Simes v. Dayton-Xenia Ry Co.

36 N.E.2d 517, 24 Ohio Law. Abs. 595, 1937 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1053
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 5, 1937
DocketNo 430
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 36 N.E.2d 517 (Simes v. Dayton-Xenia Ry Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simes v. Dayton-Xenia Ry Co., 36 N.E.2d 517, 24 Ohio Law. Abs. 595, 1937 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1053 (Ohio Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

OPINION

By HORNBECK, J.

Presented and considered on appeal on questions of law from a judgment on behalf of the plaintiff in the sum of $950.00, with interest and costs.

The pertinent facts germane to the questions presented are that plaintiff instituted her action against the defendant for damages for personal injuries claimed to have been suffered by her while a passenger on one of the street cars of defendant company by the negligence of its motorman in closing the door of the car upon ■ which plaintiff was riding, which struck'- her just back of the right ear.

Upon issues drawn the cause was presented to a judge ’ and jury, resulting in the return of a verdict for the plaintiff on the 29th of November, 1933, in the sum of $950.00, which verdict was signed by all the members of the jury. Within three days the defendant filed a motion for new trial, consisting of sixteen grounds. The ninth ground of the motion was as follows:

“The court erred in refusing to permit the defendant to show to the jury the operation of the door on the vestibule of the car to the great and serious prejudice of this defendant in this, to-wit: that had the defendant been permitted to show the operation of said door to the jury, such operation would have established the fact that plaintiff could not have been injured by said door as complained of in her petition, * *

The fifteenth ground:

“The verdict reached was a quotient verdict and was arrived at in the following manner, to-wit: the jury first determined that there was liability on the part of the defendant and thereupon the jury decided in advance of balloting to determine the amount of the verdict by ballot each juror to mark on his .ballot the amount to which he or she thought the plaintiff was en[596]*596titled, then to add the amounts on each ballot and divide said total amount by twelve and the jury decided in advance of said balloting to abide by the result obtained as aforesaid and return same as the verdict of the jury, whereupon twelve ballots were cast, the amounts were added and the total amount divided by twelve, which sum was $950.00 and said sum in accordance. with the agreement previously made and entered into was returned as the verdict of the jury.”

We have set forth these two grounds of the motion only for the reason that but one of them is discussed in the briefs which have come to our attention, namely. No. 15, and No. 9 was presented at the time that the case was argued orally.

The next paper, following the motion for a new trial found in the transcript of docket and journal entries, is a motion, the filing of which, in Common Pleas Court, does not appear, at the top of which, written in ink, appears this notation: “Original lost — This copy substituted.” This motion filed by the plaintiff asked the court to strike from the files in the case the affidavits of Harry Swigart, court bailiff, and the jurors who tried the case, all filed under date of September 5, 1934. for the reason that they are “incompetent and inadmissible for the purpose of impeaching the verdict heretofore rendered by said jurors.”

The next paper in chronological order, bearing a file mark of August 18, 1936, is an entry overruling the motion of defendant for a new trial and to set aside the verdict and entering a judgment on the verdict for the plaintiff.

On September 25, 1936 an entry, in substance as follows, was filed in Common Pleas Court:

“It appearing to the court that a motion filed by the plaintiff, September 21, 1934, has not been disposed of by the court, the court in order to clarify the record hereby sets aside and vacates the former order and decree of this court approved and filed August 18, 1936.”

Thereupon the court overrules the motion of defendant for new trial and sustains the yiotion of the plaintiff to strike certain affidavits from the file. Judgment is again entered on the verdict and by agreement the bill of exceptions theretofore filed in the case was withdrawn and defendant was permitted to re-file it.

On October 22, 1936 a motion signed by counsel for the defendant was filed in the trial court, reciting among other things that in addition to the bill of exceptions which contained a transcript of the record and exhibits of the trial, there should be attached to and made a'part of said record in this case certain affidavits of the twelve jurors, the affidavit of the court bailiff, together with certain ballots used by the jurors in arriving at their verdict and a written memorandum that is claimed by defendant to have been used by said jurors in tabulating their verdict, the said original affidavits, ballots and written tabulation of the jury having been filed by defendant with the clerk of courts concurrently with and in support of its' motior for new trial and considered by the court in passing on said motion; that said original affidavits, ballots and written tabulation had been lost or mislaid, notwithstanding earnest and diligent efforts to recover same by counsel in the case and the clerk. This defendant further represents that:

“It is important and necessary for its interests in this proceeding that the same be recovered and form part of its record in this case, therefore moves that and until such time as the originals are found plaintiff be permitted to substitute copies of said affidavits same to be duly verified and to form part of the records in this case.”

Thereafter there appear affidavits of Marcus Shoup to effect that he had interviewed all of the jurors in the case and stating in substance that he had learned from them facts which indicated that they had reached their verdict by means of a quotient, and that each of said jurors had sworn to and subscribed to an affidavit exactly similar to one which presumably was attached to Mr. Shoup’s affidavit or filed simultaneously therewith. This latter paper purports to be a copy of an affidavit signed by Bessie Wolf, one of the jurors, the substance of which tends to prove that the jury had reached its verdict by means of a quotient.

Next there follows an affidavit of Harry Swigart, at the bottom of which is this notation: “Original" lost — This copy substituted.” This affidavit is dated October 31, 1936 and following it is an affidavit which affiant says was a copy of one to which he subscribed on January 31, 1934. This affidavit and tendered copy in effect [597]*597support the subject matter set forth in the fifteenth ground of the motion for a new trial and following these affidavits is an entry wherein the court authorized and approved the substitution of certain copies of affidavits, all as set forth in the motion of defendant filed October 22, 1936. The dates of the filing of the affidavit oi Marcus Shoup, the copy of the affidavits of Bessie Wolf, the affidavit of Harry Swigart and the copy of affidavit formerly made by him, do not appear. The final entry, in chronological order, which we have heretofore set forth, was filed in Common Pleas Court on October 22, 1936.

Upon this state of the record we are- requested to say whether or not error has intervened in the entering of the judgment for the plaintiff to the prejudice of the defendant. The principal ground urged is that the court erred in entering judgment on the verdict because it conclusively appeared that the form returned by the jury was a quotient verdict and therefore should not be recognized as a verdict.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 N.E.2d 517, 24 Ohio Law. Abs. 595, 1937 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1053, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simes-v-dayton-xenia-ry-co-ohioctapp-1937.