Phillips v. Classen

1923 OK 839, 219 P. 708, 93 Okla. 82, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 329
Supreme Court of Oklahoma·Decided October 23, 1923·No. 12486·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Opinion by

SHACKELFORD, C.

For convenience the parties will be referred to as plaintiff and defendants, as they appeared in the trial court.

Plaintiff began this action on the 21st day of July, 1919. The petition charges that on the 6th of July, 1919, at about the hour of 6:30 o’clock p. m., the defendant Clyde Pierce, as driver of a truck owned by the defendants, caused said truck to collide with plaintiff’s car, at or near the crossing and- intersection of Walker and 23rd streets, in Oklahoma City; and by reason of such collison plaintiff sustained injury and damage to his person and to his car. The plaintiff alleges that the collision was due to the fact .that the truck of the defendants was driven in a careless and reckless manner, and at a dangerous rate of speed, and in violation! of section 1210 of the city ordinances, which fixes the maximum speed at eight miles' per hour ;- and further, in violation of section 1199, which requires driving upon the right-hand side of the street; all of which carelessness and recklessness, and violation of the ordinances, was the proximate cause of the injury. Plaintiff prayed for damages in the amount of $1,415.

On the 31st day of March, 1920, the plaintiff, by the consent of the defendants, filed an amended petition, making F. O. Phillips and R. I. Phillips additional parties defendant, and laying his damages at $3,415.

On the 6th of March, 1920, defendants F. O. Phillips and Clyde Pierce filed their separate anpiwer, and also a cross-petition against the plaintiff. The answer was in effect a general denial, and a plea that the collision was occasioned by plaintiff’s own negligence and want of care. The cross-petition sought to recover $30 expended for repairs on the truck of the defendants. On the same day, defendant» D. M. Phillips and R. I. Phillips filed their separate answer, denying any control .over the truck, and denying that Clyde. Pierce was ini their employ. Plaintiff filed a reply, making up the issues.

*84 The cause was submitted to a jury on the 7th of January, 1923, resulting in a verdict and judgment in favor of the plaintiff, against F. O. Phillips and Clyde Pierce, in the sum of $2,000, and they prosecute this appeal.

The defendants present several assignments of error in their motion for a new trial and petition in error. However, they content themselves with arguing one assignment of error, the fourth, which, they state ap follows:

“The court erred as a matter of law in overruling the demurrer interposed by the defendants at the close of the plaintiff’s evidence, said demurrer being of the following tenor:
“ ‘Comes now the defendant at the close of the evidence on the part of the plaintiff and after the plaintiff has rested and demurs to said evidence for the reason that the same is wholly insufficient to show any negligence on the part of the defendant, and shows further that the plaintiff was gtíilty of contributory negligence and therefore he cannot recover in this action.’ ’’

All other assignments of error are waived.

This assignment of error presents the question of the sufficiency of the plaintiff’s evidence. The rule is, that if there is any evidence offered by the plaintiff, reasonably tending to establish his allegations of negligence and resulting injury, then a ruling of the court in overruling a demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence was not error, and an affirmance of the judgment should follow. If the plaintiff offered no evidence reasonably tending to establish his allegations of negligence and consequent injury, the court was in error in overruling a demurrer to the plaintiff’s evidence, and the judgment must be reversed.

There is something of inconsistency in the position taken by defendants in this demurrer. In one clause it is stated that there was no negligence of defendants shown; and in another it is stated that plaintiff’s proof shows there was contributory negligence upon hijs part. If there was not negligence upon the part of the defendants, then the injury was due to the negligence of the plaintiff; and if there was no evidence tending reasonably to show negligence upon the part of the defendants, then, and only then, could it become a question of law for the court. If the proof tended to show negligence upon the part of the defendants, and resulting injury, then it became a question of fact for the jury. Where the evidence tends to Show contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff, there must also have been primary negligence upon the part of the defendants, since, as a matter of law, there is no such thing as contributory negligence upon the part of a plaintiff unless there is primary negligence on the part of the defendant. For defendants to say there wa|si contributory negligence upon the part of plaintiff is an admission that there was also negligence on the part of the defendants ; and in this jurisdiction, it is also an admission that the matter becomes a question of fact for the jury, and not a question of law for the court.

In every personal injury case in this jurisdiction, one of three propositions is presented: First, negligence on the part of the defendant, and injury resulting U plaintiff therefrom, and the same constitutes a question of fact for the jury. Second, primary negligence on the part of the defendant, combined with contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff, resulting in injury to plaintiff, and again constituting a question of fact for the jury. Third, entire failure in plaintiff’s evidence to show negligence upon the part of defendant ; and then the matter becomes a question of law for the court, and should be taken care of on a demurrer to the evidence or motion for a direction.

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Phillips v. Classen, 1923 OK 839, 219 P. 708, 93 Okla. 82, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 329 (Okla. 1923).

1923 OK 839 (Phillips v. Classen) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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