Otrich v. St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Co.

134 S.W. 665, 154 Mo. App. 420, 1911 Mo. App. LEXIS 32
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 6, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 134 S.W. 665 (Otrich v. St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Otrich v. St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Co., 134 S.W. 665, 154 Mo. App. 420, 1911 Mo. App. LEXIS 32 (Mo. Ct. App. 1911).

Opinion

NIXON, P. J.

This is an action for damages in which the plaintiff was a shipper of live stock and the defendants were common carriers of freight. The claim is for damages for injuries to plaintiff’s stock by reason of the defendants’ negligence! Plaintiff obtained judgment for $400 and the defendants appealed to the St. Louis Court of Appeals. The case was transferred to this court and the parties have appeared and waived defect of jurisdiction.

[424]*424The petition is as follows: (Caption omitted.)

“Plaintiff states that defendants are both railroad corporations, owning, leasing and operating a line of railroad in and through Scott county, Missouri, with offices in said county where said defendants may be found and served; that defendants operate a line of railroad from Illmo, Mo., to East St. Louis, Illinois, and jointly use the same together with yards at Illmo, Mo.; that as such railroad corporations the defendants are common carriers.
“Plaintiff states that on the 15th day of January, 1908, defendant, St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Company, contracted with plaintiff to ship for plaintiff a lot of horses and mules from McClure, Illinois, to Clarendon, Arkansas; that said contract is evidenced by Bill of Lading hereto attached, marked ‘exhibit A,’ and made to constitute a part of this petition; that when defendant St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Company carried said consignment as far as Illmo, Mo., it delivered same to defendant St. Louis-.Southwestern Railway Company and by agreement between said defendants said defendant St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, undertook to complete said contract to carry said consignment to Clarendon, Arkansas. That in evidence of said contract, the defendant St. Louis Southwestern Raihoay Company delivered to plaintif their certain hill of lading, duly executed and signed, which is hereto attached, marked cExhihit B’ and made to constitute a part of this petition. (The part in italics was stricken out by plaintiff at the close of the case.)
“Plaintiff states that defendants contracted to and were in duty bound as such common, carriers to convey said consignment of live stock in safe and sound cars and in a safe and sound manner without unnecessary delay from said point, McClure, Illinois, to said point of destination, Clarendon, Arkansas, and then and there deliver said consignment to plaintiff in a safe and sound [425]*425condition except conditions that might arise from other causes than neglect on the part of defendants. But plaintiff states that defendants' were wholly neglectful of their duties as common carriers in such behalf; that defendant, St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Company, carelessly and negligently loaded said consignment of live stock in an unsound, improper and unfit car and that said consignment was shipped in such car and that defendant, St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, received said consignment and permitted same to remain in said unsound improper and unfit car; that said consignment'was negligently and carelessly switched around by defendants on way to said point, Illmo, Mo., and on yards at Illmo, and were knocked down, trampled upon, beaten and bruised and mangled by the careless handling of these defendants, and when arrival was made at point of destination, Clarendon, Arkansas, said stock was in a badly damaged condition; that said consignment of live stock was unnecessarily detained, at Illmo, Mo., from the afternoon of January 15, 1908, until between 10 and 11 o’clock of the following day during which time said stock was compelled to remain in the open winter weather without any shelter and were greatly damaged in consequence of such exposure.
“Plaintiff states that he is unable to determine the exact amount of liability to be attached to’each defendant on account of said' defendants being so closely connected in their business arrangements and on account of them having the same agent and jointly using the same yards at said point, Illmo, Mo., where the greatest damages was discovered; that both defendants were guilty of gross negligence and misconduct in handling-said consignment of live stock.
“Plaintiff states that the entire consignment of live stock was damaged in the sum of two hundred dollars counting damage from exposure from standing out in the winter weather all night, and time and additional [426]*426expense in getting the stock partially back in condition and which damage it would be difficult to more specifically itemize; that one large bay mule was cut, bruised and mangled and damaged in the sum of $145; that one brown mule was hurt in the stifle joint and bruised in the ankle and damaged in the sum of $125; that one mare was bruised in the withers and damaged in the sum of $100; that one brown mule was bruised and mangled and damaged in the sum of $165; that one gray mule was bruised about body and sprained hock and damaged in the sum of $100; that one bay pacing horse had eye knocked out and was damaged in the sum of $100; that one gray mule had ankle bruised and was damaged in the sum of $70; that one valuable stud horse was scratched and damaged in the sum of $200; that all of said stock mentioned as being damaged was a part of said consignment and received the injuries aforesaid on account of said careless handling and misconduct of defendants in transporting same under the contract méntioned above and in violation of defendants' duties aforesaid
“That plaintiff is damaged in the sum aggregate of $1200 and for which said sum plaintiff asks judgment .and for costs.”

The grounds of specific negligence set out in plaintiff’s petition are as follows: “That defendant, St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Company, carelessly and negligently loaded said consignment of live stock in an unsound, improper and unfit car and that said consignment was shipped in such car and that defendant, St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, received said consignment and permitted same to remain in said unsound, improper and unfit car; that, said consignment was negligently and carelessly switched around by defendants on way to said point, Illmo, Mo., and on yards at Illmo, and were knocked down; trampled upon,, beaten and bruised and mangled by the careless handling of these defendants, and when arrival [427]*427was made at point of destination, Clarendon, Arkansas, said stock was in a badly damaged condition; that said consignment of live stock was unnecessarily detained at Illmo, Mo., from the afternoon of January 15, 1908, until between 10 and 11 o’clock of the following day, during which time said stock was compelled to remain in open winter weather without any shelter and were greatly damaged in consequence of such exposure.”

The defendants filed separate answers in Which each denied liability, and the defendant, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, set up as a defense the misjoinder of parties defendant as follows:

“Defendant further alleges that there is an improper joinder of defendants herein, in that this defendant is joined in this action with the St.

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Bluebook (online)
134 S.W. 665, 154 Mo. App. 420, 1911 Mo. App. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/otrich-v-st-louis-iron-mountain-southern-railway-co-moctapp-1911.