Mullins v. Murphree

345 S.W.2d 505, 48 Tenn. App. 235, 1960 Tenn. App. LEXIS 116
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedOctober 28, 1960
StatusPublished

This text of 345 S.W.2d 505 (Mullins v. Murphree) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mullins v. Murphree, 345 S.W.2d 505, 48 Tenn. App. 235, 1960 Tenn. App. LEXIS 116 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

I

SHRIYER, J.

These are two cases tried together by consent of counsel and order of Court and brought to this Court on one transcript and bill of exceptions.

The action grows out of a motor vehicle collision on the Lebanon Road in Davidson County wherein W. B. Mullins, Jr., a young man 18 years of age at the time of the accident, received certain personal injuries and damages.

W. B. Mullins, Jr., sued by his father as next friend for personal injuries, both temporary and permanent, and for loss of time due to his injuries. W. B. Mullins, Sr., sued for damages to his automobile which was being operated by his son, W. B. Mullins, Jr. at the time of the accident and for medical expenses and loss of services of his son.

The two cases were tried together before Judge Henry F. Todd, and a jury and resulted in a verdict and judgment in favor of W. B. Mullins, Jr., in the amount of $5,750 and in favor of the father, W. B. Mullins, Sr., in the amount of $1,500.

The motion for a new trial was overruled and the cases are here on appeal in the nature of a writ of error.

[237]*237II

Assignments of Error

While the first two assignments assert that there is no evidence to support the verdict and that the verdict of the jury is excessive, counsel for the defendants did not insist on these grounds in the oral argument or in his brief and argument filed in this cause, and an examination of the record convinces us that there is substantial, material evidence to support the verdict which is not excessive.

Assignment No. 3, is as follows:

“The Trial Court erred in charging that W. B. Mullins, Jr., the minor, in his suit by next friend could recover for loss of his time and for decreased capacity for earning money, and at the same time charged that W. B. Mullins, Sr., could recover for loss of the services of his son, as the Court thereby instructed the jury and permitted the jury to return a verdict in the son’s case on the same theory of loss, permitting a double recovery.”

Assignment No. 4, sets out the portions of the charge complained of.

III

Counsel for defendant in his brief and argument states as follows:

“The main question presented to this Honorable Court is — whether or not the Trial Court was in error in making a positive and affirmative charge in each case that each of the Plaintiffs might recover for ‘nature and extent of injuries’, ‘loss of time’ [238]*238and Toss of services’, etc., based upon injuries growing ont of this accident.”

The evidence is that a large tractor-trailer truck owned and operated by the defendants ran into the plaintiff’s vehicle when said vehicle was making a left turn at a point where the roadway was lined with a double yellow line indicating no passing on the part of the defendant vehicle which had previously been following that of the plaintiff.

Plaintiff, W. B. Mullins, Jr., was driving an automobile belonging to his father and was accompanied at the time by a young lady with whom he was keeping company. The facts and circumstances testified to by the parties make a clear case for the jury on the question of negligence and contributory negligence and these issues were found in favor of the plaintiff.

The proof further shows that W. B. Mullins, Jr., suffered serious injuries in that one foot was badly bruised and a bone broken necessitating hospitalization and a plaster cast on said foot for some length of time, and the testimony of Dr. Charles M. Hamilton indicated the probability of some permanent injury and impairment of plaintiff’s use of his foot.

It was stipulated by counsel that the damage to the automobile of the father was $945.

It is shown that the Court in charging the jury made one charge which covered both cases and it is insisted by plaintiffs in error, defendants below, that the Court charged the same or substantially the same measure of damages in each case and that this constituted reversible error.

[239]*239Tlie portions of tlie charge complained of are as follows:

“If you find for the defendants, your verdict should be: ‘We find for the defendant’. But if you find for the plaintiffs, you should go further and assess the damages. In assessing the damages in respect to W. B. Mullins, Jr., you will take into consideration the nature and extent of the injuries; the amount of mental and physical pain suffered on account of same; the loss of time; and the decreased capacity for earning money as may be proven; and you will report a verdict for such amount as will reasonably compensate that plaintiff for the injuries sustained.
“In assessing the damages, if any, in respect to W. B. Mullins, Sr., you will take into consideration the nature and extent of the injuries; the expenses incurred on account of same, including such doctors bills, nurses hire, medicines, loss of services, and property damage as may be proven and you will report a verdict for such amount as will reasonably compensate that plaintiff for the injuries sustained. ’ ’

In analyzing the above portions of the Judge’s charge it will be noted that, with respect to W. B. Mullins, Jr., the Court instructed the jury to take into consideration the nature and extent of the injuries. This was certainly proper. The Court then instructed the jury to take into consideration the amount of mental and physical pain suffered on account of same. This, of course, was proper. The Court then instructed the jury to take into consideration “Loss of time and the decreased capacity for earning money as may be proven”.

[240]*240With regard to the instructions as related to decreased capacity for earning money we think that this was proper because, if the jury found that there was permanent injury to the plaintiff, they might properly have considered the decreased capacity for earning money after the young man reaches his majority even if, at the same time, they considered that his decreased capacity for earning money was also to be related to the damages of his father under the proof.

This leaves only the question of “Loss of time” to be considered.

Under the proof it is shown that W. B. Mullins, Jr., had been working for some time in construction work making up mortar and doing labor of that kind. It is not shown whether this young man, eighteen years old, was emancipated by his father so that he drew his wages and used same for his own purposes, or whether his father claimed said wages.

Loss of time where he had been earning forty to fifty dollars a week was an item to be considered and it was for the jury to determine, under the facts, whether this loss of time was to be considered as a part of the loss of W. B. Mullins, Jr., or the loss of W. B. Mullins, Sr., and we must assume that, under the instructions of the Court and the proof, they related it to only one or the other and not to both.

In examining the instructions as to the damages to be assessed in favor of W. B. Mullins, Sr., we do not find any error in said instructions. The nature and the extent of the injuries’ could be properly considered in connection with “loss of services” and, as to what services of this minor the father experienced a loss, is to be related [241]

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Bluebook (online)
345 S.W.2d 505, 48 Tenn. App. 235, 1960 Tenn. App. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mullins-v-murphree-tennctapp-1960.