Kesler v. Merritt

368 S.W.2d 17, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 2315
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 22, 1963
DocketNo. 7252
StatusPublished

This text of 368 S.W.2d 17 (Kesler v. Merritt) 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
Kesler v. Merritt, 368 S.W.2d 17, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 2315 (Tex. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

NORTHCUTT, Justice.

Reece Kesler and J. O. Kesler and wife, Lizzie Kesler, as plaintiffs, brought suit against John L. Merritt, as defendant, seeking recovery of damages which plaintiffs alleged resulted to plaintiffs’ growing crops of cotton, beans, and peas caused by the spraying by the defendant of a certain herbicide referred to as “Weedone 638.” Plaintiffs J. O. Kesler and wife, Lizzie Kes-ler, own the south half of Section 7, Block M-10 in Castro County, Texas. Plaintiff Reece Kesler was the tenant of plaintiffs J. O. Kesler and wife, Lizzie Kesler, with respect to said south half of Section 7. Defendant Merritt was the operator of and was farming Section 8, Block M-lOa in Castro County, Texas, which Section 8 adjoins on the east the south half of Section 7. During 1960 plaintiffs had growing on the south half of Section 7 approximately 130 acres of cotton, 15 acres of beans, and 2 acres of peas. The defendant, through his employee, on or about July 21, 1960, sprayed some weeds upon his land with a herbicide known as “Weedone 638.” The plaintiffs contended their crops were damaged by the use of the herbicide by the defendant. Plaintiffs alleged the defendant was guilty of negligence in the use of said herbicide in spraying when the wind carried it onto the land and crops of the plaintiffs; that the herbicide was of such nature as was extremely dangerous and injurious to the plaintiffs’ crops and of such nature that it would be carried by wind and atmosphere and would drift with the wind; that the herbicide was of a very [19]*19volatile nature such that it was easily carried by wind or atmosphere and through evaporation or other processes and would contaminate the atmosphere if left open and exposed to the atmosphere; that defendant used amounts of the herbicide in excess of the amount necessary to accomplish his purpose; that defendant failed to confine the herbicide to his own premises and left in close proximity of plaintiffs’ crops a container containing herbicide open and allowed to escape and carried by wind and atmosphere onto plaintiffs’ growing crops.

The defendant answered denying all of the alleged acts of negligence pleaded by the plaintiffs, especially alleged at the time the herbicide was sprayed by defendant there was a strong wind blowing from the south and west which would have blown any of such herbicide away from plaintiffs’ farm instead of upon it and pleaded that said herbicide was not volatile or gaseous and that it was never evaporated into the air or became reactivated.

The case was submitted to a jury upon special issues. In answer to the special issues the jury found that defendant failed to so use the herbicide as to prevent its reaching the plaintiffs’ growing crops but that such failure was not negligence; that defendant used herbicide in the close proximity to plaintiffs’ growing crops but that same was not negligence; that defendant did not use equipment which released into the atmosphere amounts of herbicide in excess of the amount necessary to accomplish his purpose; that defendant did not use herbicide at a time and place such that the wind and atmosphere would and did carry such herbicide onto plaintiffs’ growing crops; that defendant did not leave a container with herbicide open on defendant’s premises so that same was carried to the plaintiffs’ growing crops and the remaining answers were concerning damages. Judgment was rendered upon the verdict of the jury that plaintiffs recover nothing. From that judgment plaintiffs perfect this appeal.

Hereafter the plaintiffs will be referred to as appellants and the defendant as appellee. The appellants present this appeal upon 45 assignments of error. The first 10 points of error complain of the failure of the trial court to submit to the jury their special requested issues asking the jury whether appellee used an amount of herbicide in excess of the amount necessary to accomplish his purpose and whether appellee failed to mix the herbicide used so that the same would not get on appellants’ growing crops; then followed those issues as to whether there was negligence and proximate cause. The trial court submitted an issue asking whether the defendant used equipment which released into the air amounts of herbicide in excess of that amount necessary to accomplish his purpose and the jury answered “No”. We are of the opinion the court submitted the ultimate issue involved. Naturally, if the herbicide was not sprayed upon appellants’ crops, it would have gotten there only by drifting through the atmosphere onto the crops. Rule 279 of Texas Rules of Civil Procedure provides in part as follows:

“Where the court has fairly submitted the controlling issues raised by such pleading and the evidence, the case shall not be reversed because of the failure to submit other and various phases or different shades of the same issue.”

The trial court submitted the issue asking if appellee failed to use the herbicide as to prevent its reaching appellants’ growing crops. We think the trial court presented the controlling issues covering the issues requested by appellants and here assigned as error under appellants’ first 10 points of error. Where the court fairly submits the controlling issues raised by the pleadings and evidence requested special issues relating only to various shades of the issues submitted are not necessary to be submitted. Smith & Conklin Bros. v. Griffith, 153 Tex. 341, 268 S.W.2d 124

[20]*20Appellants’ points of error 11-15 complain of the court’s refusal to give appellants’ requested special issue asking whether appellee used and released herbicide at such time and place and in such manner and under such circumstances that same invaded appellants’ premises and the crops and failure to submit negligence and proximate cause in connection with such issues. The court submitted an issue inquiring if defendant used herbicide at a time and place such that the wind and atmosphere would and did carry such herbicide onto appellants’ growing crops. To that issue the jury said “No”. We think the trial court submitted the controlling issue on this phase of the case and was not required to submit other and various phases or different shades of the same issue. Rule 279 T.R.C.P.; Prudential Insurance Company of America v. Tate, 347 S.W.2d 556; Smith & Conklin Bros. v. Griffith, 153 Tex. 341, 268 S.W.2d 124; Texas & N.O.R. Co. v. Sturgeon, 142 Tex. 222, 177 S.W.2d 264.

As we see all of appellants’ points of error 16-30, both inclusive, it is contended the court erred in not giving appellants’ requested special issues involving whether appellee confined the herbicide to his own premises; whether such' failure was negligence and proximate cause; and whether appellee permitted the herbicide to reach appellants’ crops. We think all of these points deal with the same principle as discussed in the preceding paragraph in that the court did not err in refusing to submit the various phases or different shades of the same issue. The court submitted Special Issue No. I as follows:

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant, in person or through his employee, failed to use the herbicide used as to prevent its reaching plaintiffs’ growing crops?”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
368 S.W.2d 17, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 2315, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kesler-v-merritt-texapp-1963.