McCauley v. Chicago City Railway Co.

163 Ill. App. 176, 1911 Ill. App. LEXIS 417
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 4, 1911
DocketGen. No. 15,912
StatusPublished

This text of 163 Ill. App. 176 (McCauley v. Chicago City Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCauley v. Chicago City Railway Co., 163 Ill. App. 176, 1911 Ill. App. LEXIS 417 (Ill. Ct. App. 1911).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Baume

delivered the opinion of the court.

Appellee recovered a verdict and judgment against appellant in the Circuit Court of Cook county for $6,-500, as damages for personal injuries. The case was submitted to the jury upon the second count as amended and the first additional count of the declaration. These counts allege in substance that on March 24, 1904, while appellee was a passenger being carried on one of appellant’s cars operated on Thirty-first street in the city of Chicago, and while standing upon the rear platform of said car, exercising due care for his own safety, appellant, through its conductor wantonly, wilfully, maliciously and recklessly pushed him off the car, whereby he was thrown with great force and violence on the street and ground, and severely injured, etc.

The first question raised relates to the alleged erroneous ruling of the trial court in denying the request of appellant to exercise its peremptory challenge of a juror upon the voir dire examination. The record discloses that both parties waived their right to pass upon and accept the jury in panels of four; that thereafter Mr. Bynum, of counsel for appellee, sought to challenge a juror for cause before the twelve jurors then in the box had been passed upon by him, and in response to this request to be then allowed to exercise such challenge, the court said: “Well, when the time comes, but I require you to pass on the twelve. The statute provides for the acceptance of jurors by fours. When the parties don’t take them by fours you go on and take them by twelve. Now, I am in the habit of requiring you to pass on twelve. I understand the practice here is to excuse one at a time. I don’t like that and I don’t think it is the way to do.” The following colloquy was then had:

“Mr. Bynum: And then, your Honor, if there are any that we feel we should excuse we will excuse all at one time?
“The Court: Yes, all I mean is that you will make your entire challenge, whatever you want to do, and I will pass on it; that is all I mean. I allowed one man to go a while ago because he was excused by consent.
“Mr. Bynum. Yes, I understand your Honor’s ruling, and that is satisfactory.”

To the procedure indicated by the court appellant interposed no objection.- Counsel for appellee then tendered twelve jurors to counsel for appellant, who, after examining all of said jurors, challenged two peremptorily, and two others were called into the box. Of the two jurors so called, counsel for appellent excused one, and another juror was called who was examined by counsel for appellant. Thereupon the following occurred:

“Mr. Kehoe. If your Honor please, I desire to exercise one further challenge; in view of what your Honor said a little while ago, why, I call it to your Honor’s attention.
The Court. What?
Mr. Kehoe. I want to exercise the right to peremptorily challenge one juror who is in the box, was . in the box when I exercised my first challenge.
The Court. Any special reason for it?
Mr. Kehoe. Simply I want to exercise a peremptory challenge for reasons that I prefer not to state.
The Court. Overruled.
Mr. Kehoe. The reason is, that before exercising it I desired a full jury box and the opportunity of—
The Court. There was nothing said to me about it, and the jury box has been full all .the time.
Mr. Kehoe. That is true, your Honor, that I said nothing about it.
The Court. The challenge is overruled.
Mr. Kehoe. In view of that fact, I don’t wish to state the name, but I want the record to show the matter, if your Honor please ?
The Court. Yes, I suppose the record will show whatever happens.
Mr. Kehoe. Subject to the exception I have just taken, if your Honor please, I will accept the other eleven and bow to the judgment of the court, as I am obliged to bow to it.
The Court. Yes, yes, pass on these two.
Mr. Bynum. Just a moment, your Honor, it is all right as far as we are concerned.
The Court. No, no, there won’t be any trouble about that. ’ ’

Proper objection was made and exception preserved to the ruling of the court in the respect indicated.

The parties having waived their right to pass upon and accept the jurors in panels of four, as is provided by the statute, it was within the province of the trial court in the exercise of its judicial discretion to indicate the manner in which the right of challenge should be exercised, and in the absence of a showing that such discretion was abused, or resulted in prejudice to the party complaining, the exercise of such discretion will not be reviewed. In the case at bar the trial court did not assume to limit the number of peremptory challenges to which appellant was entitled, but merely designated the manner in which and the time when the right of such challenge should be exercised. The record discloses' that counsel for appellant did not misunderstand or fail to comprehend the ruling of the court when made, but rather that they acquiesced in such ruling, which they now seek to challenge upon purely academic grounds. Counsel did not indicate to the court which juror they desired to challenge, and when asked by the court whether any special reason existed for the exercise of the challenge contrary to the rule announced, they refrained from stating any, save that they desired a full jury box, which they had. In Gordon v. City of Chicago, 201 Ill. 623, it was held that the details as to the manner in which parties shall interpose their peremptory challenges is a matter in the discretion of the trial judge, and will not be reviewed unless for abuse of such discretion.

It is urged that the verdict is not justified by the evidence; that there was but a scintilla of evidence, if any, in support of appellee’s case, and appellant was entitled to a peremptory instruction; and that the verdict is against the manifest weight of the evidence.

The case is designated by counsel for appellant as a “blind” one,—as to which it had no knowledge or information. Appellee was the only witness who testified to the facts upon which his right of recovery is predicated. He testified in substance that at the time he was injured he was 42 years of age, was a plumber by occupation, and resided at No.

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Related

Gordon v. City of Chicago
66 N.E. 823 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1903)
Chicago City Railway Co. v. Smith
80 N.E. 716 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1907)
Amann v. Chicago Consolidated Traction Co.
90 N.E. 673 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1909)

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Bluebook (online)
163 Ill. App. 176, 1911 Ill. App. LEXIS 417, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccauley-v-chicago-city-railway-co-illappct-1911.