National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh v. Martinez

800 S.W.2d 331, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 2844, 1990 WL 180788
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 21, 1990
Docket08-90-00116-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 800 S.W.2d 331 (National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh v. Martinez) 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 Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh v. Martinez, 800 S.W.2d 331, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 2844, 1990 WL 180788 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

OPINION

FULLER, Justice.

In a Texas Worker’s Compensation Act trial, the jury found that the worker was totally incapacitated for a period of time and thereafter suffered partial incapacity which was permanent. We affirm.

FACTS

At the time of Rodolfo Martinez’s injury, he had worked for his employer as a hospital orderly for over six years. On July 6, [333]*3331987, in the course and scope of his employment while assisting a patient he injured his back. This lawsuit resulted.

WAGE RATE

Appellee went to the jury satisfied that the trial court was correct in finding that wage rate was proven as a matter of law and he consistently maintains that opinion to this Court.

Point of Error No. One asserts the trial court erred in finding as a matter of law that Appellee had worked more than 210 days in the year immediately preceding his injury.

Appellee maintains that evidence was sufficient to prove, as a matter of law, that he had worked for the hospital at least 210 days in the year immediately preceding his injury. The burden of proof under Tex. Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 8309 § 1(1) (Vernon 1967) was on Appellee to affirmatively prove he had worked at least 210 days in the year immediately preceding the injury.

WAGE RATE EVIDENCE

The evidence before the court and jury was:

(1) Appellee’s own testimony, when he was asked if he had worked over 210 days in the year before his injury, was: “It would probably be true, because I was pulling a lot of overtime.” But the Appel-lee also testified:

I had been working before, eight hour shifts for five days a week. BUT then in ’86, I STARTED WORKING 12 HOUR SHIFTS THREE DAYS A WEEK, AND ONE DAY OF EIGHT HOURS. [Emphasis added]. '

This testimony only added up to 208 days that he had worked in the year preceding the injury.

(2) Appellant introduced Exhibit No. 5 entitled “Employer’s Wage Statement” which was dated 1/14/88 and signed by C.. Moreno as Employment Coordinator for Appellee’s employer, Sierra Medical Center. This wage statement pertaining to the Ap-pellee stated that he had worked for the hospital since 2/02/82. In the blank that asked for the total number of days worked by Appellee during the 365 days preceding injury, there was typed “approx. 260” days and after the number of days per week was typed “5”. THIS EXHIBIT WAS OFFERED AND ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE AT APPELLANT’S REQUEST DURING THE APPELLEE’S CASE-IN-CHIEF.

(3)Another exhibit introduced and marked as Plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 9 was also an “Employer’s Wage Statement” dated 10/7/88 prepared by Appellant and filed with the Industrial Accident Board. It again stated that Appellee had been employed since 2/02/82 and during the 365 days preceding injury he had worked “approx. 260” days. It also stated he worked “3 days per week~12° [sic] shift.” This exhibit was offered and admitted into evidence WITHOUT ANY OBJECTION BEING MADE BY APPELLANT.

Before submitting the case to the jury, the trial court discussed the submission of a wage rate issue with the attorneys; Mal-com McGregor for the worker and Jack Brewster for the insurance carrier:

“MR. MCGREGOR: WELL, WILL WE HAVE THAT STIPULATION THAT HE DID WORK 210 DAYS?
MR. BREWSTER: THAT’S WHAT THE EVIDENCE IS, THERE IS NOTHING TO THE CONTRARY. [Emphasis added].
MR. MCGREGOR: I KNOW. BUT, CAN WE HAVE THAT STIPULATION SO WE CAN TELL THE JURY THAT?
THE COURT: IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING YOU BOTH PROVED UP 210 DAYS.
MR. BREWSTER: I DON’T KNOW WHY WE NEED TO STIPULATE TO THE UNCONTESTED EVIDENCE.”

[Emphasis added].

After all of the above transpired, the trial judge found as a matter of law that Appellee had worked 210 days the year preceding his injury and therefore a wage rate issue was unnecessary.

Even though Appellant’s attorney advised the court that the evidence on wage rate was “UNCONTESTED” and there [334]*334was “NOTHING TO THE CONTRARY” he made a motion for instructed verdict based on the fact that Appellee had failed to prove he had worked 210 days for the year preceding the injury.

Appellee urges that Appellant stipulated that Appellee worked 210 days the year preceding his injury and therefore it was proved as a matter of law. A “stipulation” is an agreement, admission, or concession made in a judicial proceeding by the parties or their attorneys, respecting some matter incident thereto. 73 Am. Jur.2d Stipulations § 1, at 536 (1974). We agree that Appellant’s statements to the trial court should be construed as an “agreement or stipulation” within the contemplation of Tex.R.Civ.P. 11 and that thereafter Appellant failed to obtain leave of the court to withdraw the stipulation.

We also note that Appellant did not request a negative submission of the wage rate issue asking the jury to determine whether Appellee did not work as many as 210 days in the year preceding the injury. Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Co. v. Hannah, 701 S.W.2d 67 (Tex.App.—Beaumont 1985, writ ref d n.r.e.).

Regardless of whether or not Appellant should be held to have stipulated to the wage rate, we find that Appellant by offering into evidence his insured’s written documentation showing Appellee had worked approximately 260 days the year preceding his injury constituted a sufficient basis for the court’s finding as a matter of law that Appellee had worked at least 210 days the year preceding the injury.

Point of Error No. One is overruled.

Point of Error No. Two asserts the trial court erred in the jury charge in its question pertaining to the determination of Ap-pellee’s average daily wage during the year preceding the injury.

We find no merit to this point of error, The issue does trace the recommendation of 2 State Bar of Texas, Texas Pattern Jury Charges PJC 17.01 (1989) and the definition of “Wage” is properly followed.

Point of Error No. Two is overruled,

Points of Error Nos. Three and Four assert the trial court erred in its answer to a question propounded by the jury and then further erred in allowing additional jury argument on the answer.

After the jury retired to deliberate, a communication was received by the trial judge asking for clarification of question number four of the court’s charge: Question number four of the charge was:

What is Rodolfo Martinez’ average weekly earning capacity during partial incapacity? [Emphasis added].

The question the jury asked the trial court was:

Dear Judge Peca: Please clarify question Number 4 for us. We’re not sure what it means. [Emphasis added].

It was then discovered that no direction had been given the jury for the purpose of answering question number 4. Over Appellant’s objection, the trial court further instructed the jury as to question number 4:

The weekly earning capacity of a partially incapacitated worker must be less than his average weekly earnings before his injury. [Emphasis added].

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National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh v. Martinez
800 S.W.2d 331 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
800 S.W.2d 331, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 2844, 1990 WL 180788, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-union-fire-insurance-co-of-pittsburgh-v-martinez-texapp-1990.