Maledon v. Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n

11 S.W.2d 627
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 27, 1928
DocketNo. 10380. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 11 S.W.2d 627 (Maledon v. Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n) 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
Maledon v. Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n, 11 S.W.2d 627 (Tex. Ct. App. 1928).

Opinion

YAUGI-IAN, J.

This is a compensation suit. Appellant, G. W. Maledon,'was a claimant before the Industrial Accident Board of Texas, and pláintiff in the trial court. Ap-pellee, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, issued the employee’s liability accident policy to appellant’s employer, on which recovery was and is sought by appellant.

Appellant was a night watchman for the Dixie Watch Company in Dallas county, Tex. While in the course of his employment he was attacked by two arméd robbers, and in the fight that ensued appellant was shot in the hand and was beat over the head with pistols and left lying on the ground unconscious. In due time and proper form, appellant filed his claim for compensation before the Industrial Accident Board, and, from the award of that board, properly perfected his appeal to the district court of Dallas county, Tex.

No question was raised concerning jurisdictional matters, the only question being the extent of appellant’s injuries. The ease was tried on special issues, and resulted in a verdict finding that appellant sustained total disability for a period of ten weeks from his injuries received on March 19, 1927, other than those to his hand; that he sustained 20 weeks’ total loss of use of his hand; that he sustained permanent partial incapacity to the hand to the extent of 40 per cent, thereof. In response to other issues, the jury found that appellant was totally disabled from all causes for a period of 20 weeks. It was agreed that the compensation rate of appellant was and is the sum of $13.85 per week, and, further, that he was not entitled to compensation for the first week of disability, as the law, at the time of his injuries, did- not allow compensation for that week.

The question presented by this appeal is, Was the proper judgment rendered on said verdict? In other words, was the judgment rendered thereon by the trial court the one authorized and required to be rendered on the findings of the jury, under the terms of the Workmen’s Compensation Statute? The trial court first rendered a judgment awarding appellant $13.85 per week for 9 weeks for his total disability; the futher sum of $13.85 per week for 20 weeks for the total loss of use of his hand; and, following the 29 weeks’ period, he was awarded $5.54 per week for a period of 131 weeks for the 40 per cent, permanent partial loss of the use of his hand.

Appellee filed a motion to reform this judgment, which was sustained, and the judgment appealed from rendered, making the 10 weeks’ total disability and the 20 weeks’ total loss of the use of the hand to run concurrently, and the appellant awarded recovery for a period of 19 weeks at $13.85 per week, and for a period of 131 weeks at $5.54 per week. From this judgment, appellant duly perfected his appeal. No statement of facts was filed. Appellant claims that the trial court rendered judgment for a smaller amount than found by the jury; that appellant was entitled to judgment for 29 weeks at $13.85 per week, and for the additional sum of $5.54 per week for 300 weeks.

The answers of the jury to the special- issues submitted established the following facts:

(2) That said total disability extended for a period of 10 weeks from the date of the injuries; (3) that appellant sustained total loss of the use of his left hand as a natural result of the said injuries sustained by him, and that such total loss continued for a period of 20 weeks; (4) that appellant sustained a 40 per cent, permanent partial- loss of the use of his left hand as result of injuries so received by him; (5) and that appellant sustained total disability as a natural result of all the injuries received by him for a period of 20 weeks.

It is contended by appellant that (a) the *629 Injury to the head is a general Injury, and the injury to the hand is a specific injury,, under the Workmen’s Compensation Law, and that where a person has a general injury and a specific injury, said injuries are cumulative as to time and not concurrent; (b) that, the jury having found that appellant was totally disable;! for 10 weeks, solely by injuries exclusive of those to the hand, and that he had sustained the total loss of use of his hand for 20 weeks, appellant was entitled to have the 20 weeks’ loss of use of his hand added to the 10 weeks’ total disability from other causes; (c) that, the jury having found that appellant had sustained permanent partial use of his hand to extent of 40 per cent thereof, he was entitled to recover, in addition to compensation awarded him for the 20 weeks’ total disability, 40 per cent, of the regular weekly compensation rate, namely,' $5.54 per week for a period of 300 weeks, same to begin to run at the termination of his total disability; (d) that the judgment of the court as entered was erroneous, in that it was not based upon the verdict of the jury in this, appellant was only awarded recovery for 9 weeks for his total disability and for 10 weeks for total loss of use of his hand, and, for 131 weeks for permanent partial incapacity to the hand to the extent of 40 per cent, thereof.

The following provision of our law, namely, article 2209, Rev. Civ. Stat. 1925, is mandatory: “Where a special verdict is rendered, or the conclusions of facts found by the judge are separately stated, the court shall render judgment thereon .unless set aside or a new trial is granted,”. — -and leaves no discretion to be exercised by the judge in the rendition of a judgment where a verdict is returned -on special issues, as in the instant case. Pantaze v. Farmer (Tex. Civ. App.) 205 S. W. 521; Tompkins v. Hooker (Tex. Civ. App.) 229 S. W. 351.

We are persuaded to believe that it was not the purpose of the court to disregard the findings of the jury On the special issues submitted, but, to the contrary, the judgment shows an attempt to render judgment on such findings, and that if the judgment was not rendered thereon, so as to secure to appellant the full measure of relief he was entitled to under the law, it was because the trial judge failed to give full effect to the law applicable to the findings of the jury. Was there a failure in the judgment, as rendered, to give to appellant all of the relief he was entitled to under the pleadings, the nature of the case proved, and the verdict rendered? Article 2211, Rev. Civ. Stat. 1925, dealing with judgments to be rendered, reads as follows:

“The judgments of the court shall conform to the pleadings, the nature of the case proved and the verdict, if any, and shall be so framed as to give the party all the relief to which he may be entitled either in law or equity. * * * ”

In order to determine the extent of the relief that appellant was entitled to, under the findings of the jury, we must now consult and give effect to the following provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Law same being of vital importance to a proper determination of this question, namely, section 10 of article 8306, Rev Civ. Stat. 1925, which reads as follows;

“While the incapacity for work resulting from the injury is total, the association shall pay the injured employee a weekly compensation equal to sixty per cent, of his average weekly wages, but not more than 820.00 nor less than $7.00 and in no case shall the period covered by such compensation be greater than four hundred and one weeks from the date of the injury.”

And section 11 of said article provides that:

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Related

Texas Employers' Insurance v. Holmes
196 S.W.2d 390 (Texas Supreme Court, 1946)
Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n v. Maledon
27 S.W.2d 151 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1930)
Fidelity Union Casualty Co. v. Munday
26 S.W.2d 676 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1930)

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Bluebook (online)
11 S.W.2d 627, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maledon-v-texas-employers-ins-assn-texapp-1928.