Kendall v. City of Albia

34 N.W. 833, 73 Iowa 241
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 27, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 34 N.W. 833 (Kendall v. City of Albia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kendall v. City of Albia, 34 N.W. 833, 73 Iowa 241 (iowa 1887).

Opinion

Servers, J.

mterestlas°n: tax-payers, I. Two persons were called as jurors, who were challenged by the plaintiff, upon the ground that they were tax-pavers in the city. The challenge was opposed by the defendant on the ground that the persons were non-residents of the city. This objection was overruled, and the challenge sustained. It is the pecuniary interest of the persons called that disqualifies them. Their place of residence is immaterial. (McGinty v. City of Keokuk, 66 Iowa, 725.)

2. PERSONAL injury^dampUdforJsube-y stitute. II. The plaintiff was allowed to testify as to the value of his time in the business in which he was engaged; and, against the objection of the defendant, he was permitted •> f, ... _ to testify that, because ox such injury, he was unable to attend to such business, and was compelled to employ a man to attend to it for him, and that he paid him one dollar a day; but it does not appear how much he so paid. It is objected that this latter evidence was erroneously admitted, because, if he is allowed the value of his time, it is all he is entitled to recover, and, if allowed the amount paid the person employed, he would recover double damages. We are unable to concur in this view. It must be confessed that on its face it has an appearance of injustice, but we think it is not really so. It was proper to place before the jury all the facts and circumstances bearing on the question of damages, to aid them in determining the amount the plaintiff was entitled to recover. The jury was vested with a large discretion in such matter under the instructions of the court, which we think are correct. The jury was not directed to take into consideration the amount paid for the services of the person employed, but was directed to consider the loss of time and the inability of the plaintiff to earn money. The court in the charge directed the jury to take into consideration the fact that plaintiff was compelled to employ physicians and nurses, and for this reason the jury would naturally conclude that the fact that the plaintiff had employed and paid a man for attending to [244]*244his business was not of much practical importance. This must be true, for the reason that the length of time the man was employed and so paid does not appear. Therefore the jury could not have allowed more than a nominal amount therefor. Therefore we do not think the defendant was in any respect prejudiced by the admission of the evidence.

3. —:-: muse.’ III. The plaintiff testified that he hired and paid a man for nursing him. He also testified that he had a wife and a grown son and daughter. The defendant offered to prove that the plaintiff’s family “ eould have given the care and attention he was needing without expense.” The evidence was rejected by the court. There is some evidence that the plaintiff and his wife and family, for some sufficient reason, it should be assumed, were not living together, and therefore the evidence was not admissible. But, in any view, we think the proposed evidence was immaterial. Upon the supposition that the plaintiff was injured as he claimed, we do not think he was required to have his family take care of him, without regard to the question of their competency, but that he could, if he saw proper, procure a trained nurse or other competent person to take care of him, and that, if he did so, the defendant cannot insist that the expense incurred was unnecessary, on the sole ground that he should have been nursed by his family without expense.

4. —: ——: estin Arm. IV. One ground of damages claimed in the petition is that the plaintiff was disabled by the injury from attending to his ordinary business, and he testified that he was a member of the firm of M. & J. W. Kendall, and he was asked by the defendant what the interest of each member of the partnership was. This was objected to, and the court said: “In the present state of record the objection will be sustained; but whenever proof is allowed of the profits of the firm, by way of damage, then proof will be admitted of the interest of each partner.” What the court meant by profits we are at a loss to know, for the reason that it is regarded as doubtful whether the plaintiff [245]*245could have shown what the profits in his business amounted to. It seems to us that as far as he could go in this direction was to show the value of his time. In the absence of evidence, the presumption would be that he was an equal partner in the partnership. It is true his interest may have been less; but he was nevertheless, as against the defendant, entitled to the value of his time, without reference, we incline to think, to the extent of his interest in the partnership. If in error in this, it does not seem to us the defendant could be prejudiced by the rejection of the proposed evidence.

5.__: tiou tó evl-c by objector. Y. The plaintiff testified, without objection, that his services were worth in his business $200 per month. On cross-examination he testified: “ I can get $200 per month. I can get more than that; I can get $2,500 for my time outside oí my business, it 1 was able.” On redirect examination the witness testified that he meant he could command the sum stated for superintending or managing the lumber business, — not his own business, but that of some one else. Thereupon the defendant objected to the evidence as incompetent. It is difficult to understand what evidence is objected to. In argument, it is said that the objection was to the evidence as to the $2,500, but this was introduced by the defendant, and we are unable to see how it can complain of what was done. The re-examination of the witness was simply explanatory, and really amounted to nothing. The objection, in fact, was to evidence introduced by the defendant, and it was therefore properly overruled.

6____ ¡ñedicaiíutuie attendance. YI. Evidence was introduced, against the objection of the defendant, tending to show the “reasonable expense of further medical attendance.” It was for the jury *° say whether such attendance in the future W011]a be required. It therefore seems to us competent to prove the probable value of such services.

[246]*246i, —;-: guisia. [245]*245YII. In the eighteenth paragraph of the charge, the [246]*246court said to the jury: “If you find that by reason of such accident the plaintiff was injured; that he suffered a fracture of the small bone of his leg; that he was injured internally; that he suffered injury to his left lung; that he was for a time insensible; that he suffered pain and mental anguish; that he suffered a shock to his nervous system, — these are matters which you should consider in assessing the amount the plaintiff is entitled to recover.” It is said this instruction is erroneous because the jury were told that they could consider the mental anguish suffered by the plaintiff, in determining the amount he was entitled to recover as compensatory damages. But this court has expressly held otherwise. (Ferguson v. Davis Co., 57 Iowa, 601.) The court clearly, in our judgment, meant, and the jury must have understood, that such mental anguish as was caused by the injury should be .considered by the jury.

s. —: -: ing. VIII.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Shirley v. Smith
933 P.2d 651 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1997)
Beyer v. City of Dubuque
139 N.W.2d 428 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1966)
Alber v. City of Dubuque
101 N.W.2d 185 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1960)
Williams v. City of Hobbs
249 P.2d 765 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1952)
Beach v. City of Des Moines
26 N.W.2d 81 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1947)
Lewis v. Cratty
4 N.W.2d 259 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1942)
Alexander v. Cheaster
164 A. 287 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1933)
Tollackson v. City of Eagle Grove
213 N.W. 222 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1927)
Bascom v. Hoffman
203 N.W. 273 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1925)
Duncan v. Iowa Railway & Light Co.
194 Iowa 469 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1922)
Cratty v. City of Oskaloosa
191 Iowa 282 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1921)
Travers v. City of Emmetsburg
190 Iowa 717 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1921)
Dillehay v. Minor
188 Iowa 37 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1920)
Balcom v. City of Independence
178 Iowa 685 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1916)
Parks v. Town of Laurens
133 N.W. 1054 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1912)
Jackson v. City of Grinnell
122 N.W. 911 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1909)
Scurlock v. City of Boone
121 N.W. 369 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1909)
Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Dickens
118 S.W. 612 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1909)
Johnson v. City of Waterloo
119 N.W. 70 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1909)
Smith v. Toledo (City)
20 Ohio C.C. Dec. 454 (Lucas Circuit Court, 1908)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 N.W. 833, 73 Iowa 241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kendall-v-city-of-albia-iowa-1887.