Sifuentes v. Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n

754 S.W.2d 784, 1988 WL 85182
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 30, 1988
Docket05-87-00962-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 754 S.W.2d 784 (Sifuentes v. Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n) 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
Sifuentes v. Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n, 754 S.W.2d 784, 1988 WL 85182 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

LAGARDE, Justice.

In this worker’s compensation suit, ap-pellee Texas Employers’ Insurance Association (TEIA) originally filed suit to set aside an award made by the Industrial Accident Board. Appellant, Juan Ramon Si-fuentes, answered asserting a counterclaim for worker’s compensation benefits. The parties were, thereafter, realigned and appellant Sifuentes was plaintiff below. Si-fuentes, in four points of error, raises the following:

(1) The evidence was factually insufficient to support the jury’s finding regarding the duration of partial disability;
(2) The evidence was legally insufficient to support the jury’s finding regarding the duration of partial disability;
(3) The trial court erred in failing to rule on appellant’s second motion for new trial;
(4) The trial court erred in failing to grant appellant’s motion for new trial based on newly discovered evidence.

For reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

In his first and fourth points of error Sifuentes argues that the evidence is either factually or legally insufficient to support the jury’s finding regarding the duration of partial disability. TEIA argues that Sifuentes has waived his factual insufficiency points by his failure to include them in a motion for new trial pursuant to rule 324 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. 1 We disagree with TEIA’s contention.

On May 29, 1987, Sifuentes filed a motion for a new trial. This motion contained points complaining of the factual insufficiency of the evidence. On June 4, 1987, Sifuentes filed “Plaintiff’s Second Motion For New Trial.” Sifuentes’ second motion did not complain of the factual insufficiency of the evidence. TEIA argues that plaintiff’s June 4th motion for new trial should be treated as an amended motion that supercedes the May 29th motion, thus rendering the earlier motion a nullity. Un *786 der such an interpretation there would be no “live” motion for new trial raising factual insufficiency of the evidence. Thus, under rule 324(b)(2), failure to raise factual insufficiency in a motion for new trial waives the issue on appeal. Griffin v. Rowden, 702 S.W.2d 692, 694 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1985, writ ref’d n.r.e.).

We disagree with TEIA’s interpretation of the record. Nothing in the second motion, including its title, indicates an intent by Sifuentes that the second motion be an amended motion, thereby superceding the first. In fact, from the language of the second motion itself, it is clear that Si-fuentes filed the second motion shortly after the trial court, after a hearing, orally overruled the first motion for new trial. An oral ruling on a motion for new trial could not substitute for the written order required by rule 329b. TEX.R.CIV.P. 329b; Clark & Company v. Giles, 639 S.W.2d 449, 450 (Tex.1982). Inasmuch as we cannot find in the record before us a written order overruling the first motion for new trial, we shall treat the motion entitled "Plaintiff’s Second Motion for New Trial” as a supplemental motion for new trial. Further, we conclude that both motions were overruled as a matter of law 75 days following the signing of the judgment. TEX.R.CIV.P. 329b(c). Consequently, we will consider Sifuentes’ factual insufficiency point.

A claimant must establish his entitlement to benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act. Industrial Accident Board v. Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, 162 Tex. 244, 345 S.W.2d 718, 720 (1961). It is the claimant’s burden to establish an injury received in the course of employment. Texas Employers’ Insurance Association v. Page, 553 S.W.2d 98, 99 (Tex.1977); that the injury produced some total or partial disability, Garcia v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Company, 542 S.W.2d 477, 479 (Tex.App.—Tyler 1976, no writ); and the duration of any incapacity, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association v. Thames, 236 S.W.2d 203, 205 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1951, writ ref'd). If a point of error is that a certain finding was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence, this Court must consider and weigh all the evidence in the record that is relevant to the point. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.1965).

The evidence in this case shows that Si-fuentes, a worker for the H.B. Zachry Company, experienced pain in his back when, on October 15, 1985, he lifted an axle in order to work on it. He worked the rest of that day and came to work the next day. However, he worked only part of the next day, leaving work to go to see Dr. George Su-sat. Dr. Susat diagnosed Sifuentes as having a sprained back and a bulging disk. Sifuentes remained off work about five weeks, returning to work on a part-time basis on or about November 21, 1985. On December 1, 1985, Sifuentes returned to work full time. Sifuentes testified that his partial incapacity did not end with his return to work full time. He testified that he worked 78 hours a week before the injury but was only able to work 50 hours a week after the injury. There was further evidence, however, that in December of 1985 all employees of H.B. Zachry Company were working reduced hours because of economic conditions.

Duration of incapacity is a fact issue for the jury. Fields v. Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, 565 S.W.2d 327, 330 (Tex.App.—Amarillo 1978, writ ref'd n.r.e.). Evidence that an employee is working and making money after sustaining a disabling injury is factual evidence to be considered by the jury in determining the extent and duration of incapacity. Texas Employers Insurance Association v. Draper, 658 S.W.2d 202, 206-207 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1983, no writ). It is the province of the jury to judge the credibility of witnesses, accepting or rejecting all or part of the testimony, and to resolve any conflicts and inconsistencies. Garza v. Commercial Insurance Company, 508 S.W.2d 701, 702 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1974, no writ).

Because there was evidence that Si-fuentes was able to return to work full time on December 1, 1985, there is sufficient evidence for a jury to have concluded *787 that his partial disability ended on that date. We overrule Sifuentes’ first and fourth points of error.

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754 S.W.2d 784, 1988 WL 85182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sifuentes-v-texas-employers-insurance-assn-texapp-1988.