Santi v. Duffey

290 S.W.2d 884, 40 Tenn. App. 237, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 135
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedFebruary 24, 1956
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 290 S.W.2d 884 (Santi v. Duffey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Santi v. Duffey, 290 S.W.2d 884, 40 Tenn. App. 237, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 135 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

FELTS, J.

This is an action for wrongful death of Mrs. Dale Santi. She and Father Angelo Augusto Lenzi were both killed when the automobile in which they were riding collided with a motor truck at a highway intersection in the suburbs of New Albany, Mississippi. This suit was brought by her administrator against his administrator for $250,000 damages for his alleged negligence causing her death.

[239]*239The declaration alleged was that she was riding as a guest in the car which, he was driving on Mississippi Highway No. 15, approaching its intersection with U. S. Highway No. 78, the latter being a through highway; that he disregarded the “Stop” signs on No. 15 and the red light over the intersection, drove the car into the intersection and against an oncoming motor truck, and thereby caused her death. He was charged with negligence in a number of particulars, both under the common law and under the statutes of Mississippi, which need not be here set out.

Defendant pleaded not guilty. The case was tried before the Trial Judge and a jury, and the jury returned a verdict for defendant. The judge approved the verdict and entered judgment thereon dismissing plaintiff’s action.

Plaintiff appealed in error and has assigned a number of errors, through which he insists that the judgment below should be reversed and a new trial granted, because there was no evidence to support the verdict, and because there were a number of errors in the judge’s charge which were so misleading and prejudicial that they deprived plaintiff of a fair trial.

It appears from the evidence that the accident happened at 4:15 P. M. October 29, 1953, at the intersection mentioned, in New Albany, Mississippi, which was about 75 miles from the place where the parties lived just outside the city limits of Memphis. Plaintiff and Mrs. Santi had been married and living together for 18 years, and had four children ranging from 17 to 11 3Tears of age. They were Catholics and members of Father Lenzi’s church, St. Paul’s, where he had been their priest and pastor for many years.

[240]*240Plaintiff was president of the Santi Ice Cream Co., a corporation owned by him and one of his cousins. The company owned a number of trucks and automobiles, including the automobile here involved, a 1953 Pontiac, which was usually kept at the Santi home and used by Mrs. Santi largely for her convenience and that of the family, such as taking the children to St. Paul’s school, a nearby parochial school. Father Lenzi was principal of this school, and took great interest in its football team.

He was an old and close frieiid of the Santi family, serving as their priest and teaching their children at school. He would often take Mrs. Santi and the children to places fishing and picnicking, and the Santi Ice Cream Company often loaned him its trucks and automobiles, including the 1953 Pontiac, when he needed them for his own use and for the uses of his church or school; and the company’s employees and Mrs. Santi were instructed to loan him its trucks and cars for such purposes.

The circumstances under which he was using this car on the afternoon of the accident were not developed in the evidence; but it was proved that he was driving the car, accompanied by Mrs. Santi. Mr. Santi did not know this until he was notified by telephone of the accident shortly after it occurred. While there was a suggestion of suspicion against them, there seems to have been little or no ground for it. So far as appears, Mrs. Santi was a faithful wife and good mother, and Father Lenzi was a strict man, of high morals, and lived, as became a priest, a life “above reproach”.

In the view we take of the case, we need not further detail the evidence. It is enough to say that, in our opinion, the jury, under a proper charge, could reason[241]*241ably have found that the evidence supported the aver-ments of the declaration; that this car had been loaned to Father Lenzi for a purpose of his own, and Mrs. Santi was riding as a guest in the car driven by him; and that he negligently disregarded the “Stop” signs and the traffic light, drove into the intersection, crashed into the oncoming truck, and thereby caused the death of both of them.

Plaintiff assigns errors on a paragraph of the judge’s charge, hereinafter quoted, and complains of the particular parts designated under .the heads a, b, c, d, and. e, which we have italicized for convenience:

“The Court instructs you that some negligence which was the proximate cause of the accident was committed by somebody, (a) There is some question here as to, who was driving the oar. The car had been, from time to time, furnished to the wife of Mr. Santi, by him, or his company or brother or cousin, rather, who was with him in the company. Anyhow, she had the use of it for personal purposes, (b) She was driving the car, so far as the proof shoios here, orí this trip without the knowledge or consent of her husband, or anybody concerned with the corporation. (c) The presumption is, you might say, that she was the owner of the car under these circumstances, (d) The presumption is that she ivas driving the car: Of course that presumption is rebuttable. That is, it can be overturned by other competent evidence of facts from testimony. That is for you to say, Gentlemen, whether she was driving the car or not. (e) The presumption is against the evidence. You are to conclude whether she was driving the car or not. Of course, if she was driving the car, that ends the law[242]*242suit Tlie verdict would be for the defendant. This defendant would not be liable, because whoever was driving the car was guilty of negligence, as I said, which caused the accident. ’ ’

The above statement: (a) “There is some question here as to who was driving the car”, was incorrect in point of fact. The only proof on the point was the testimony of Coker, the only eye-witness to the accident, who said that he saw the car approaching the intersection; that a man was driving it and a lady was with him; and that after the impact he found a man — Father Lenzi— dead, sitting under the steering wheel with his foot on the brake, while the lady — Mrs. Santi — had been thrown out the right-hand door and was on the ground.

The same is true with respect to the above statement: (b) “She was driving the car, so far as the proof shows here, on this trip without the knowledge or consent of her husband, or anybody concerned with the corporation.” As stated, the only proof on the point is that she was not driving the car but Father Lenzi was driving it.

With respect to statement (c): “The presumption is, you might say, that she was the owner of the car under these circumstances”, the undisputed proof was that the company was the owner of the car and there was no presumption that she was the owner.

The statement: (d) “The presumption is that she was driving the car * * * ’ ’, was likewise contrary to the proof that she was not driving the car.

The statement: (e) “The presumption is against the evidence”, is likewise erroneous. Presumptions are raised to take the place of evidence, and disappear in the [243]*243p'resence of contrary evidence. Frank v. Wright, 140 Tenn. 535, 548, 205 S. W. 434.

Furthermore, statements (b), (c), and (d) would seem to infringe the constitutional provision, Art. 6, sec.

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Bluebook (online)
290 S.W.2d 884, 40 Tenn. App. 237, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/santi-v-duffey-tennctapp-1956.