldn’t call, * * *.
“ * * * this man whom these lawyers wouldn’t even call to the witness stand.”

In argument by defendant’s counsel which followed, there were four occasions on which objection was made on behalf of plaintiff. All are covered in plaintiff’s brief and we consider them herein.

The first argument of which plaintiff complains was as follows:

“MR. HULEN: * * * Now you want to know why the insured or the gentleman who was the defendant did not testify? I’ll tell you, and you don’t need to be told, you know it. You think that this defendant, husband of the plaintiff, would take the stand and tell anything different from what this girl said regardless of what the facts are?
“MR. JAYNE: If the Court please, we object to counsel impeaching such motive of his own client, impeaching the professional etiquette. No evidence of any such thing and Mr. Hulen well knows it.
“THE COURT: The objection will be sustained.”

It will be observed that the court sustained the objection made by the plaintiff. No other relief of any kind was requested.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
423 S.W.2d 682, 1968 Mo. LEXIS 1078, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hunt-v-hunt-mo-1968.