Jangula v. United States Rubber Company

410 P.2d 462, 147 Mont. 98, 1966 Mont. LEXIS 360
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 28, 1966
Docket10830
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 410 P.2d 462 (Jangula v. United States Rubber Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jangula v. United States Rubber Company, 410 P.2d 462, 147 Mont. 98, 1966 Mont. LEXIS 360 (Mo. 1966).

Opinions

MR. JUSTICE CASTLES

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This is an appeal from a judgment entered pursuant to a jury verdict in a negligence case. The appellant was defendant below and will be referred to as the defendant. The respondent was plaintiff below and will be referred to as plaintiff.

• Plaintiff brought an action alleging that defendant was engaged in the manufacture of rubber footwear, that plaintiff [100]*100on October 31, 1958, purchased a pair of boots of defendant’s manufacture from a dealer in rubber boots in Butte, Montana. Plaintiff alleged that said boots were of defective workmanship and contained irritant materials from negligent compounding which could not be discovered by ordinary observation, but also alleged that “said boots were not inherently dangerous.” Plaintiff alleged that defendant knew, or had reason to know, that the boots would be dangerous to a wearer and would infect the skin and failed to warn the plaintiff. The specific alleged defective irritant materials were named in the complaint as consisting of chemicals known as amines, formaldehyde, Aminox, Flectol H. B X A, reclaimed rubber, Tuex, and Monex. Plaintiff alleged that there was defective workmanship and negligent compounding so that chemicals and substances were released in the ordinary wearing of the boots and would irritate the skin in hot, wet places underground.

Plaintiff further alleged that after wearing the boots in the mine his feet became irritated and infected, which condition spread over his body and disabled him for three weeks in November 1958, and about three weeks in May 1959, to his damage.

A second cause of action was in express warranty but a demurrer to that cause of action was sustained by the trial court. As to this ruling on the demurrer the plaintiff has assigned cross-assignments of error as will be set out later.

The answer denied all of the allegations as to negligence.

Jury trial was had and a verdict returned on November 22, 1963. Judgment was entered and a motion under Rule 50, M.R. Civ.P., to set aside the verdict and judgment and enter judgment in favor of defendant in accordance with the motion for directed verdict or, in the alternative, to grant a new trial, was made and denied. This appeal followed.

Twelve specifications of error are asserted. Defendant has divided these into four groups which are as follows: (A) that the evidence was not sufficient to sustain the verdict; (B) [101]*101error in instruction; (C) verdict was contrary to the evidence; and (D) errors in admission of evidence.

We shall discuss the plaintiff’s evidence, both as to its sufficiency under (A) above and as to whether it is contrary to the findings of the jury under (C) above. To do so we shall set forth a brief summary of the evidence of plaintiff’s witnesses which, in part, will involve a discussion of (D) above as to errors in admission of the evidence. Then, we shall revert to the specifications of error as they refer to the defendant’s motion at the end of plaintiff’s case for a directed verdict and the defendant’s motion to set aside the verdict made pursuant to Rule 50, M.R.Civ.P.

The first witness, Mike Leding, testified on the matter of notice that he had trouble with some boots in 1956, with United States Rubber boots, went to see plaintiff’s counsel who wrote a letter to the defendant in Seattle, the letter being Exhibit 1. One of the Leding boots was branded and sent to the defendant. Plaintiff’s counsel wrote a further letter dated March 25, 1957. All of this evidence was on the issue of notice, and on cross-examination a reply letter was introduced on the same subject, from which it appears that the defendant had negative findings on these boots. Defendant asserted that it made thousands of pairs of boots of this type, that a thorough chemical analysis, including ultraviolet absorption analysis showed nothing and the only logical conclusion was that Mr. Leding may have used socks containing some abnormal material.

The second witness was plaintiff Jangula who testified that he was a miner from 1947-1958, and that he had had no skin troubles prior to 1958. In 1958 he bought United States Rubber-boots either at Hennessey’s store or Penney’s store and wore-them at the Mountain Con Mine. He wore them in a stopewhere the temperature was about 86 degrees where he was drilling, slushing and timbering. He wore cotton socks laundered with Ivory soap and said he had never had any breaking-[102]*102out on his body. He said he had some itching on wearing them the first day and by the end of the third day after he started to wear them he ended up in the hospital. His feet were wrapped in towels and he was treated by Dr. Rotar. He said he was in the hospital for two weeks. Later he went back to work, wore a Para Cord boot of a different manufacturer and had no trouble. He then went back to wearing the same U. S. Rubber boot and broke out on the first day and went back to the hospital for two weeks according to his version. He said he had no trouble now with wearing Para Cord boots. On cross-examination, he thought some of the hospital records were wrong, said he never told Dr. Staples that it was a fungus infection and Dr. Staples did not tell him that it was a possible fungus infection. He specifically said that he did not know what caused his trouble, except it occurred while wearing U. S. Rubber Company boots. He served in the South Pacific and said he had never had jungle rot.

The third witness, Dr. J. C. Shields, who has practiced in Butte since 1917, testified to records from the hospital in November of 1958.

Dr. Shields had no independent recollections of these hospital episodes because there were too many patients. He read from the records. The first record was signed by Dr. Rotar who stated at the end of the record the following:

“Impressions — Possible fungus infection (secondary to contact rubber boots) of legs and dorsum of the feet; second, acute lymphadenitis, inguinal regions, that’s due to absorption of the inflammatory products through the lymph flow; Inguinal Regions, secondary.”

The final diagnosis was “Atopic Dermatitis both legs.” On the second admission of Mr. Jangula in April of 1959, Dr. Shields read from the record showing that the diagnosis was again atopic dermatitis. At that time he was cared for by Dr. Staples who said that the patient should not wear boots. The history given to Dr. Staples at the time was as follows:

[103]*103“Present complaints, skin eruptions [now, this is 4-28-59] skin eruptions and itching of both legs, ankles and feet; admitted for the above condition.
“Claimed that he had had the condition off and on for about six (6) or seven (7) months and stated it might be due to rubber boots. Started as fungus infection on the toes, finally spread all over the feet, ankles and away up the legs to the level of the rubber boot edges.
“That really should be read ‘top,’ instead of 'edges.’ Confined for treatment.
“Has had above condition for about six (6) or seven (7) months off and on up to the present. For other details please refer to past records.”

Upon the patient’s discharge from the hospital Dr. Staples made a summary as follows:

“Summary on discharge: Admitted 4-28-58 with Atopic Dermatitis of both of lower legs and ankles.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
410 P.2d 462, 147 Mont. 98, 1966 Mont. LEXIS 360, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jangula-v-united-states-rubber-company-mont-1966.