Receiver v. Cook

26 S.W. 486, 86 Tex. 630, 1894 Tex. LEXIS 432
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedApril 26, 1894
DocketNo. 123.
StatusPublished
Cited by67 cases

This text of 26 S.W. 486 (Receiver v. Cook) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Receiver v. Cook, 26 S.W. 486, 86 Tex. 630, 1894 Tex. LEXIS 432 (Tex. 1894).

Opinion

BROWN, Associate Justice.

J. M. Cook sued T. M. Campbell, then receiver of the International & Great Northern Railroad Company, alleging that on the lOthdayof November, 1891, plaintiff was in the employ of the said receiver as a brakeman; that it was a part of his duty to uncouple .and couple cars, and to remove coupling pins when necessary for that purpose. That I. McNeill was also in the employ of the receiver as conductor of the train on which plaintiff was working, and that said McNeill had the control and direction of the plaintiff and the said crew, whose duty it was to obey his orders. Petition proceeds to set out the management of the cars on that occasion which brought about the injury complained of, and that when injured he was in the discharge of the duty assigned to him by the conductor, and in obedience to his orders. Facts *632 are alleged showing that the conductor was negligent, and that the injury was the result of his negligence.

The injuries received are alleged as follows: “ Breaking and crushing the bones of his hip and thigh; tearing, cutting, and lacerating his flesh; bruising, wounding, and injuring him in his back, bowels, hips, legs, and in other parts and members of his body.” Plaintiff alleged, that from the said injuries he had suffered and would continue to suffer great mental anguish and physical pain; that the injuries are permanent, destroyed the use of one leg, and that his capacity to labor and earn money is almost entirely destroyed.

The petition also alleged, that the conductor in charge of the train was-unskilled, unfit, and incompetent to discharge the duties of conductor, which was known to the defendant, or could have been known by due care, and was not known to the plaintiff.

The amended petition, upon which the parties went to trial, alleged that the receiver had been discharged and the property returned to the-corporation, the International & Great Northern Railway Company, which is made party defendant.

The receiver filed a general demurrer, general denial, and special answer, setting up that plaintiff’s injuries were caused by the negligence of' a fellow servant. The railway company adopted the answer of the receiver, repeating the special answer.

The court overruled the demurrer; and upon trial before a jury judgment was given for plaintiff, from which appeal was taken, and it was. affirmed by the Court of Civil Appeals.

The court did not err in overruling the demurrer, because the petition alleged that the conductor was incompetent to discharge the duties to' which he was assigned, and that the defendant knew the fact, or might have known it by due care and diligence, and that plaintiff did not know of such incompetency. This was good on general demurrer, and although, the other allegations might show the conductor to be a fellow servant,, defendant would be liable if guilty of negligence in employing an incompetent person for such a place, whose negligence caused the injury.

At the trial the court permitted the plaintiff, over the defendant’s objections, to testify, that “his capacity to have sexual intercourse with his wife was greatly impaired;” to which the defendant objected, “because there was no allegation in the petition which would authorize the admission of such evidence, and because the petition does not claim such damages.” It is well settled in this State, that a general allegation of' damages will let in evidence of such damages as naturally and necessarily result from the wrongs charged; but to admit proof of damages which do not necessarily result from the injury alleged, the petition must set up the particular effects claimed to have followed the injury. Railway v. Curry, 64 Texas, 87. The object of pleading is to notify the opposite *633 party of what it is expected to prove on the trial. In this case there was no injury alleged to have been inflicted upon any organ or member of the body from which such “impairment" would naturally, not to say necessarily, follow. The court erred in admitting the evidence.

The judge of the District Court charged the jury, in substance, that if the conductor of the train on which the plaintiff was employed as brakeman was by the defendant entrusted with the direction and control of plaintiff in the discharge of his duties as brakeman, and if plaintiff’s, injuries were caused by the negligence of the conductor while engaged as such, plaintiff could recover from the defendants for such injuries. The defendants asked the court to charge the jury to the contrary of this proposition, which was refused. The giving of the charges by the court and refusing those asked by defendants are assigned as error.

On the 10th day of March, 1891, the Legislature passed the following act:

11 An act to define who are fellow servants and who are not fellow servants.

“ Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas: That all persons engaged in the service of any railway corporation, foreign or domestic, doing business in this State, who are entrusted by such corporation with the authority of superintendence, control, or command of other persons in the employ or service of such corporation, or with the authority to direct any other employe in the performance of any duty of such employe, áre vice principals of such corporations, and are-not fellow servants with such employe.

“ Section 2. That all persons who are engaged in the common service of such railway corporation, and who while so engaged are working together at the same time and place to a common purpose, of same grade, neither of such persons being entrusted by. such corporation with any superintendence or control over their fellow employes, are fellow servants with each other; provided, that nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to make employes of such corporations fellow servants with other employes of such corporations engaged in any other department or service of such corporation. Employes who do not come within, the provisions of this section shall not be considered fellow servants."

The third section is not material to the decision of this case.

The plaintiff in error claims that this act is void, because:

First. It deprives railroad companies of the equal protection of the-laws, in this, that it does not apply to all other common carriers, and is therefore in conflict with section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Second. That it contains more than one subject, and is therefore violative of section 35 of the third article of the Constitution of this State.

*634 This law applies equally to each and every railroad doing business in the State, and in no respect does it discriminate against any particular railroad company. “ When legislation applies to particular bodies or associations, imposing upon them additional liabilities, it is not open to the objection that it denies to them the equal protection of the laws, if all persons brought under its influence are treated alike under the same conditions.” Railway v. Mackey, 127 U. S., 209; Mining Co. v. Pennsylvania, 125 U. S., 189; Express Co. v. Seibert, 142 U. S., 353; Railway v. Gibbes, 42 U. S., 391; Electric Lines v.

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Bluebook (online)
26 S.W. 486, 86 Tex. 630, 1894 Tex. LEXIS 432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/receiver-v-cook-tex-1894.