Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Ballard

285 S.W.2d 865
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 26, 1955
DocketNo. 6545
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 285 S.W.2d 865 (Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Ballard) 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
Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Ballard, 285 S.W.2d 865 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

PITTS, Chief Justice.

This is a compensation case involving a choice of benefits between two specific injuries. Appellee, Horace F. Ballard, filed suit against appellant, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, a corporation, for compensation benefits by reason of injuries sustained by him on or about January 6, 1954, while he was engaged in the course of his employment by H. A. McGinnis, employer.

The case was tried to a jury upon special issues submitted. The jury found that ap-pellee sustained an injury to his right leg at and above the knee which resulted in the total loss of the use of his right leg at and above the knee for a duration of 33 weeks; that following such period of time, appellee suffered a 20% partial permanent loss of the use of his right leg above the knee. For both of such periods of disability appellee, under the law, would be entitled to compensation in the total sum of $2,174.36. The jury further found that appellee sustained a total permanent loss of the use of his right leg below the knee and that his average weekly wage rate was $67.30. For such total permanent disability appellee would be entitled to the sum of $3,250 as compensation under the law. The latter sum being the greater of the two by $1,075.64 and the finding of the two specific injuries not being in conflict but appellee not being entitled to both sums, the trial court by judgment entered upon the jury verdict awarded appel-lee the sum of $3,250, the greater of the two sums, less the sum of $475 as a credit [867]*867admittedly previously paid to appellee by appellant as compensation for 19 weeks at the rate of $25 per week. From the judgment entered appellant has perfected an appeal insisting that judgment should be awarded to appellee for only $2174.36, the lesser sum, less the credit of $475 previously paid to appellee by appellant.

Appellant contends that the compensation law and particularly Section 12 of Article 8306, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. provides that where an employee sustains concurrent injuries resulting in concurrent incapacities, as appellee did in the instant case, he shall receive compensation only for the injury which produces the longest period of incapacity and that since appellee’s period of incapacity for his injury above the knee was 200 weeks and his period of incapacity for his injury below the knee was for only 125 weeks, judgment should have been rendered for appellee for his injury above the knee, the longest period by 75 weeks, although such judgment would have awarded appellee less compensation benefits by the sum of $1075.64. In construing the provisions of Section 12 of Article 8306 known as a part of the Compensation Act and the rules of procedure in connection therewith, the Supreme Court does not seem to agree with appellant’s contentions here made. In the recent case of Hargrove v. Trinity Universal Ins. Co., 152 Tex. 243, 256 S.W.2d 73, 75, the court said .in part:

“Rule 301, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, provides: ‘The judgment of the court shall conform to the pleadings, the nature of the case proved and the verdict, if any, and shall he so framed as to give the party all the relief to which he may be entitled either in law or equity. * * * ’ ■ * * * Since the workman coming under the terms of the Act is denied his common law rights it is held that the Act should be liberally construed in his favor. Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Andrews, 130 Tex. 502, 110 S.W.2d 49; Maryland Casualty Co. v. Hendricks Memorial Hospital, 141 Tex. 23, 169 S.W.2d 969; American Mutual Liability Ins. Co. v. Parker, 144 Tex. 453, 191 S.W.2d 844. A liberal interpretation will award him the greatest benefits the nature of his injuries will sustain.”

The loss of the use of appellee’s leg below the knee is permanent or for lifetime, although he is compensated under the law for only 125 weeks. Permanent is a longer period than for 200 weeks. Because of the facts here presented, to which we believe the recent cited authority applies, we overrule appellant’s contentions here made.

Assuming, however, that appellant’s contentions are sound, under the principles of law announced by the court in the case of Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Brownlee, 152 Tex. 247, 256 S.W.2d 76, appellee would be entitled to recover benefits for the loss of the lower part of his right leg without regard to any injury received above the knee.

Appellant further contends that in the event judgment be rendered for compensation benefits by reason of appellee’s injury above the knee, there is no conflict between jury findings, but, if the judgment as rendered by the trial court for compensation benefits by reason of appellee’s injury below the knee is permitted to stand, there are conflicting and contradictory jury findings. Appellant predicates its contentions of conflicting and contradictory jury finding as the judgment now stands upon the fact that the jury found in answer to Special Issues Nos. 11, 12 and 13 that appellee’s injury below the knee resulted in a total loss of its use, permanently and not temporarily and that the jury’s answer to Special Issue No. 20 is in conflict with the findings shown particularly to the answer given to Special Issue No. 11. Special Issue No. 20 and the answer thereto are shown to be as follows :

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence, that the incapacity, if any, to the right leg of plaintiff was not caused solely by the partial loss of use, if any, of the leg below the knee? Answer ‘It was solely caused’ or ‘It was not solely caused.’
“Answer: It was solely caused.”

[868]*868Previously the jury had answered Special Issue No. 11 to the effect that appellee’s injury below the knee resulted in a total loss of the use of his right leg below the knee. Appellant ■ contends1 that the jury’s answer to Special Issue No. 11 conflicts with its 'answer given to Special Issue No. 20, which found, according to appellant’s contentions, that he received only a partial loss of the use of his right leg below the knee. An examination of Special Issue No. 20 and the answer thereto will reveal that such was a defensive issue and did not in fact 'constitute a finding that ap-pellee’s injury below the knee was partial. The ultimate question propounded in Special Issue No. 20 sought to find the cause of the ' incapacity of appellee’s ■ right leg and not whether it was total or partial. In submitting all issues' raised by the pleadings and evidence the trial court did inquire if appellee suffered a partial loss of the use of his right leg below the knee in submitting Special Issue No. 15 in the following language:

“Do you find, from a preponderance of the: evidence, that the plaintiff has ' suffered a partial' loss of the use of his right leg below the knee as a result • of the injury, if any, sustained by him bn January 6, 1954? Answer ‘Yes’ or ■ ‘No.’ '
“Answer: -=-.”

But -the jury did not answer Special Issue No. 15 since it had already answered in Special Issue No.

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285 S.W.2d 865, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-insurance-assn-v-ballard-texapp-1955.