Hyundai Motor Co. v. Chandler

882 S.W.2d 606, 1994 WL 459218
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 3, 1994
Docket13-92-145-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 882 S.W.2d 606 (Hyundai Motor Co. v. Chandler) 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
Hyundai Motor Co. v. Chandler, 882 S.W.2d 606, 1994 WL 459218 (Tex. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinions

[609]*609OPINION

FEDERICO G. HINOJOSA, Jr., Justice.

This is an appeal from a products liability suit involving a 1986 Hyundai Excel automobile. The suit arose when the Excel left the road and hit a tree, killing Pele Chandler (the left rear seat passenger) and injuring Shannon Modrell (the driver), Jesse Srader, (the front seat passenger), and Susan En-glishbee (the right rear seat passenger).

In August 1987, 19-year-old Pele Chandler attended her friend, Shannon Modrell’s 18th birthday party. Shannon’s parents and Shannon’s friends, Jesse Srader and Susan Englishbee, also attended the party. The party was held at a Steak and Ale Restaurant located near the intersection of 1-45 and FM 1960 in Harris County. The party ended late in the evening and Shannon’s father, Garry Modrell, let Shannon drive away from the restaurant in his 1986 Hyundai Excel. Shannon only had a learner’s permit to drive so Srader sat in the front seat and acted as her licensed, supervising driver. Englishbee sat in the right rear seat and Pele sat in the left rear seat. Shannon drove the Excel out of the restaurant parking lot and turned onto the 1-45 feeder road. While on the feeder road, the Excel went out of control, left the road, and collided head on with a tree. All four people were taken to a hospital. Pele was treated in the emergency room and rushed to surgery. She died on the operating table. Shannon, Srader, and Englishbee were only injured.

Chloe Chandler (Pele’s mother), Srader, and Shannon sued Hyundai Motor America, Hyundai Motor Company, and Leland Hyundai, Inc. (collectively “Hyundai”), alleging breach of warranty, negligence, and strict liability .in its design of the Excel. Chandler also sued Srader and Shannon for negligence and Srader sued Shannon for negligence. The ease was tried to a jury and it returned a verdict favorable to appellees. The jury, however, found Shannon 35% negligent. The trial court entered judgment that Chandler recover $661,876.10 from Hyundai and Shannon, that Srader recover $163,951.44 from Hyundai, and that Shannon recover $22,-423.98 from Hyundai.

Appellants, Hyundai, appeal by eighteen points of error. Shannon raises six cross-points of error. We reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand the case for a new trial.

By points of error ten through sixteen, appellants attack the factual and legal sufficiency of the evidence to support certain jury findings and the damage awards to appellees.

When a party without the burden of proof complains on appeal of a jury finding, the appropriate points of error are that there is “no evidence” or “insufficient evidence” to support the jury finding. Croucher v. Croucher, 660 S.W.2d 55, 58 (Tex.1983).

When we review a “no evidence” or legal sufficiency of the evidence point, we consider only the evidence and reasonable inferences that tend to support the jury’s finding, and we disregard all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Responsive Terminal Sys., Inc. v. Boy Scouts of Am., 774 S.W.2d 666, 668 (Tex.1989). We overrule the point and uphold the finding if we find any evidence to support the finding. Southern States Transp., Inc. v. State, 774 S.W.2d 639, 640 (Tex.1989).

When we review an “insufficient evidence” or factual sufficiency of the evidence point, we consider, weigh and examine all of the evidence which supports or undermines the jury’s finding. Plas-Tex, Inc. v. United States Steel Corp., 772 S.W.2d 442, 445 (Tex.1989). We set aside the verdict only when we find that the evidence standing alone is too weak to support the finding or that the finding is so against the overwhelming weight of the evidence that it is manifestly unjust and clearly wrong. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.1965).

When a party with the burden of proof complains on appeal from an adverse jury finding, the appropriate points of error are “that the matter was established as a matter of law” or “that the jury’s finding was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.” Croucher, 660 S.W.2d at 58.

When we review a legal sufficiency or “that the matter was established as a matter of law” point, we examine the record for [610]*610evidence supporting the finding of fact and ignore all evidence to the contrary. Sterner v. Marathon, 767 S.W.2d 686, 690 (Tex.1989); Hickey v. Couchman, 797 S.W.2d 103, 109 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1990, writ denied). If we find that no evidence supports the finding, we must determine from the record whether the contrary proposition is established as a matter of law. Sterner, 767 S.W.2d at 690; Hickey, 797 S.W.2d at 109.

When we review a factual sufficiency or “that the jury’s finding was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence” point, we examine the entire record. Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175, 176 (Tex.1986); Hickey, 797 S.W.2d at 110. We set aside the verdict only if it is so contrary to the overwhelming weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be clearly wrong and manifestly unjust. Cain, 709 S.W.2d at 176; Hickey, 797 S.W.2d at 110.

By their tenth point of error, appellants attack the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence to show that a design defect caused the occurrence.

Chloe Chandler alleged: 1) that the Excel was defective in that it was designed with only a lap belt seat restraint mechanism for back seat passengers, 2) that this mechanism was designed to fasten about the soft tissue portions of the abdomen, as opposed to fastening about the body’s pelvic bone region, 3) that at the time of the collision, Pele was wearing the lap belt, 4) that the impact threw her forward, and 5) that the seat belt, which was fastened about her abdomen, broke through her abdominal wall, causing fatal injuries. In the alternative, she alleged that the Excel’s defective design caused it to suddenly and without warning, veer off the road and crash, and that this was the producing cause of Pele’s death.

Shannon alleged that the Excel had design defects in its steering system, braking system, front drive shaft, and drive system which caused her to lose control of the vehicle. Srader alleged that the Excel had a defect in the right front wheel assembly, causing Shannon to lose control of the car.

Special Question 1 asked the jury:

Was there a manufacturing defect and/or design defect and/or a defect in the marketing of the 1986 Hyundai Excel in question at the time it left the possession of Hyundai that was a producing cause of the occurrence in question?

The jury answered affirmatively to a design defect. We will analyze the evidence to determine whether a design defect caused the Excel to leave the road and whether a design defect in the car’s left real’ restraint system caused Pele’s death.

To recover under a theory of strict liability, a plaintiff must prove the defective and unreasonably dangerous condition of the defendant’s product and a causal connection between the condition and the plaintiffs injuries or damages. Lucas v. Texas Indus., Inc., 696 S.W.2d 372, 377 (Tex.1984); Armstrong Rubber Co. v. Urquidez, 570 S.W.2d 374, 376 (Tex.1978).

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Hyundai Motor Co. v. Chandler
882 S.W.2d 606 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1994)

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882 S.W.2d 606, 1994 WL 459218, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hyundai-motor-co-v-chandler-texapp-1994.