Matthew Hughry v. The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Road Company, No. 73-3259 Summary Calendar. Rule 18, 5 Cir. See Isbell Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizens Casualty Co. Of New York, 5 Cir., 1970, 431 F.2d 409

489 F.2d 1037
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit·Decided March 25, 1974·No. 1037·Published

Opinion

489 F.2d 1037

Matthew HUGHRY, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
The ILLINOIS CENTRAL GULF RAILROAD ROAD COMPANY, Defendant-Appellee.
No. 73-3259 Summary Calendar.*
*Rule 18, 5 Cir.; see Isbell Enterprises, Inc.
v.
Citizens Casualty Co. of New York et al., 5 Cir., 1970, 431
F.2d 409.

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

Feb. 25, 1974, Rehearing Denied March 25, 1974.

Roland C. Lewis, Stephen L. Beach, Jackson, Miss., for plaintiff-appellant

Jerome B. Steen, William M. Dalehite, Jr., Jackson, Miss., for defendant-appellee.

Before BELL, SIMPSON and MORGAN, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

Plaintiff recovered damages from defendant railroad company arising out of his having been injured by a train in a switching yard. Being dissatisfied with the amount of the award, he claims error in two particulars and seeks a new trial.

As to the first claim of error, it is not altogether clear that the court instructed the jury that plaintiff was a trespasser in that the instructions to this effect were immediately followed by another instruction that left the issue to the jury. Even assuming the jury was instructed that plaintiff was a trespasser, we find no error. The evidence was 'strongly and overwhelmingly' that plaintiff was a trespasser and there was no conflict in the substantial evidence to create a jury question on the trespasser issue. Boeing Co. v. Shipman, 5 Cir., 1969, 411 F.2d 365, 374. On the trespasser question as presented, see Dickerson v. Illinois Central Railroad Company, 1962, 244 Miss. 733, 145 So.2d 913; Murray v. Louisville & Nashville R. Co., 1934, 168 Miss. 513, 151 So. 913.

The real contention is that the damages awarded were inadequate as a result of being reduced by the jury, pursuant to a comparative negligence instruction. Plaintiff did not except to the instruction, and there was an evidentiary basis for applying the doctrine with a resultant reduction in damages.

Affirmed.

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

Matthew Hughry v. The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Road Company, No. 73-3259 Summary Calendar. Rule 18, 5 Cir. See Isbell Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizens Casualty Co. Of New York, 5 Cir., 1970, 431 F.2d 409, 489 F.2d 1037 (5th Cir. 1974).

489 F.2d 1037 (Matthew Hughry v. The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Road Company, No. 73-3259 Summary Calendar. Rule 18, 5 Cir. See Isbell Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizens Casualty Co. Of New York, 5 Cir., 1970, 431 F.2d 409) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

The Boeing Company v. Daniel C. Shipman
411 F.2d 365 (Fifth Circuit, 1969)
Murray v. Louisville & Nashville R.
151 So. 913 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1934)
Dickerson v. Illinois Central Railroad
145 So. 2d 913 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1962)
Hughry v. Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
489 F.2d 1037 (Fifth Circuit, 1974)