Russell v. Dunn Equipment, Inc.

712 S.W.2d 542, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 12904
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 1, 1986
DocketC14-84-851-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 712 S.W.2d 542 (Russell v. Dunn Equipment, Inc.) 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
Russell v. Dunn Equipment, Inc., 712 S.W.2d 542, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 12904 (Tex. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION

JUNELL, Justice.

Appellant, Betty F. Russell, brought suit against appellees, Dunn Equipment, Inc. and Howard Kent Orlea to recover damages for the personal injuries to and the death of her daughter, Desiree Russell. The fatal accident occurred on August 21, 1981, when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, owned by Dunn Equipment and driven by its employee, Howard Kent Orlea, ran a red light and collided with Desiree Russell’s vehicle. The jury: (1) found Howard Kent Orlea negligent in running the red light, traveling at the speed at which he was traveling, and in keeping a lookout; (2) found Dunn Equipment negligent in allowing operation of the 18-wheeler on the occasion in question and in the maintenance, repair, or upkeep of the brakes on the 18-wheeler; (3) found no damages for the estate of Desiree Russell for her physical pain and suffering and mental anguish; (4) found Betty Russell’s damages for her pecuniary loss and loss of companionship was $200,000, and her damages for mental anguish was $200,000; and (5) failed to find Dunn Equipment grossly negligent in the maintenance, repair, or upkeep of the brakes or in allowing operation of the 18-wheeler. On August 17, 1984, appellant filed a Motion for Judgment on the jury’s verdict. Joseph D. Jamail had previously filed a Petition in Intervention alleging that he had a contract of employment with Betty F. Russell that entitled him to 40 percent interest in the amount of any judgment rendered. On September 19, 1984 the court signed judgment that Betty Russell recover from Howard Kent Orlea and Dunn Equipment $400,000 and that Joseph D. Jamail had a vested 40 percent interest in the recovery that was assigned to a trust known as “The Brazoria County Underprivileged, Mentally Disabled and Handicapped Person’s Fund.”

We hold that the trial court erred in granting judgment on Joseph D. Jamail’s Petition in Intervention for 40 percent of Betty Russell’s recovery without having a trial thereon and accordingly reverse and remand for trial on the Intervention.

Appellant makes the following contentions in her first five points of error: (1) that damages for Desiree Russell’s conscious pain and suffering prior to her death was established as a matter of law; (2) that the jury’s failure to find these damages was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence and manifestly unjust; (3) that the evidence established as a matter of law that appellant’s damages un *545 der the Wrongful Death Statute were greater than the amount found by the jury; (4) that the amount the jury found for these damages was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence and was manifestly unjust; and (5) that the evidence established the gross negligence of Dunn Equipment as a matter of law. Appellant filed a Motion for Judgment on the verdict of the jury. A motion for judgment on the verdict of the jury has long been held to be an affirmation that the jury findings were supported by the evidence. Whitehead v. Reiger, 6 S.W.2d 745 (Tex.Comm’n.App.1928, judgment adopted). Where appellant has moved for judgment on the jury verdict and the court has granted his motion and rendered such judgment, appellant cannot complain on appeal that the jury findings, on either liability or damages, have no support in the evidence or that the evidence is factually insufficient to support the jury findings. Litton Industrial Products, Inc. v. Gammage, 668 S.W.2d 319, 322 (Tex.1984). Appellant’s first five points of error, which attack the evidentiary support of the jury’s verdict, are inconsistent with her Motion for Judgment and therefore cannot be considered on appeal.

Appellant argues that the rule in Litton should not be applied to her because her Motion for Judgment states that it was made “without waiver of appeal or the right to file a motion for new trial or any other subsequent pleadings — .” In Litton, the court stated:

We disapprove, however, Litton’s argument that it reserved the right to complain about the judgment, because it accompanied its motion for judgment with a brief in which it took hack what it urged in its motion. Litton’s trial brief that accompanied its motion reserved the right to “challenge any adverse judgment based upon the verdict.” We disapprove a practice by which a party, by motion, induces the trial court on the one hand to render a judgment, but reserves in a brief the right for the movant to attack the judgment if the court grants the motion. Litton could not have it both ways.

Litton, supra, at 322.

We see no distinction between appellant’s attempted reservation of the right to complain in the instant case and the attempted reservation in Litton. Points one through five are overruled.

Appellant raises other points of error that do not attack the jury’s verdict upon which judgment was rendered. These points are not inconsistent with appellant’s Motion for Judgment on the verdict and will be considered.

The sixth point of error states the trial court failed to properly align the parties, thereby prejudicing the jury against the plaintiffs.

In her argument and authorities under point six appellant presents complaints completely different from the stated point of error. In her argument under point six appellant contends the trial court erred in allowing the attorney for Orlea and the attorney for Dunn Equipment to separately voir dire the jury panel, make opening statements, examine and cross-examine witnesses and make closing arguments.

Dunn Equipment and its truck driver, Orlea, were represented by different attorneys. Neither Dunn Equipment nor Orlea requested that each be given six peremptory challenges in the jury selection. The two parties were given a total of six challenges. Neither side invoked the provisions of Tex.R.Civ.P. 233 concerning alignment of parties and equalization of the number of peremptory challenges so that no litigant or side is given unfair advantage; appellant makes no claim that they did so. Instead appellant relies on Tex.R. Civ.P. 265(g), which provides:

The trial of cases before a jury shall proceed in the following order unless the court should for good cause stated in the record, otherwise direct:
******
g) But one counsel on each side shall examine and cross-examine the same witness, except on leave granted.

*546 This rule has no application to appellant’s complaints that the trial court erred in allowing the two attorneys to voir dire the jury, make opening statements and make closing arguments. Rule 265(g) could apply only to the matter of the two attorneys examining and cross-examining witnesses. Appellant argues that Orlea and Dunn Equipment constituted only one “side” in the case because there was no conflict of interest between them. However, it was held in Shelton v. Taylor, 615 S.W.2d 912 (Tex.Civ.App.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

in the Interest of N. L. G., a Minor Child
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006
Dessie Hunt Simmons v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006
Serna v. Webster
908 S.W.2d 487 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
Argee Corp. v. Solis
932 S.W.2d 39 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
Fojtik v. First National Bank of Beeville
752 S.W.2d 669 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Sun Power, Inc. v. Adams
751 S.W.2d 689 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Mullins v. Coussons
745 S.W.2d 50 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Allied Stores of Texas, Inc. v. Gulfgate Joint Venture
726 S.W.2d 194 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
712 S.W.2d 542, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 12904, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/russell-v-dunn-equipment-inc-texapp-1986.