Industrial Indemnity Exchange v. Ratcliff

138 S.W.2d 613
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 27, 1940
DocketNo. 3606.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 138 S.W.2d 613 (Industrial Indemnity Exchange v. Ratcliff) 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
Industrial Indemnity Exchange v. Ratcliff, 138 S.W.2d 613 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

O’QUINN, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case. Angelina County Lumber Company was the employer, H. A. Ratcliff the employee, and Industrial Indemnity Exchange the compensation insurance carrier. On April 6, 1938, while engaged in. the course of his employment as an employee of Angelina County Lumber Company, appellee received an injury for which he claimed compensation. He duly filed his claim before the Industrial Accident Board. On November 17, 1938, the Board made its final ruling and award, and appellee duly gave notice that he would not abide said award, and duly filed this suit in the district court of Angelina County, Texas, to set aside said award and to recover compensation as for total and permanent disability.

*615 Appellant, Industrial Indemnity Exchange, answered by general demurrer, special exceptions, general denial, and specially denied (a) that notice of injury was given to appellant and the Industrial Accident Board within the time and in the manner required by law; and (b) that any valid claim for compensation was filed with the Board for an amount to confer jurisdiction upon the district court; and (c) that any valid award was made by the Industrial Accident Board from which an appeal could be taken. Further specially answering, appellant alleged that it had made certain payments to appellee of compensation, but that said payments were made under a misapprehension of his wage rate, which misapprehension arose out of untrue statements made to it by appellee concerning his injury and the wages he had earned, and hence it was not bound in any way by the making of such payments.

At .the close of the evidence, appellant moved for an instructed verdict which was refused. The case was then tried to a jury upon special issues which were answered favorable to appellee, and judgment rendered for appellee for compensation for 401 weeks for total and permanent disability at the rate of $9.97 per week, with credit for 15 payments at such rate made theretofore by appellant. Motion for a new trial was overruled and we have the case for review.

Appellant’s first six propositions are presented grouped. None of these propositions refer to any assignment of error to which they relate, or upon which they are based. We have made careful investigation of the 68 assignments in the back' of the brief, and fail to find any of them substantially the same as either of the propositions grouped, but rather a combination of the matters stated in the assignments. We doubt the sufficiency of such propositions, but have given them consideration. The first asserts that the submission of special issue 4 was error because it was misleading, and confusing in that it was contradictory to the definition of the term “injury” given by the court, was too general in that it permitted consideration by the jury of any affected portion of ap-pellee’s body when under the pleadings the original damage was to appellee’s foot, and the issue, as framed, permitted the jury to' speculate whether such affected parts of appellee’s body, other than his leg, was affected by reason of the injuries to his foot or leg, without regard as to whether or not there was any infection or disease naturally resulting from the original damage to appellee’s foot “That extended beyond plaintiff’s leg below the knee”. Issue No. 4, read: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such injury, if any, to plaintiff’s left leg has affected and involved parts of his body other than his leg”?

The jury answered “Yes”. The issue was not subject to the objections levelled against it. It plainly inquired whether the injury to plaintiff’s leg had affected other parts of his body. Under the pleadings and the evidence the issue was raised, and the issue was neither misleading, confusing nor too general.

The second proposition urges error in the submission of special issue 5. It was: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that H. A. Ratcliff sustained an injury to his back as a direct and natural result of being struck by such conveyor chain?”

The jury answered “Yes.”- Appellant objected to this issue that it was too general, was not limited to the pleadings or evidence as. to what portion of appellee’s back sustained injury, and permitted the jury to speculate “all up and down the plaintiff’s back without regard to the testimony, and because such issue permits the jury to make a finding irrespective of the pleadings or evidence and irrespective of defendant’s liability under the Workmen’s Compensation Act with reference to what constitutes a compensable injury under the term ‘injury’ as given by the court, and without regard to whether or not such injury to the back was in anywise connected with a general injury, or a specific injury”. This assignment is without merit. Appel-lee plead and the undisputed evidence showed that appellee was injured by being struck by conveyor chain while at work at a saw mill, and that he suffered a broken or fractured left leg about four inches above the ankle; that the blow of the chain knocked him down and in falling he struck his back against some timbers ■ causing severe injuries to his back. We think the allegation was sufficiently specific and would admit proof of injury to any portion of the back thus injured. It did not permit the jury to either speculate, or to find an injury to the back “irrespective of the pleadings or evidence”. Nor was the issue subject to the objections that the jury could *616 find a compensable injury whether or not the injury to the back was in anywise connected with a general injury, or to a specific injury. It being alleged with the injury to appellee’s leg that the whole of the injuries suffered resulted in total incapacity, the issue very properly inquired as to the injury to the back.

The third proposition asserts error in submitting special issue 6. It was : “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that plaintiff H. A. Ratcliff, sustained total incapacity as a natural result of injury sustained by him, if any, from being struck by such conveyor chain”?

The jury answered “Yes”. Appellant objected to this issue that it was multifarious, misleading, confusing to the minds of the jurors because it permitted a finding ■of total disability due to any injury that appellee may have suffered without regard to the definition of “injury” given by the court; that the issue was too broad and not limited to the pleading for in that appellee had suffered an original injury to the foot, and so the issue permitted the jury to find that he had suffered total incapacity by reason of a specific injury to his foot. This contention is without merit. The pleadings of appellee were full and specific as to his injuries received from being struck by the conveyor chain, and of the results of these injuries, and that from these injuries he had suffered total •incapacity. The issue was not subject to ■.the exceptions.

What we have said disposes of the fourth, fifth and sixth propositions. The •answers to each of the issues complained, were amply sustained by the evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
138 S.W.2d 613, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/industrial-indemnity-exchange-v-ratcliff-texapp-1940.