Pearson v. Butts

276 N.W. 65, 224 Iowa 376
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 23, 1937
DocketNo. 44048.
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 276 N.W. 65 (Pearson v. Butts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pearson v. Butts, 276 N.W. 65, 224 Iowa 376 (iowa 1937).

Opinion

Kintzinger, J.

On April 13, 1936, appellee received and paid for a shampoo and permanent end curl at defendant’s *378 beauty parlor in Des Moines. She was assigned to one of defendant’s licensed and experienced cosmetologists for the treatment. There was evidence tending to show that in giving this service an electric heater is used which generates steam within three or four minutes. Appellee testified that the actual steaming process applied to her lasted about twenty minutes. She also testified that during this time she complained to the operator about her head getting very hot. The evidence also'tends to show that in order to relieve the pain cold towels were applied to her face, and that the pain was so intense that the operator was unable to “set” her hair.

Shortly after leaving the shop, plaintiff became so ill from the treatment that she returned to the shop and advised the operator of her injuries and received some kind of local treatment therefor. There is also evidence tending to show that there were several burns upon her head; that she suffered pain for over a month after receiving the injury; and was unable to do any household or other work for a week and a half.

Appellant’s witnesses denied that plaintiff received any burns but sustained only an irritation to the scalp, described as a “hair pull.” Plaintiff returned to the defendant’s shop within an hour after receiving the alleged burns. An ointment was applied to her head, and she was advised to return the next day. She failed to return the next day, and received no further treatment until four days thereafter when she again called upon defendant, who then arranged to have plaintiff get treatment from defendant’s physician. This she did on the same day, and was advised by him to return the next day. She never returned to this doctor, and received no further treatment until she saw Dr. Smith, her own physician, several days later. The evidence shows without dispute that, although she had received severe burns from the treatment, infection set in thereafter. and the injury became aggravated because of her failure to have continued proper medical attention immediately.

At the close of all the testimony, defendant filed a motion for a directed verdict upon several grounds. This was overruled. Thereupon, the case was submitted to the jury and a verdict returned in favor of plaintiff in the sum of $363.50. Defendant then filed a motion for a new trial, which was also overruled, hence this appeal.

I. Defendant contends that the court erred in failing to *379 direct a verdict because plaintiff failed to establish any negligence on the part of the defendant.

Plaintiff’s original petition contained two counts, in one of which she alleged several specific items of negligence, and in the other she alleged negligence generally under the doctrine of “res ipsa loquitur.” At the close of the evidence, and pursuant to defendant’s motion to compel plaintiff to elect upon which count she would proceed, the plaintiff elected to stand upon count I alleging general negligence under the res ipsa loquitur rule, thus withdrawing count II, alleging specific negligence.

Appellant contends that, having once pleaded specific acts of negligence, plaintiff could not rely upon the presumption of negligence arising by inference under the doctrine of “res ipsa loquitur,” as alleged in count I. The record shows, however, that, although specific acts of negligence were alleged in count II, this count was withdrawn by her election to stand upon count I.

It is true that where general and specific allegations of negligence are alleged in the same count, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur does not apply and a recovery can be had only upon proof of one or more of the specific acts of negligence alleged.' This is because the allegations of specific negligence are considered a waiver of the general allegations in favor of the specific. Sutcliffe v. Fort Dodge G. & E. Co., 218 Iowa 1386, 1393, 257 N. W. 406; Whitmore v. Herrick, 205 Iowa 621, 218 N. W. 334; Rauch v. Des Moines Elec. Co., 206 Iowa 309, 218 N. W. 34, Orr v. Des Moines Electric Light Co., 207 Iowa 1149, 222 N. W. 560; Kelly v. Muscatine, Burlington & Southern R. Co., 195 Iowa 17, 191 N. W. 525.

A different rule applies, however, where the specific acts of negligence are alleged in one count, and general allegations under the res ipsa loquitur rule are alleged in another. And where the allegations of specific negligence alleged in one count are withdrawn, the case may be submitted under the allegations of the remaining count alleging general negligence under the res ipsa loquitur rule. Sutcliffe v. Fort Dodge G. & E. Co., 218 Iowa 1386, 1392, 257 N. W. 406, 409.

In the latter case, this court says:

“The appellee depends.upon the principle of res ipsa lo-quitur to prove the appellant’s negligence. As a matter of fact, *380 in one count of bis petition the appellee pleaded general negligence for the purpose of relying upon res ipsa loquitur, and in another he pleaded specific negligence. But before the case went to the jury, the appellee dismissed the count of his petition relating to specific negligence, and left remaining only the. one haying to do with general negligence and the res ipsa lo-quitur rule.”

Such was also the situation in this case, and it was submitted to the jury upon count I under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. In Sutcliffe v. Fort Dodge G. & E. Co., 218 Iowa 1386, ]. c. 1393, 257 N. W. 406, 410, this court further said: “Such Iowa rule * * * has become firmly established in this state.”

Appellant contends, howeyer, that such a rule does not apply in the case of a licensed cosmetology operator, and that because a license to practice this profession requires a certain amount of training, the rules applicable to the medieal profession should apply. Appellant therefore contends that because no specific acts of negligence were alleged, the motion for a directed verdict should have been sustained. The res ipsa loquitur rule, however, is generally applied where all the instrumentalities which could likely cause an injury were under the exclusive control and management of the defendant, and where the injury is such as would not ordinarily occur if due care had been exercised in the control thereof.

It is unnecessary to decide in this case whether or not the rule of res ipsa loquitur is applicable to a malpractice case, because this is not such a ease. Here the operator was not called upon to perform a surgical operation, where it is a proper defense to show that the methods ordinarily followed.in a surgical operation were followed. In this case, the plaintiff was well and simply called upon the beauty expert to receive a shampoo and a permanent hair curl. In performing this work, all the instru-mentalities used in connection therewith were under the control of the defendant’s operator, and if the evidence tends to show that in the exercise of ordinary care the injuries complained of would not ordinarily follow, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur would apply.

In Sutcliffe v. Fort Dodge G. & E. Co., 218 Iowa 1386, 1. c. 1394, 257 N. W. 406, 410, this court said:

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Bluebook (online)
276 N.W. 65, 224 Iowa 376, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pearson-v-butts-iowa-1937.