Safeway Stores, Inc., of Texas v. Webb

164 S.W.2d 868, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 512
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 19, 1942
DocketNo. 2260.
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 164 S.W.2d 868 (Safeway Stores, Inc., of Texas v. Webb) 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
Safeway Stores, Inc., of Texas v. Webb, 164 S.W.2d 868, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 512 (Tex. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinions

LESLIE, Chief Justice.

C. R. Webb and wife brought this suit against Safeway Stores, Inc., of Texas to recover damages for the death of plaintiffs’ daughter, Lucille Webb, who, while riding in an automobile driven by S. B. Roberts, was fatally injured in a collision between said automobile and the rear end of a truck .and trailer owned by defendant and operated by one of its employees. The alleged cause of action included several different grounds of recovery.

We shall not set forth the pleadings in full, or attempt to group the allegations ■constituting each such ground of recovery, but suffice it to say that after a careful consideration of the petition we are convinced that there is sufficient and consistent foundation in the pleadings for the material issues submitted to the jury.

The defendant alleged a number of different grounds of defense based upon contributory negligence. In a jury trial special issues were submitted relating to five grounds of recovery. The special issues» pertaining to three grounds of recovery were found in favor of the plaintiffs. Two grounds of recovery were found in favor of the defendant. All issues of contributory negligence were found in favor of the plaintiffs. On the verdict judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiffs for $5,450. The defendant appeals.

The appeal is presented in this court on 56 assignments of error. In the disposition of practically all these assignments the majority of this court is in full accord with the views expressed in the opinion suggested by Associate Justice FUNDER-BURK who first made a careful study of this record. Such views and discussions of his as are taken from that opinion and adopted in this one will appear in paragraphs quoted. In that opinion, and after careful consideration of the 56 assignments of error, he pretermitted discussion of and overruled all assignments of error, except 1, 2, 3, 28, 30, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 55. As stated, the majority sanctions that disposition of the points not discussed and concur in overruling points 46 and 47 for the reasons hereinafter set out and adopted from said opinion.

Points 1, 2, and 3 will first be disposed of. These are attacks on the verdict of the jury and judgment thereon in reference to certain issues presently to be noticed:

By issue No. 1 the jury found that “It was negligence for the defendant’s truck driver to stop his truck at the time and on the occasion in question.” By issue No. 1-A, the jury found that negligence to be a “proximate cause of the collision.” Point 1 complains that the trial court’s action in overruling defendant’s motion for an instructed verdict was error. Point 2 assails the ruling of the trial court in refusing defendant a judgment non obstante veredicto “because the undisputed evidence shows * * * appellees wholly failed to establish any negligence upon the part of the appellant’s truck driver.” Point 3 asserts the answer of the jury to issue No. 1 (stated above) “is wholly unsupported by and contrary to the evidence.”

Obviously, points 1, 2, and 3 raise, in substance, the same question, viz., that there is no evidence to raise an issue of negligence upon the part of the defendant’s truck driver at the time and place, and under the circumstances, of the collision in which the plaintiffs’ daughter lost her life. In the light of the attack thus made, these issues call for a consideration of the entire evidence.

Under the assignment or point complaining of the court’s refusal to instruct a verdict, it is only necessary to de *871 termine whether under the evidence introduced an issue was raised. It is well established that a reviewing court will not disturb the verdict of the jury on conflicting evidence, where there is some evidence to support the verdict. Security Ins. Co. v. Vines, Tex.Civ.App., 48 S.W.2d 1017, writ refused; Jefferson Standard Life Ins. Co. v. Lindsey, Tex.Civ.App., 94 S.W.2d 549; Century Indemnity Co. v. Carnes, Tex.Civ.App., 138 S.W.2d 555(4); 3 Tex.Jur. p. 1096, sec. 768, and the many authorities there cited; 41 Tex.Jur. p. 1041, sec. 237.

An applicable rule stated somewhat differently is to this effect: “If, discarding all adverse evidence, and giving credit to all evidence that is favorable to the successful party and indulging every legitimate conclusion that is favorable to him, a jury might have found in his favor, then it is to be concluded that there is evidence to support the verdict.” 17 Tex.Jur. p. 910, sec. 410; Wininger v. Ft. Worth & D. C. Co., 105 Tex. 56, 143 S.W. 1150; Century Indemnity Co. v. Carnes, Tex.Civ.App., 138 S.W.2d 555; McCarty v. Hogan, Tex.Civ.App., 121 S.W.2d 499; Choate v. San Antonio & A. P. Ry. Co., 91 Tex. 406, 44 S.W. 69; Oats v. Dublin Nat. Bank, 127 Tex. 2, 90 S.W.2d 824.

With the above rule of law in mind, we have carefully read the entire statement of facts and readily reach the conclusion that as to said issues there is sufficient testimony to support the jury finding of negligence on the part of appellant’s truck driver, as well as the finding that the same was the proximate cause of the injury. The evidence on said issues was conflicting and would have warranted either an affirmative or negative answer. In that state of the record, this court is without authority to substitute its finding upon the issues for those of the jury. Post v. State, 106 Tex. 500, 171 S.W. 707; Oats v. Dublin Nat. Bank, supra.

To so substitute this court’s finding under the testimony would, in our opinion, amount to a clear encroachment on the plaintiffs’ rights, since the Bill of Rights, Const. Art. 1, sec. 15, Vernon’s Ann.St., “contains the emphatic declaration that ‘the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate.’ ” Choate v. San Antonio & A. P. Ry. Co., supra; Dolen v. Lobit, Tex.Com.App., 262 S.W. 731; Shanks v. First State Bank of Coahoma, Tex.Civ.App., 70 S.W.2d 444.

Our convictions derived from a study of the testimony in the light of the above rules of law much incline us to set forth the testimony, but such testimony as a whole is embraced in 458 pages, and to incorporate herein merely that part which supports the verdict or “is favorable to the successful party” would unduly lengthen this opinion.

By point 28 the appellant insists that the court erred in submitting special issue No. 3. That issue was: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the act of the defendant’s truck driver in parking the truck on the paved portion of the highway was negligence?” The issue was answered in the affirmative, and the point insists that the court erred in submitting issue 3 “because the undisputed, evidence was that defendant’s truck driver did not park its truck on said highway but merely stopped momentarily at a point where the pavement on his side was obstructed and on the.other side * * * cars were fast approaching him from the opposite direction * * (Italics ours)

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164 S.W.2d 868, 1942 Tex. App. LEXIS 512, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/safeway-stores-inc-of-texas-v-webb-texapp-1942.