Larrumbide v. Doctors Health Facilities

734 S.W.2d 685
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 7, 1987
Docket05-86-00482-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 734 S.W.2d 685 (Larrumbide v. Doctors Health Facilities) 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
Larrumbide v. Doctors Health Facilities, 734 S.W.2d 685 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

*687 LAGARDE, Justice.

Victor M. Larrumbide and Tillie D. Lar-rumbide appeal from a take-nothing judgment rendered in their wrongful death and survivorship action against Doctors Health Facilities d/b/a Doctors Hospital, arising from the death of their daughter, Julia.

The Larrumbides brought suit against the hospital, Dr. Thomas Froehlich, and Emergency Health Services Associates. The Larrumbides settled their claim against Froehlich and Emergency Health Services Associates for $179,000 and proceeded to trial on their claim against the hospital. The jury awarded $50,000 for Julia’s conscious pain and suffering, $50,-000 each to Victor and Tillie Larrumbide for past mental anguish and loss of society, $50,000 for medical, funeral, and burial expenses, and $1,000,000 exemplary damages. The trial court set aside the jury’s award for exemplary damages and reduced the jury’s award for medical, funeral, and burial expenses to $15,468. 1 Accordingly, because the damages assessed by the jury against the hospital did not exceed the $179,000 set-off for the contributing tort-feasors, the trial court rendered a take-nothing judgment. We affirm.

In their first point of error, the Larrum-bides contend:

THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANTS’ MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL AND IN ENTERING JUDGMENT ON THE JURY VERDICT, BECAUSE THE JURY FINDING THAT TILLIE LARRUM-BIDE WOULD BE FAIRLY AND REASONABLY COMPENSATED FOR HER FUTURE MENTAL ANGUISH BY AN AWARD OF $0 IS AGAINST THE GREAT WEIGHT AND PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE.

(Emphasis added). In their identically worded second point of error, the Larrum-bides complain of the jury’s award of “$0” for Victor Larrumbide’s “future mental anguish.” The complained-of jury awards, however, were made in response to a special issue that asked:

Find from a preponderance of the evidence what sum of money, if any, if paid now in cash, would fairly and reasonably compensate the Larrumbides for their losses, if any, resulting from the death of Julie Larrumbide:
♦ * * * * *
Answer separately in dollars, if any.
A. Tillie Larrumbide’s loss of love, society, and companionship of Julie Lar-rumbide, if any, together with any associated mental anguish sustained by Tillie Larrumbide directly pursuant to the death of Julie Larrumbide:
(1) Up to this date: $: 50,000
(2) During the probable remaining life expectancy of Tillie Larrumbide: $: -0-
B. Victor Larrumbide’s loss of love, society, and companionship of Julie Larrumbide, if any, together with any associated mental anguish sustained by Victor Larrumbide directly pursuant to the death of Julie Larrumbide:
(1) Up to this date: $: 50,000
(2) During the probable remaining life expectancy of Victor Larrumbide: $: -0-

(Emphasis added). Thus, we first must determine whether the Larrumbides have preserved any complaint that the jury’s “zero” answer for each of the Larrum-bides’ future loss of love, society, and companionship is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence, or whether they have limited their complaint under these points of error to the evidence concerning future mental anguish.

It is the appellant’s burden to designate, in proper assignments of error and in arguments and authorities in the brief, the particular errors relied upon for reversal. See Kansas-Texas Railroad v. McFerrin, 156 Tex. 69, 84-85, 291 S.W.2d 931, 941 (1956); Wright v. Gemandt, 559 S.W.2d 864, 872 (Tex.Civ.App—Corpus *688 Christi 1977, no writ). This court must consider not only any issue raised by a point of error, Brown v. U.S. Life Credit Corp., 602 S.W.2d 94, 96 (Tex.Civ.App.— Fort Worth 1980, no writ), but also any issue reasonably apparent from the point of error or the argument supporting it. See Fambrough v. Wagley, 140 Tex. 577, 585-86, 169 S.W.2d 478, 482 (1943); Odum v. Sims, 609 S.W.2d 881, 883 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1980, no writ); Brown, 602 S.W.2d at 96. In the present case, the Larrumbides’ first two points of error refer only to the jury’s answer concerning future mental anguish; they do not complain of the findings as they applied to future loss of love, society, and companionship. Similarly, in their argument supporting points of error one and two, the Larrumbides refer only to the jury finding concerning future mental anguish, e.g., “this award of ‘zero’ damages for future mental anguish ... warrants the granting of a new trial”; “the witnesses were unanimous in their conviction that the Larrumbides were going to continue to experience mental anguish”; “[Julia’s] death caused the Lar-rumbides mental anguish. The jury, nevertheless, awarded $0 in damages for their future mental anguish ... [thus], a new trial should be ordered.” 2 Even though we are mindful of the rule that points of error should be liberally construed, we are equally mindful of the rule that a fact finding by a jury which is not challenged on appeal is binding on the appellant. See Retama Manor Nursing Centers, Inc. v. Cole, 582 S.W.2d 196, 201 (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi 1979, writ ref’d n.r.e.); see also Newsome v. Grogan, 599 S.W.2d 881, 883 (Tex.Civ.App.—Tyler 1980, writ ref’d n.r.e.). Thus, we hold that by failing to attack the jury’s award of “zero” damages for future loss of love, society, and companionship, the Larrumbides are bound by that finding and, in reviewing points of error one and two, we will review only the evidence regarding future mental anguish to determine whether the jury’s answers are against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.

In reviewing a complaint that the jury’s answer to a special issue is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence, this court must review all the evidence and must set aside the jury verdict and remand the cause for a new trial if the verdict is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly unjust. See Burnett v. Motyka, 610 S.W.2d 735, 736 (Tex.1980); Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.1965).

At trial, Victor Larrumbide testified that, soon after Julia’s death, he and his wife sought counseling with a priest and later sought counseling from Dr. Robert Gordon, a psychologist. Victor Larrumbide testified that “the primary problem was grief.

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Bluebook (online)
734 S.W.2d 685, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/larrumbide-v-doctors-health-facilities-texapp-1987.