Southern Truck Leasing Company v. Manieri

325 S.W.2d 912, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 2530
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 18, 1959
Docket13337
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 325 S.W.2d 912 (Southern Truck Leasing Company v. Manieri) 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
Southern Truck Leasing Company v. Manieri, 325 S.W.2d 912, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 2530 (Tex. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

WERLEIN, Justice.

Southern Truck Leasing Company, Inc., sued Russell T. Manieri, Jr., and his employer, Griffin Wellpoint Corporation, to recover damages to its truck and trailer, and Walter L. Rhoden, driver of the truck, also a party-plaintiff, sued to recover damages for personal injuries. Plaintiffs alleged that their respective damages resulted from a collision between such truck and a Lincoln automobile driven by ap-pellee, Manieri, on August 31, 1955, about nine miles west of Dayton on Highway 90 in Harris County, Texas. Manieri, acting by his next friend, Mrs. Russell T. Manieri, Sr., filed in the same cause an amended petition by way of cross-action against appellants, Southern Truck Leasing Company, Inc., Falstaff Coastal Distributing Company, Inc. and Walter L. Rhoden, to recover damages for personal injuries sustained by him in said collision. On the verdict of the jury the Court entered judgment for Manieri against Falstaff Coastal Distributing Company, Inc. and Rhoden for $140,396.16, and a take-nothing judgment was entered as to the remaining parties on the causes of action asserted by them.

Appellants complain by their First Point that the Trial Court erred in not *914 granting them a new trial, because the juror, Mrs. Howell, on voir dire examination misled appellants, to their probable damage, and was not an impartial juror. On the hearing for new trial, the evidence showed that she had been in an automobile accident two years and two months prior to such examination.

Mr. Dyess, counsel for appellants, in examining the jurors on voir dire, asked:

“Now, has any one of you ever had a claim for personal injuries to yourself or a lawsuit at any time in the past? And by ‘claim’, I mean, have you ever been hurt and asserted that someone else was responsible for it and sought damages of the injury that you felt you received?’’

and also 'the question :

“Has anyone else among you had a claim for damages for any kind of injuries you received in the past? All right, other than Mr. Beard, who spoke up, I take it that none of the balance of you has had that happen.”

Mrs. Howell did not make any answer to either question. Mr. Brown, counsel for Manieri, in interrogating the panel, asked:

“Now, he asked you a series of questions as to whether or not you had ever had any claims, for damages. Now, that is a rather broad question and is subject, possibly, to misconstruction, in my mind, and perhaps, as well, in your mind. I do not know whether he intended to rule out a person that may have been injured on the job and got some little hospitalization or some little payments, compensation payments, or things of that kind, or not. But in order to be on the safe side, because it’s necessary that everybody speak up on any questions that they are asked on this examination, in order to be on the safe side, and for there not to be any misunderstanding or error about it, has anybody ever been hurt on the job at all? Say, just a finger?”

Several hands were raised and the following occurred:

“Mr. Brown: Several of you, some six or seven of you, held up your hands.
“Mr. Head: Lost time injuries?
“Mr. Brown: Not even lost time, just any kind of injuries that you may have received that it might have gone down on the record, Mr. Head, that you might have gotten some hospitalization or some payments.
“Mr. Head: I guess anybody that has worked has.
“Mr. Brown: Well, I would imagine so. Well, so far as my purpose is concerned, about eight of you held up your hands, and that is about all I need to know about it. And if Mr. Dyess wants to go into it further, he can do so.”

On the hearing of the motion for new trial, Mrs. Howell testified that she had never had a claim for personal injuries to herself, or a law suit, and never had filed a claim for damages for any kind of injuries received by her; that she had been in an automobile accident and her automobile suffered damage and her neck was hurt a little bit but it was not serious; that she remained in the hospital seven days on recommendation of her doctor, after which she went home and took care of her four boys and her house; that the accident had not hurt her any. She further testified, “There wasn’t any claim.” Someone contacted her after she went home and offered to pay for damages to the car and her injuries and hospital $600 and some odd dollars; that she and her husband did not submit any counter offer or ask for any more; that they took the amount offered and were pleased with it because they did not expect to get that. She also testified that the accident did not influence her thinking in any way while she was a juror; that she had trouble only about two weeks after her automobile accident and *915 made a complete recovery; that she recalled that Mr. Dyess asked if the jurors or any member of their family had ever filed a claim, and that she did not respond because she had not filed a claim, and that she did not understand that he was asking her if she had ever asserted a claim against anybody, but that when Mr. Brown got up and explained or asked questions “about injuries and all,” she held up her hand; that no one asked her anything about it after she raised her hand and that if they had she would have told them about the accident and the minor injuries that she had received. Counsel for appellants did not ask any questions concerning any injuries after appellee’s counsel had finished questioning the jury.

Appellants contend that it is immaterial whether Mrs. Howell acted in bad faith. Their contention is that under Rule 327, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, they were probably injured because the defense was misled by Mrs. Howell’s answers on voir dire, and were deprived of the opportunity to use a peremptory challenge which they feel certain they would have used, and further that the verdict is not that of a properly constituted tribunal since the juror, Mrs. Howell, violated her oath as a juror and did not answer the questions truthfully. They cite several cases, including Texas Employers’ Ins. Association v. Wade, Tex.Civ.App., 197 S.W.2d 203, writ ref., n. r. e.; Traders & General Insurance Co. v. Cossman, Tex.Civ.App., 212 S.W.2d 865, writ ref., n. r. e., and Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Kurth, Tex.Civ.App., 247 S.W.2d 930, writ ref., n. r. e.

The rule established in those cases, holding in substance that if any uncertainty existed as to the effect of a juror’s failure on voir dire examination to disclose material information, a new trial should be granted the complaining party because of having been deprived of a properly established tribunal, was in effect abrogated by Childers v. Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n, 154 Tex. 88, 273 S.W.2d 587, 588. In that case the Supreme Court held:

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325 S.W.2d 912, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 2530, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-truck-leasing-company-v-manieri-texapp-1959.