National Surety Corporation v. Moore

386 S.W.2d 327, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2884
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 11, 1964
Docket16431
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 386 S.W.2d 327 (National Surety Corporation v. Moore) 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
National Surety Corporation v. Moore, 386 S.W.2d 327, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2884 (Tex. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

BATEMAN, Justice.

Workman’s compensation suit. The employee, Tom Pete Moore, alleged injury to *328 his back on September 14, 1961, resulting in total permanent disability. The jury found his total incapacity to have been temporary for 120 weeks, followed by temporary partial incapacity for 260 weeks. The insurer, National Surety Corporation, appeals from the judgment rendered on such verdict. We reverse and remand because of prejudicial jury misconduct complained of in appellant’s first four points of error on appeal and the error asserted in Point 5.

Eight of the jurors testified at the hearing of the motion for new trial, and they all recalled that during their deliberations the jurors Pennington and Russell (neither of whom testified) gave information of their own prior back injuries. Two of the jurors, Mrs. McClanahan and Holloway, presented by appellant, testified that Pennington told the other jurors on several occasions about his back having been injured in an airplane and that he had never fully recovered. According to Mrs. Mc-Clanahan, Pennington also stated that he had always had trouble with his back since the accident and believed that once a person had been injured in the back he never recovered because he never had. She also testified that on more than one occasion the juror Russell told of his back injury from which he said he had never recovered. Holloway testified that Pennington mentioned his own injuries more than once and discussed them about half the time he was talking; also that some juror, whose name he could not recall, gave certain information concerning life expectancies, from which they figured appellee had thirty-two more years of life expectancy. Mrs. Mc-Clanahan said that this was used by the jury “to decide the length of time to give Mr. Moore on his disability.” No evidence of any of such matters was introduced at the trial.

Appellee presented the testimony of six other jurors, including the foreman Hogue. They all admitted that Pennington and Russell mentioned their own back injuries while discussing the issues on whether the incapacity was temporary or permanent and the duration thereof. Foreman Hogue stated that he could not recall the number of times Pennington brought up his own experiences, but that each time he did bring it up he rebuked him and told him it was not to be used as evidence. Hogue also testified that back injuries were brought up two or three different times, that he cannot recall who brought them up and how many times, but that each time they were told that the judge instructed them not to use it as evidence. He also recalled the matter of life expectancy having been brought up. Four of the six jurors recalled that back injuries of some of the jurors were brought up several times, but that each time whoever brought it up was rebuked and admonished that it was not proper for them to consider it. Two of the six jurors did not remember the matter having been brought up more than one time, when the foreman promptly stopped it and told them they should “go by the evidence.” Mrs. McClanahan stated on cross-examination that the foreman stopped the discussion of other jurors’ back injuries several times “after it had already been said” and admonished the jury that that was not to be taken into consideration but that they “were to go on the evidence.” Holloway’s testimony was similar in this respect.

Two doctors had testified at the trial; one that in his opinion appellee had a herniated disc and was totally and permanently disabled; the other that his examination of appellee revealed only a low back strain, with no symptom of a herniated disc, and that in his opinion the strain had disappeared at the time of the examination in January 1962. It appears without dispute that at least two jurors gave unsworn evidence in the jury room concerning their own injuries, similar in nature to those suffered by appellee, and the duration of incapacity resulting therefrom, and that this occurred during, deliberations upon, and before determination of, the period of appellee’s incapacities. The fact that this *329 was misconduct of a material nature is not open to question. It then becomes our duty to determine whether such misconduct probably resulted in injury to appellant. This is a question of law, to be determined by us after examining the entire record in the case. Rule 327, Vernon’s Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; White Cabs v. Moore, 146 Tex. 101, 203 S.W.2d 200; Barrington v. Duncan, 140 Tex. 510, 169 S.W.2d 462; City of Houston v. Quinones, 142 Tex. 282, 177 S.W.2d 259; Crawford v. Detering Co., 150 Tex. 140, 237 S.W.2d 615.

Appellee argues earnestly that the judgment should not be reversed on account of jury misconduct because: (1) the jurors guilty of the alleged misconduct were promptly rebuked and the jury admonished by the foreman and others that these matters were not to be considered; (2) the evidence and record as a whole shows that the juror Mrs. McQanahan, who told the other jurors that her husband had also sustained a back injury but that it did not prevent him from working, more than “neutralized” the alleged misconduct and actually succeeded in convincing the other jurors of her view that appellee had not sustained a permanent injury; and (3) appellant failed to sustain the burden of showing that the mention of personal back injuries probably resulted in harm to it.

It is well settled in our law that when a juror starts to tell of personal experiences that might influence the jury, or to make any other improper remark, if the foreman or other member of the jury promptly rebukes the offending juror and admonishes the jury not to consider such matters, and the matter is not thereafter considered, no reversible error is shown. Walker v. Thompson, Tex.Civ.App., 287 S.W.2d 556, wr. ref. n. r. e.; St. Paul Mercury Indemnity Co. v. Bearfield, Tex.Civ. App., 296 S.W.2d 956, wr. ref. n. r. e. But in this case the evidence taken at the hearing of the motion for new trial and the record as a whole convince us that, not only was the mischief completed when the rebuke came, but that it was repeated several times. The foreman evidently did not exercise that degree of control over the deliberations and statements of ju-j rors as was necessary to prevent the occurrence and recurrence of this misconduct for it is obvious from the record that his admonitions went unheeded. We note that similar efforts of foremen and other members of juries to rebuke and admonish, where shown to be ineffective, have been held not to render the misconduct harmless. Associated Employers Lloyds Co. v. Grissom, Tex.Civ.App., 291 S.W.2d 756, wr. ref. n. r. e.; White Cabs v. Moore, 146 Tex. 101, 203 S.W.2d 200; Barrington v. Duncan, 140 Tex. 510, 169 S.W.2d 462; Travelers Ins. Co. v. Carter, Tex.Civ.App.,

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386 S.W.2d 327, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-surety-corporation-v-moore-texapp-1964.