James v. Robertson

117 P. 1068, 39 Utah 414, 1911 Utah LEXIS 60
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 14, 1911
DocketNo. 2221
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 117 P. 1068 (James v. Robertson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James v. Robertson, 117 P. 1068, 39 Utah 414, 1911 Utah LEXIS 60 (Utah 1911).

Opinions

FRICK, C. J.

This action was instituted by respondent to recover damages for tbe loss of the sight of one eye, which she alleged was caused through appellant’s unskillfulness and negligence. Respondent, in her complaint, among other things, alleged: “That on the 26th day of February, 1906, the plaintiff went to the office of the said defendant, at Bingham Junction, Utah, and that then and there, a.t plaintiff’s request, the defendant was employed to remove a cyst from the upper eyelid of plaintiff’s right eye. “That after the defendant removed said cyst from defendant’s eye, as aforesaid, the said defendant applied a certain liquid to the upper eyelid of the plaintiff’s right eye, which said liquid ■ plaintiff believes to have been some kind of an acid. That said liquid, which was applied to said plaintiff’s eye, as aforesaid, was allowed to drop from the instrument with which said defendant was applying said liquid upon plaintiff’s face, making a number of bums upon plaintiff’s face. That within a few minutes after said defendant applied said liquid to said plaintiff’s eye, as aforesaid, the said plaintiff began to' suffer intense pain and agony, and continued to suffer the same for a period of about twenty-five days. That said plaintiff continued to visit defendant for the purpose of having said eye treated until on or about March 12, 1906, when plaintiff was informed by defendant that he could do nothing more for her, and plaintiff then came to Salt Lake City, and entered St. Mark’s hospital March 17, 1906. . . . That for three weeks after defendant placed said liquid, as aforesaid, upon plaintiff’s eye said plaintiff was unable to get. any rest on account, of the intense pain and suffering which said liquid, being placed upon plaintiff’s eye, caused her, and was compelled to walk the floor intermittently day and night. That said liquid which said defendant placed upon plaintiff’s eye, as aforesaid, burned to the pupil of plaintiff’s eye in such a manner that the sight thereof is practically destroyed, and caused a scar to form upon the plaintiff’s said right eye, destroying the sight thereof, and that the plaintiff is compelled, when out of doors, to wear colored glasses, or some [420]*420covering or protection over ber eye, or keep it shut while in the light. Plaintiff further alleges that the present condition of her eye, and the loss of sight thereof from which she is now suffering, is the natural and proximate result of the negligence and lack of skill of the said defendant, used when operating upon her eye, as aforesaid. Said plaintiff further alleges that said defendant was negligent and careless and lacked the proper skill in performing the operation upon her eye, as aforesaid, in this, to-wit: In negligently and unskillfully placing upon plaintiff’s eye such liquid, as aforesaid, which the plaintiff believes to have been some kind of acid, in such a manner that said liquid would get into the eye and burn through the lid, and causing the pupil of the eye to be burned and scarred, although the defendant well knew', or should have known, had he possessed the proper amount of skill for performing such an operation, that said liquid, if it were allow'ed to touch the ball of the eye, would in all probability destroy the sight thereof.”

Appellant, in his answer to the complaint, admitted that he had removed a cyst from the upper eyelid of respondent’s right eye; that he “applied a certain liquid to the outside of the upper eyelid of plaintiff’s right eye;” -and that “the sight of the plaintiff’s right eye was and is impaired by reason of a certain corneal ulcer, but that said ulcer was in no wise the result of the treatment of this defendant, or the operation aforesaid.” Appellant also denied all negligence and want of skill on his part, and affirmatively set forth the facts as he asserted them to be with respect to the operation, and as to what caused the loss of sight of plaintiff’s eye.

Upon substantially these issues a trial was had, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of respondent. The court denied a motion for a new trial, and judgment was entered on the verdict. Appellant produces the record in this court, and asks us to reverse the judgment.

One of the principal assignments is that the court erred in refusing to direct a verdict for appellant. The request for a directed verdict was based upon the ground that respondent’s evidence was insufficient to take the case to the jury. [421]*421It is insisted in this court that there is no substantial evidence upon which to- base a verdict in favor of respondent, and hence the judgment in her favor should not be permitted to stand. As we are prohibited by our’ Constitution from passing upon the weight of the evidence in 1 law cases, we can review the evidence for the purpose only of determining whether there is any substantial evidence in support of every essential element the respondent was required to prove, in order to entitle her to recover. In this regard the court charged the jury as follows: “Before plaintiff can recover in this case, she must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant negligently permitted an acid, or other liquid, of sufficient strength to cause a lesion of the comeal tissues of the eye, to drop or escape into the eye beneath the lids, and that the acid, or other liquid, did cause a lesion of the comeal tissues, resulting in the ulcer which caused the pain and loss of sight complained of. It is not sufficient for the evidence to show only that an acid, or other liquid, of sufficient strength to cause such a lesion with the resulting injury, might have bear dropped or permitted to escape into plaintiff’s eye. Before you can find for the plaintiff, you must be satisfied by a preponderance of all the evidence that some acid or other liquid, of sufficient strength to cause a lesion of the corneal tissues of plaintiff’s eye, was permitted or suffered by the defendant, while operating upon the eyelid of plaintiff’s right eye, to drop or in some way escape into her eye, and that such acid or liquid did cause such lesion and.the resulting injury; and you must also further find by a preponderance of all the evidence that the defendant was negligent in suffering or permitting the acid or liquid to drop or escape into plaintiff’s eye. If from the evidence in the case you find that it is not established by a preponderance thereof that the injury to plaintiff’s eye was the proximate result of the failure by defendant to use ordinary care, and thereby permitting some acid, or other liquid, he was using to get into plaintiff’s eye, the plaintiff cannot recover. Or, if it appears from the evidence that the injury suffered by plaintiff might have been [422]*422occasioned by one or more causes, independent of any act or omission of defendant, and the preponderance of the evidence fails to show that it was caused by some negligent act or omission of defendant, as alleged in the complaint, plaintiff cannot recover. Or if, under the evidence, it is just as probable that the injury was the result of an independent cause, as by the negligent act or omission of defendant., plaintiff cannot recover.”

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Bluebook (online)
117 P. 1068, 39 Utah 414, 1911 Utah LEXIS 60, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-v-robertson-utah-1911.