Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Collins

321 S.W.2d 119
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 11, 1959
Docket5294
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 321 S.W.2d 119 (Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Collins) 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. Collins, 321 S.W.2d 119 (Tex. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

ABBOTT, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case, in which appellee sued appellant to set aside an award of the Industrial Accident Board. Trial by jury was had in Andrews County and resulted in a judgment for appellee for the maximum amount allowed under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, for total and permanent disability. From this judgment appellant, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, has brought this appeal.

Hubert Collins, a Negro laborer SO years of age, was employed by the B.M.F.P. Construction Company some time in March or April of 1956, at a wage of $1.25 per hour. His duties varied, but part of his work was in helping to carry heavy stone that was being used on the construction of the Andrews County court house. Collins’ testimony was that, while lifting stone on August 7, 1956, he injured his back at about ten A. M.; that he continued to work on the same job until noon; and after noon, after telling his employer that he had injured his back, he was given lighter work; that he returned to light work the next day, but had to quit because of the pain, and that the next day, August 9th, he went to a doctor in Lamesa, Texas, his home, and that he did not return to work again. Appellant’s testimony controverted the date of injury, the fact that there was any injury, and the extent of the injury, if any.

This case was submitted to the jury in the form of special issues. Appellee had alleged his wage rate under Subsection 1 of the statutory definition of “average weekly wage” (Art. 8309, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, 1925), and, in the alternative, alleged his wage rate as defined under Subsections 2 and 3 of the statutory definition. The jury brought in a verdict with a finding establishing appellee’s wage rate under Subsection 1, submitted in Special Issue No. 13, and finding his average weekly wage to be $57.69 under Special Issue No. 14, not answering Special Issues 15, 16 and 17, dealing with Subsections 2 and 3. The verdict was accepted and filed; but, before the jury was discharged, appellant moved for a mistrial on grounds that no judgment could be entered on the verdict since Special Issue 13 had been answered in the affirmative, contrary to all the proof, as had Special Issue 14. Over the objection of appellant, the trial court then directed the jury further, in writing:

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Based on the evidence before you in this cause, the Court instructs you to disregard and not consider the condition and sentence just above and immediately preceding questions nos. 15, 16 and 17, and to return to the jury room and consider further your verdict.” (Signed G. C. Olsen, Judge Presiding.)

(Said condition and instruction being not to answer 15, 16 and 17 if the preceding issue was answered in the affirmative.) The jury negatived Subsection 2 in Special Issue 15, again gave an average weekly wage of $57.69 in Special Issue 16, and then in response to Special Issue 17, found a just and fair average weekly wage rate to both parties to be $50 under Subsection 3. Upon proper motion by appellee, the court ordered that the answers to Special Issues Nos. 13, 14 and 16, being unsupported by the evidence, be disregarded, and granted the appellee’s motion to enter judgment, and did enter judgment.

Appellant predicates its appeal on three points of error:

1. The trial court erred in entering judgment for the plaintiff after the jury found, without evidence in support thereof, that the plaintiff had worked substantially *121 the whole of the year immediately preceding the injury, in the same or similar employment.

2. The trial court erred in refusing the introduction into evidence of the plaintiff’s written statement, made without the benefit of medical report, that he had sustained a ruptured intervertebral disc.

3. The trial court erred in expressly permitting the plaintiff’s attorney to argue to the jury the inadequacy of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

The trial court found that there was insufficient evidence to support the findings of the jury in Special Issues Nos. 13, 14 and 16, and a very careful reading of the record reveals the same to us. Under Article 8309, the three methods of establishing the average weekly wage are set out. Subsection 1 must be disproved before Subsection 2 can be relied upon, and both Subsections 1 and 2 must be disproved before Subsection 3 can be employed. We believe that there is ample, uncontradicted testimony, by appellee, corroborated by appellant’s witnesses, French, Pigg and Smith, to eliminate Subsection 1, and there is absolutely no testimony that appellee was employed the substantial part of a year in like, or similar, employment. Although the jury found to the contrary, the trial court found that there was no evidence to support the jury’s findings and, upon proper motion, disregarded Special Issue No. 13.

Rule 301 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure states definitely that the court may, upon proper motion and notice, disregard any special issue jury finding because unsupported by the evidence. In Hines v. Parks, 128 Tex. 289, 96 S.W.2d 970 (Com.App., adopted Sup.Ct. Oct.1936), there is found a clear and concise statement as to the requirements justifying the setting aside of the special issue jury finding. Also, in this connection, see McDonald’s Texas Civil Practice, Vol. 4, ¶ 17.32, at 1412 and 1415, where it is stated:

“The .procedure fixed by Rule 301 should be followed carefully and the record should reflect this. A written motion seeking the relief is a prerequisite, whether the judgment sought is one disregarding answers to particular issues because unsupported by the evidence (citing Edmiston v. Texas & N. O. R. Co., 135 Tex. 67, 138 S.W.2d 526, Comm. B 1940; Christopherson v. Whittlesey, 197 S.W.2d 384, Ct.Civ. App. Beaumont, 1946, n. r. e. or is one disregarding the verdict as a whole because an instructed verdict would have been proper.”

We find further support of this in Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Milliken, Tex.Civ.App. Amarillo, 1937, 110 S.W.2d 108, at page 112, which was reversed for other reasons; Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Schaffer, Tex.Civ.App. Amarillo, 1942, 161 S.W.2d 328, at page 332, rehearing denied; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Heath, Tex.Civ.App. Galveston, 1946, 197 S.W.2d 130, at page 134, rehearing denied; Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Davis, Tex.Civ.App. Dallas, 1946, 196 S.W.2d 35, at page 42; Kurtz v. Robinson, Tex.Civ.App. Amarillo, 1952, 256 S.W.2d 1003, at page 1006, rehearing denied.

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321 S.W.2d 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-insurance-assn-v-collins-texapp-1959.