Jessop v. Werner Transportation Co.

261 N.E.2d 598, 147 Ind. App. 408, 1970 Ind. App. LEXIS 396
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 2, 1970
Docket869A156
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 261 N.E.2d 598 (Jessop v. Werner Transportation Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jessop v. Werner Transportation Co., 261 N.E.2d 598, 147 Ind. App. 408, 1970 Ind. App. LEXIS 396 (Ind. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinions

Hoffman, P.J.

This appeal arises from the overruling of a motion for new trial. The trial resulted in a verdict and judgment in favor of defendant-appellee in a negligence action for personal injuries sustained by plaintiff-appellant while a guest passenger in an automobile.

The facts from the record before us may be summarized as follows:

Appellant was a guest passenger in a vehicle being driven by her son in an easterly direction on U. S. Highway No. 30 in the left-hand passing lane of a four-lane divided highway. Appellee’s employee, Nyle W. Jurczewsky, was operating a semi-tractor and trailer in the same direction on U. S. Highway No. 30, in the right-hand lane. The vehicle in which appellant was a passenger proceeded to pass a pick-up truck which was traveling behind appellee’s tractor-trailer. There was a dispute as to whether or not appellee’s tractor-trailer swerved into the left-hand lane thereby causing the collision between the vehicle in which appellant was riding — the guard rail — and the tire of appellee’s trailer.

Appellant and her son each sued appellee separately. On a motion by appellee, the two causes were consolidated and tried together — notwithstanding appellant’s motion to separate for trial. The jury returned a general verdict in favor of appellee in both actions. The trial court rendered judgment in accordance with the verdict.

Appellant’s sole assignment of error is the overruling of her motion for a new trial.

Appellant has briefed and argued that the trial court erred on three separate grounds: 1) That the trial court erred in granting appellee’s motion to consolidate causes for trial and in overruling, appellant’s motion to separate said causes for trial; 2) that the trial court erred in giving appellee’s Instruction No. 7; and 3) that the trial court [411]*411erred in overruling appellant’s motion to strike the testimony of Cletus Stabler.

As to point number one, appellant contends that the issue of contributory negligence — which was a defense to her son’s cause of action — was allowed to spill over and cloud the issues in her cause of action.

Rule 1-4A, adopted October 15, 1957, effective January 1, 1958, is applicable to the instant case and is as follows:

“Consolidation — Separate trials. — (a) Consolidation. When actions (other than criminal) involving a common question of law or fact are pending before the court, it may order a joint hearing or trial of any or all the matters in issue in the actions; it may order all the actions consolidated; and it may make such orders concerning proceedings therein as may tend to avoid unnecessary costs or delay.
“(b) Separate trials. The court in furtherance of convenience or to avoid prejudice may order a separate trial of any claim, cross-claim, or counter-claim, or of any separate issue or of any number of claims, cross-claims, counterclaims, or issues.”

In support of her contention that the trial court erred in overruling her motion to separate causes, appellant cites Kizer v. Hazelett, 221 Ind. 575, 49 N. E. 2d 543 (1943). In Kizer plaintiff-appellee sued her son — she was a guest passenger in his vehicle — for wanton and wilful misconduct and the operator of the other vehicle for negligence, both in a single paragraph. Both defendants appealed a judgment for the plaintiff alleging that the trial court abused its discretion in overruling their motions to separate. Our Supreme Court reversed, holding that the trial court erred in overruling defendant’s several motions for separate trials.

The factual difference in Kizer is apparent. Plaintiff-passenger in that case filed two causes of action — not just one as in the instant case — each requiring a different burden of proof. Appellant in the instant case did not sue her son, the operator of the vehicle in which she was riding, but [412]*412she and her son both sued appellee alleging that the actions of defendant-appellee’s truck driver were the sole and proximate cause of the accident. Kizer is not in point and not determinitive of the issue in the instant case.

Hoesel v. Cain; Kahler v. Cain, 222 Ind. 330, 53 N. E. 2d 165 (1944), followed very closely the Kizer case — both in time and similarity of facts. However, in Hoesel neither appellant filed a motion for separate trials. Notwithstanding their failure to file the proper motion, appellants, citing Kizer, urged the Supreme Court to reverse because of the confusion which resulted from the complicated issues. Although the Supreme Court reversed on improper instructions, they did discuss the issue of consolidation and stated that Kizer did not mean that “the several issues of wilful and negligent injury can never be fairly presented in one trial.” (Id. at 347, 53 N. E. 2d 171.)

The general rule for appellate review of consolidation under Rule 1-4 A (a), Rules of the Supreme Court of Indiana, was stated by Judge Cooper, speaking for this court in Brennan v. Reydell, 134 Ind. App. 298, at 301, 187 N. E. 2d 492, at 494, (1963) :

“ [G] enerally a consolidation of causes of action cannot be successfully demanded as a matter of right, but is to be granted or denied in the discretion of the trial court, and such ruling is not cause for reversal unless such discretion is manifestly abused.” (Citing cases.)

Recognizing that a showing of prejudice is a prerequisite to a finding by this court that the discretion of the trial court was abused, appellant, in her brief, attempts to show that she was prejudiced. Being somewhat overzealous, however, counsel for appellant attempted to show prejudice by affidavits1 which purport to prove that the jury believed both [413]*413drivers were at fault and, therefore, appellant should have recovered — contributory negligence not being a defense to her action. While the court would not penalize the litigants because of the action of counsel,2 we believe that counsel for appellant was made aware, at the time of oral argument, of this court’s disapproval of such action.

It is the law in Indiana that affidavits of jurors will not be received to impeach their verdict. See: Sinclair v. Roush, 14 Ind. 450 (1860); Stanley v. Sutherland, et al., Administrators, 54 Ind. 339 (1876) ; Houseworth v. Bishop, 57 Ind. App. 62, 106 N. E. 380 (1914) ; 22 I.L.E., New Trial, § 129, p. 115.

Perhaps the best, and most recent, statement in Indiana concerning conduct such as counsel for appellant has displayed in the instant case appears in Wilson v. State, 253 Ind. 585, 255 N. E. 2d 817, at 821, 21 Ind. Dec. 1, at 6 (1970), wherein Judge Arterburn, speaking for our Supreme Court, said:

“A jury’s verdict may not be impeached by testimony of the jurors. Even the slightest consideration of such a practice under these circumstances would create an intolerable situation and no jury verdict would ever be lasting or conclusive.” (Citing cases.)

Aside from the affidavits, appellant’s assertion that she was prejudiced is based upon a reproduction of testimony found in the transcript. In effect, appellant urges us to view the evidence in a light most favorable to her.

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Bluebook (online)
261 N.E.2d 598, 147 Ind. App. 408, 1970 Ind. App. LEXIS 396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jessop-v-werner-transportation-co-indctapp-1970.