Moore v. Cotter and Co.

726 S.W.2d 237
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 19, 1987
DocketNo. 10-86-141-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 726 S.W.2d 237 (Moore v. Cotter and Co.) 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
Moore v. Cotter and Co., 726 S.W.2d 237 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

McDONALD, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal by plaintiff Moore from a take nothing judgment in his suit alleging that defendant Cotter was negligent in stacking goods in a trailer, which negligence resulted in the goods falling on plaintiff and causing him bodily injury.

Plaintiff sued defendant alleging that on June 29, 1983, defendant loaded a trailer in Corsicana; that plaintiff picked up the trailer to deliver the goods on the trailer to its destination; that upon reaching the destination in Louisiana, plaintiff entered the back of the trailer to unload the goods; that the goods had been negligently stacked in the back of the trailer and, as a result, fell on plaintiff causing him great bodily injury. Plaintiff sued for $7,285,000 plus exemplary damages.

Defendant answered by general denial: that plaintiff’s damages were proximately caused by his own negligence; that plaintiff’s damages were pre-existing; and that plaintiff was injured after the injury sued on, which contributed to his alleged injuries. Defendant by supplemental answer alleged that plaintiff was an employee of defendant or alternatively a borrowed employee; that plaintiff’s remedy was pursuant to the Worker’s Compensation Laws; and that defendant was covered by Worker’s Compensation Insurance.

Plaintiff was a truck driver employed by a firm named Industrial Personnel and contracted to defendant. Plaintiff picked up defendant’s loaded truck trailer at defendant’s office in Corsicana and drove it to stores in Texas and Louisiana, delivering defendant’s merchandise. Defendant initially loaded the trailer, but plaintiff inspected the loaded trailer before departure, unloaded goods for designated stores as he reached them, resecured his load and proceeded to the next destination. While at a delivery destination plaintiff entered the trailer and the stacked goods in the trailer fell on plaintiff severely injuring him.

Trial was to a jury which found:

I) 2) Defendant failed to properly balance the load and properly pack boxes, which were proximate causes of plaintiff’s damages.
3) Plaintiff was injured as a result of the incident.
4) 5) Some of plaintiff’s injuries were pre-existing but were aggravated by the incident.
6) 7) Plaintiff was injured after the incident which contributed to plaintiff’s alleged injuries.
10)Plaintiff was negligent in: failing to resecure the load; failing to break down the load; and failing to move the straps out of his way; all of which were proximate causes of the occurrence.
II) Plaintiff was a borrowed employee of Cotter & Company from Industrial Personnel.
12) The percentage of negligence attributed to each party: Cotter 45%; Plaintiff 55%.
13) Plaintiff’s damages were assessed as follows:
a) -0-past physical pain and mental anguish;
b) -0-future physical pain and mental anguish;
c) $30,000 loss of earnings;
d) $40,000 future loss of earnings;
e) -0- past physical impairment;
f) -0-future physical impairment;
14) $50,000 reasonable past medical expenses.
15) $10,000 reasonable future medical expenses.

Plaintiff filed a “motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and to disregard the [240]*240jury’s answer” to Issues 10 and 12 which was not granted by the trial court. The trial court thereafter rendered judgment on the verdict that plaintiff take nothing from defendant. Plaintiff filed a motion for new trial which was overruled.

Plaintiff appeals on 5 points.

Point 1 asserts: “The trial court erred in not granting [plaintiffs] motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and to disregard the jury’s answer to special issues”.

Plaintiff asserts that when the jury-found plaintiff to be a borrowed employee of defendant (Issue 11), if defendant was eligible to subscribe to worker’s compensation, unless defendant proved up a worker’s compensation policy, defendant is stripped of the defense of comparative negligence and plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto should have been granted (disregarding Issues 10 and 12).

Defendant plead in its supplemental answer that plaintiff was a borrowed employee; that plaintiff’s remedy was under the worker’s compensation law; and that defendant was covered by worker’s compensation, but offered no evidence that it was covered by worker’s compensation.

Plaintiff sued defendant for negligence alleging “defendant loaded a trailer”; “plaintiff proceeded to pick up the trailer and deliver the goods loaded on the trailer to its destination”; and “the goods had been negligently stacked in the back of the trailer and, as a result, the load of goods fell upon plaintiff causing him great bodily injury”. In no place did plaintiff allege that he was an employee of defendant. Defendant on the other hand, as an alternative defense, alleged that plaintiff was a “borrowed employee”; that plaintiff’s remedy was pursuant to the worker’s compensation laws; and prayed for dismissal of plaintiff’s suit or that plaintiff take nothing.

Plaintiff thus seeks to obtain relief by and from a theory he did not plead, based on the jury’s finding to Issue 11, a defensive issue. Plaintiff should have filed a worker’s compensation case, alleging he was an employee injured in the course and scope of his employment. In suing for negligence and not alleging he was defendant’s employee, his suit is subject to the defense of contributory negligence.

The jury’s finding in Issue 11 that plaintiff was a borrowed employee cannot help plaintiff. One of the essential elements of proof in a borrowed servant defense is that worker’s compensation insurance existed, and there is no such evidence in this case. Johnston Testers v. Rangel, CCA (San Antonio) NRE, 435 S.W.2d 927, 930. The jury's answer to the borrowed servant Issue 11, without proof of coverage by compensation, was immaterial. Guerrero v. Standard Alloys Manufacturing Co., CCA (Beaumont) NRE, 598 S.W.2d 656, 657. The jury’s finding in Issue 11 here is immaterial and should be disregarded.

Moreover, plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and to disregard the jury’s answer to special issues is not shown to have been ruled on by the trial court. The transcript must reflect that such a motion was presented to and ruled on by the trial court in order for the motion to preserve a claim of error. City of Jacksonville v. Hill-Tex Communication, CCA (Tyler) NRE, 613 S.W.2d 76, 78; Crook v. Williams Drug Co., Inc., CCA (Tyler) NRE, 558 S.W.2d 500, 505; Murphy v. Maroney, CCA (Waco) NRE, 456 S.W.2d 787, 788.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
726 S.W.2d 237, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-v-cotter-and-co-texapp-1987.