Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad v. Alvarez

703 S.W.2d 367
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 8, 1986
Docket13870
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 703 S.W.2d 367 (Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad v. Alvarez) 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
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad v. Alvarez, 703 S.W.2d 367 (Tex. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinions

CARROLL, Justice.

Guadalupe C. Alvarez successfully brought suit against Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company (MKT) for personal injuries. On appeal, this Court reversed the judgment and remanded the cause for a new trial, holding that the wording of special issue number one constituted an impermissible comment on the weight of the evidence. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company v. Alvarez, 670 S.W.2d 338 (Tex.App.1984). The Supreme Court re[369]*369versed our judgment and remanded the cause to us for consideration of the remaining points of error urged by MKT. Alvarez v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company, 683 S.W.2d 375 (Tex.1985). We will affirm the judgment of the trial court.

MKT urges seventeen points of error. Under points one, two and three, MKT argues that the evidence established as a matter of law that it was not negligent in its application of the brakes. These points were rejected by this Court in our earlier opinion and are overruled without further discussion. Points of error five and six attack the perceived impermissible comment on the weight of the evidence set forth in special issue number one and have now been overruled by the Supreme Court.

In its remaining points of error, MKT contends that the trial court should have allowed evidence of intoxication; should have allowed MKT to amend its trial pleadings; erroneously excluded expert testimony; and finally, that there was no evidence to support the jury’s verdict pertaining to damages.

EVIDENCE OF INTOXICATION — AMENDMENT OF PLEADINGS

1. Procedural history of the case. The dispute between the parties arose out of a train-automobile collision on December 26, 1975. Suit was first filed in federal court and later removed to state court. MKT filed its original answer in state court on April 26, 1978. In this answer, MKT charged Alvarez with three specific acts of contributory negligence: accepting a ride with one known to be an untrustworthy driver; placing himself in such an alcoholic stupor that he could not take appropriate actions to protect himself; and failing to keep a proper look-out.

Almost four years passed before MKT filed its first amended original answer. This amended answer alleged certain additional affirmative defenses, but made no change in the allegations of contributory negligence.

The case was set for trial on July 27, 1982. On July 26, the trial court granted a motion in limine which, among other things, prohibited any evidence, questions, or comments concerning the fact that Guadalupe Alvarez, Antonio Ledesma and/or Antonio Tijerina had anything alcoholic to drink on the day of the accident without first obtaining the permission of the trial court.

On the day of trial, MKT requested leave of court to file a trial amendment alleging that Alvarez had failed to exercise ordinary care in exiting the automobile. Unlike MKT’s previous allegations of contributory negligence, the trial amendment challenged Alvarez’s conduct after he discovered his dangerous situation. All of MKT’s previous allegations of contributory negligence placed in issue Alvarez’s antecedent conduct — whether he was negligent in (1) accepting a ride with an untrustworthy driver; (2) placing himself in an alcoholic stupor so that he could not protect himself; and (3) failing to keep a proper look-out. Each of these allegations turns upon whether Alvarez used ordinary care in failing to guard against or appreciate the possibility of danger.

The proffered trial amendment would have placed in issue a distinctly different and even opposite theory of negligence— whether Alvarez was negligent in his reaction to a danger he actually discovered. Alvarez claimed surprise, and the trial court refused to allow the proposed amendment. MKT later unsuccessfully sought to file five similar trial amendments.

At the close of evidence, MKT submitted a special issue asking whether Alvarez failed to use ordinary care in exiting the automobile and removing himself from the path of the train. The trial court refused to submit the requested issue along with certain associated issues and instructions.

2. Evidence of Intoxication. Intoxication, in and of itself, does not constitute negligence, but evidence of intoxication is an evidentiary fact that may be considered by the trier of fact in determining whether or not a person is guilty of [370]*370some act of contributory negligence. Benoit v. Wilson, 150 Tex. 273, 239 S.W.2d 792 (1951).

The trial court took up the question of intoxication outside the presence of the jury and determined that there was only slight evidence of intoxication while the risk of prejudicial harm was great. Under the facts of this case, we hold that the trial court properly excluded evidence of intoxication since its probative value was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. 2 Ray, Texas Law of Evidence, § 1481 at 167 (3rd ed. 1980); Tex.R.Evid.Ann. 403 (Supp.1985). MKT’s points of error eleven and twelve are overruled.

3. Amendment of pleadings. The seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth points of error attack the trial court’s refusal to allow a trial amendment changing MKT’s theory of contributory negligence, and the resulting refusal to allow requested special issues and instructions based on the newly alleged failure by Alvarez to exercise ordinary care in exiting the automobile. These points of error turn on a determination of whether the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow the requested trial amendments.

The trial court may allow pleadings to be amended during trial if an issue has been tried by consent, or if the amendment will preserve the presentation of the merits of the action and the objecting party fails to satisfy the court that the allowance of such an amendment would prejudice him in maintaining his action or defense on the merits. Tex.R.Civ.P.Ann. 66 & 67 (Supp. 1985). The decisions of the trial court granting or denying a trial amendment may not be overturned on appeal except upon a showing of abuse of discretion. Hardin v. Hardin, 597 S.W.2d 347 (Tex.1980). As in this case, the objecting party generally resists the trial amendment on the basis of surprise.

As mentioned previously, MKT’s trial amendments offered on the day of trial would have placed in issue for the first time the question whether Alvarez failed to use ordinary care in the actions he took after discovering the oncoming train. The prior allegations of contributory negligence were based solely on a theory that Alvarez failed to appreciate and guard against the possibility of danger from any source — by accepting a ride, by becoming intoxicated, and by failing to keep a proper look-out. Under the proposed trial amendments, the issue of contributory negligence would have turned instead on quite different matters — matters involving panic reaction by persons of ordinary care; milliseconds of difference in timing; and Alvarez’s age, physical condition and abilities, as they would bear upon his reaction capacity.

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703 S.W.2d 367, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/missouri-kansas-texas-railroad-v-alvarez-texapp-1986.