Texas Employers' Ins. v. Moreno

277 S.W. 84
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedNovember 4, 1925
DocketNo. 528-4210
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 277 S.W. 84 (Texas Employers' Ins. v. Moreno) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Texas Employers' Ins. v. Moreno, 277 S.W. 84 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1925).

Opinion

POWELL, P. J.

Moreno was injured in falling from a scaffold where he was at work. He presented his claim to the Industrial Accident Board of Texas. Being dissatisfied with its award, he filed suit in the district court of Bexar county to set it aside and recover adequate judgment. The nature of his injuries was pleaded as follows:

“Suffering a fracture at junction of middle and outer third of left clavicle; said fracture is overlapping, and affects the movement of his arm and left shoulder, and also has affected his respiratory organs, and causes him to be weakened, and has affected his nervous system.”

By reason of these injuries the prayer was for total, and partial incapacity in the aggregate sum of $3,460.

The case was submitted to the jury upon special issues, and the jury found, among other things, the following: That, “as a result of the injuries shown to have been sustained by hint,” Moreno was totally unable to work for 200 weeks; that he did not suffer the permanent total loss of the use of his left arm, but that he did suffer permanent 50 per cent, disability in the use thereof.

It was agreed that 60 per cent. of ^Moreno’s average weekly wage was $8.65.

The district court awarded Moreno a judgment for the lump sum value of 200 weeks at $8.65 per week, and a like value of 200 weeks at $4.32 per week. The first part of the judgment was for the time he was totally incapacitated for work, and the latter for the time he was partially incapacitated in the use of one arm.

Upon appeal, the Court of Civil Appeals decided the awarding of a lump sum was erroneous. So that court reformed the judgment of the district court, and provided that Moreno should recover “compensation for 200 'weeks from June 10, 1922, at the rate of $8.65 per week, and for 200 weeks thereafter gt the rate cf $4.32 per week.” See 260 S. W. 283. Against this change in the judgment made by the Court of Civil Appeals counsel for Moreno did not complain.

The insurance association applied for a writ of error, and obtained it largely upon the statement that the sole basis for the verdict of the jury was an injury to the left arm of Moreno; that the Court of Civil Appeals had allowed a larger recovery for a partial injury to an arm than the employee could have recovered for the complete loss of that member. We think counsel, in making this statement, has failed to correctly interpret the statement of facts. As we read the record, the case was pleaded and tried upon an entirely different theory. Injuries, other than to the arm, were alleged. And from evidence that other injuries were sustained by Moreno the jury did not find that ^e suffered total incapacity from an injury to "the arm alone, but from the injuries shown to have been sustained. • There was no effort on the part of counsel for the insurance company to shbmit an issue to the jury asking them to determine whether or not, but for the injury to the arm, there would have been any total incapacity to work. Counsel for the company did make the contention in the trial court that no injury was shown except to the arm, and asked that the jury be so charged. The district court overruled that contention. The Court of Civil Appeals has done the same thing. As already stated, there was some evidence to sustain the jury’s findings and the judgment* of the lower courts. Where the district court and the Court of Civil Appeals entertain the same view of conflicting testimony, and make the same finding of fact, their conclusion is binding upon this court, if there be any evidence in the record to sustain such finding. It is not that the judges of the Supreme Court or Commission would or would not have found the facts as the jury and lower courts did. That is not the test. It is the province of the jury to pass upon the facts, and the Supreme Court cannot overrule their finding when there is any evidence to sustain their conclusions. The Court of Civil Appeals alone can overrule the findings of the jury because contrary to the weight of the evidence.

Consequently, we must construe the statutes involved, not upon the facts as present[86]*86ed. by counsel in tbe application, but upon the facts found by the lower, courts. Under those facts, properly construing the applicable statutes, was there any excessive allowance by the lower courts?

The first Employers’ Liability Act in Texas was passed in 1913. Under that act, we have the following provisions:

“Section 10. While the incapacity for work resulting from the injury is total, the association shall pay the injured employee a compensation equal to 60 per cent, of his average weekly wages but not more than $15, nor less than $5.00 a week, and in no ease shall the period covered by such compensation be greater than four hundred weeks.
“Section 11. While the incapacity for work resulting from the injury is partial, the association shall pay the injured employee a weekly compensation equal to 60 per cent, of the difference between his average weekly wages before the injury and the average weekly wages he is able to earn thereafter, but in no case to be more than $15 a week; and the period covered by such compensation to be in no case greater than three hundred weeks. .
“Section 12. In case of the following specified injuries the amounts hereinafter named shall be paid by the association in addition to all other compensation: (a) Eor the loss by severance of both hands at or above the wrist, or of both feet at or above the ankle, or the loss of one hand and one foot, or the reduction to one-tenth of the normal vision in both eyes, 60 per cent, of the average weekly wages of the injured employee, but not more than fifteen dollars nor less than five dollars a week for a period of one hundred weeks, (b) Eor the loss by severance of either hand at or above the wrist, or either foot above the ankle, or the reduction to one-tenth of normal vision in either eye, 60 per cent, of the average weekly wages of the injured employee, but not more than $15 nor less than $5 a week, for a period of fifty weeks, (c) Eor the loss by severance at or above the second joint of two or more fingers, including thumbs and toes, 60 per cent, of the average weekly wages of the injured employee, but not more than $15.00 nor less than $5.00 a week, for a period of twenty-five weeks, (d) Eor the loss by severance of at least one joint of a finger, thumb or toe, 60 per cent, of the average weekly wages of the injured employee, but not more than $15.00 nor less than $5.00 a week, for a period of twelve weeks.” Acts 33d Leg. c. 179, pt. 1 (Vernon’s Sayles’ Ann. Oiv. St. 1914, arts. &24611-5246mm).

The next action by the Legislature came in 1917 when aforesaid sections were amended so as to read as follows:

“Sec. 10. While the incapacity for work resulting from injury is total, the association shall pay the injured employee a weekly compensation equal to sixty per cent, of his average weekly wages, but not more than $15.00 nor less than $5.00, and in no case shall the period covered by such compensation be greater than four hundred and one (401) weeks from the date of the injury.
“Sec. 11.

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277 S.W. 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-ins-v-moreno-texcommnapp-1925.