Texas Employers Insurance Ass'n v. Johnson

275 S.W.2d 211
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 20, 1955
DocketNo. 6773
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 275 S.W.2d 211 (Texas Employers Insurance Ass'n v. Johnson) 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. Johnson, 275 S.W.2d 211 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

FANNING, Justice.

This is a workman’s compensation case. Upon trial 'by jury, the court rendered judgment for plaintiff, Hubert E. Johnson, based upon the verdict of the jury. The defendant, Texas Employers Insurance Association, has appealed.

Appellant by Points 1, 2 and 3, contends (in essence) (1) that the trial court erred in entering judgment for plaintiff because the jury verdict, in response to special issues submitted over the objection of the defendant, found in response to Special Issue No. 7 that plaintiff’s total incapacity was temporary and that the issue was so worded as to cast the burden of proof upon the defendant so that the finding of the jury that plaintiff suffered a temporary incapacity (in response to such issue as worded) will not support a judgment in favor of plaintiff; (2) that the court erred in submitting Special Issue No. 7 over the objections of appellant, etc.; (3) that the court erred in entering judgment in excess of 300 weeks because the jury’s verdict contained no affirmatively worded issue (etc.) upon which a judgment for total-temporary disability could be based.

Special Issue No. 7, which was answered: “It is temporary”, reads: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that said total incapacity to labor, if any, is not temporary? Let the form of your answer be ‘it is not temporary’ or ‘it is temporary.’ ”

The jury further found in response to Special Issues Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 that plaintiff had sustained an injury on or about October 29, 1952, which injury was accidental, was received in the course of his employment for defendant’s insured, that such injury resulted in total incapacity to labor, with said incapacity for labor beginning October 29, 1952, and that such total incapacity to labor was not permanent.

Following Special Issue No. 7, as above , quoted, and after a proper instruction as to the meaning of the term “temporary” the trial court gave the following instruction and Special Issue No. 8, as follows:

“If you have answered Special Issue No. 7 and have answered ‘it is not temporary,’ then you need not answer Special Issue No. 8, but if you have answered ‘it is temporary’ then answer Special Issue No. 8.
“Special Issue No. 8:
“What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence to be the period of time, if any, of such total incapacity to labor, if any? Answer in number of weeks if any.”

The answer to Special Issue No. 8 was: “130 weeks.”

[213]*213The jury in response to other special issues properly submitted also found that plaintiff sustained permanent partial incapacity to labor to the extent of 75%. Under properly submitted and answered wage rate issues under Subsections 1 and 2 of Sec. 1 of Art. 8309, Vernon’s Ann.Civ. St., the jury found the daily wage rate (under Subsec. 2) to be $15.99.

Plaintiff pleaded that he was totally and permanently disabled. Special Issue No. 7, as worded, was not primarily an issue whereby plaintiff was attempting to show that his total incapacity was temporary but to the contrary to show that his incapacity was not temporary. By its answer to Special Issue No. 6 the jury found that plaintiff’s total incapacity was not permanent. After answering Special Issue No. 7 to the effect that plaintiff’s total incapacity was temporary, the jury answered Special Issue No. 8 to the effect that such total incapacity would be for a period of 130 weeks.

In Maryland Casualty Co. v. Abbott, Tex.Civ.App., 148 S.W.2d 465, 469, w/dis., judg. cor., it is stated:

“The court did not submit to the jury in haec verba the issues of ‘temporary’ and ‘permanent’ total incapacity. But affirmatively, without any limitation on its right to answer the question, issue No. 10 sent to the jury ‘the length of time appellee’s “total incapacity” would continue.’ The jury, on its construction of the evidence, could have found in answer to this question, as it did, ‘For the remainder of his Life’ or for any period of time short of ‘the remainder of his Life.’ This submission satisfied fully the principle of law announced in the Washington case, Galveston, H. & S. A. R. Co. v. Washington, 94 Tex. [510] 516, 63 S.W. 534, 538, that the jury might have given effect to ‘temporary, total incapacity,’ ‘if it had been brought to their attention.’ Appellant’s substantive rights went no further than to have submitted to the jury an issue which would give it the option of finding a period of time short of ‘permanent’ total incapacity. Question No. 10 sent that issue to the jury.”

In Safety Casualty Co. v. Teets, Tex.Civ.App., 195 S.W.2d 769, 770, error refused, it is stated: “The issue submitted by the court (issue No. 8) inquiring as to ‘how long a period of time the total disability, if any, will continue,’ gives the jury a fair opportunity to answer that appellee’s disability was either temporary or permanent simply by stating its duration, and there is no reason requiring the trial court to again submit the identical issue couched in different language.”

In a recent compensation case, Stone v. Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n, Tex., 273 S.W.2d 59, 60, it is stated:

“These rules are to be given liberal construction to the end that litigation may be conducted impartially and expeditiously resolved. Rule 1, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. In the adoption of Rules 277 and 279 the object was to simplify the submission of cases to the jury under our special issue practice and to avoid much duplication and confusion that theretofore existed. Thus in Rule 277 a disjunctive form of submission is approved for two inconsistent issues where one or the other is necessarily true. In Rule 279 it is provided that 'where the court has fairly submitted the controlling issues raised by such pleading and the evidence, the case shall not be reversed becaiise of the failure to submit other and various phases or different shades of the same issue.’ * * *
“The tendency to simplify our special issue practice is a mark of progress toward the promotion and speedy disposition of litigation, particularly in this kind of a case where the award is to be made in lieu of wages lost by injury. Certainly confusion should be eliminated where the substantial right of the defendant to have his defense fairly submitted to the jury is not infringed.” (Italics ours.)

In Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Harris, Tex.Civ.App., 152 S.W.2d 857, 861, error dismissed, it is stated: “The [214]*214verdict, of course, must be construed as a whole.”

We overrule appellant’s first, second and third points. In assition to the above authorities, see the following authorities: Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Pillow, Tex.Civ.App., 268 S.W.2d 716, err. ref., n. r. e.; Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Goines, Tex.Civ.App., 202 S.W.2d 487, err. ref., n. r. e.; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Herndon, Tex.Civ.App., 95 S.W.2d 540, err. dis.; United Employers Casualty Co. v. Stewart, Tex.Civ.App., 157 S.W.2d 178, err.

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Related

Texas Employers Insurance Association v. Jackson
366 S.W.2d 599 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1963)

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275 S.W.2d 211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-insurance-assn-v-johnson-texapp-1955.