Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Logsdon

278 S.W.2d 893
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 20, 1954
Docket6450
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 278 S.W.2d 893 (Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Logsdon) 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. Logsdon, 278 S.W.2d 893 (Tex. Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

PITTS, Chief Justice.

This is a Workmen’s Compensation case in which appellant, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association was the insurance carrier for Cactus Drilling Company, the employer by whom appellee, H. B. Logs-don, was employed on March 26, 1953, when he received alleged injuries as a result of a heavy bar striking him, for which he was awarded total and permanent disability benefits. As a basis for recovery, ap-pellee alleged his injuries on such occasion for which he sought compensation at the rate of $25 per week for 401 weeks or a total sum of $10,025. Appellee further sought a lump sum recovery and by stipulation of the parties it was agreed that a lump sum recovery would be proper if a right to total and permanent disability benefits were shown.

The case was tried to a jury upon special issues submitted as a result of which judgment was accordingly rendered in favor of appellee for the lump sum of $8,926.12 as total and permanent disability benefits, from which judgment appellant has perfected an appeal. The appeal is predicated upon 9 points charging error because of the alleged refusal of the trial court to instruct appellee’s counsel not to refer to or discuss the limited' nature of the Workmen’s Compensation Act; Vernon’s Ann. Civ.St. art. 8306 et seq., alleged improper argument of appellee’s counsel; jury misconduct, refusal to properly define the term “total incapacity,” and the failure to submit certain special requested issues.

Before voir dire examination of the jury, appellant moved the court in writing to instruct appellee’s counsel not to mention in the presence of the jury or read that part of his pleadings to the jury concerning the limited nature of the Compensation Act in connection with the provisions thereof limiting recovery to $25 per week for 401 weeks for total and permanent disability, a maximum of $25 per week for only 300 weeks for permanent partial disability, concerning the authorized one-third of the recovery as attorney’s fees, or concerning the strained financial circumstances of appel-lee such as would warrant the recovery of a lump sum, if any recovery be shown for total ánd permanent disability, since in such event appellant admits- a lump sum recovery would be proper. According to an approved stipulation, the trial court sustained that part of the motion concerning the authorization of one-third attorney fees in case of recovery, but overruled the remainder of the motion.

Appellant’s counsel charges that the other objectionable matters set out in appel-lee’s pleadings were read to the jury and a part of it again mentioned by appellee’s counsel in his argument to the jury. Ap-pellee’s counsel emphatically denies that such objectionable pleadings were read to the jury and asserts that the trial court actually sustained appellant’s motion pertaining to such matters and they were not read to the jury. Appellee’s counsel further asserts that no evidence was offered in support of appellee’s claim of a lump sum recovery, that no mention was made of such matters, and that his argument concerning other matters about which appellant here complains was invited by opposing counsel.

It appears that appellant’s counsel who briefed the case did not participate in the trial and would not, therefore, know personally what -pleadings were read "to the jury. We failed to find from the *897 record what pleadings, if any, were read to the jury. Before appellant should be heard to complain about objectionable pleadings having been read to the jury, it has the burden of establishing by some means reflected by the record that such were actually read to the jury. The stipulated bill of exception relied upon by appellant does not reveal that the objectionable matters were mentioned or referred to by appellee’s counsel in the presence of the jury. Ordinarily, it may be presumed that all necessary pleadings were read to the jury in compliance with the order of proceedings in a jury trial but such a presumption will not support a challenge to the use of objectionable pleadings when such a challenge raises a controverted issue such as we have here. Appellant nevertheless contends that its motion should have been sustained in its entirety but in our opinion it fails to cite any authorities sustaining its contention. Under the record here presented, such contentions are not well taken. There was no question about appellee’s injury. The extent of the injury and the duration of appellee’s incapacity were the controlling questions. Appellee’s original petition in general is in the usual form found in this type of case. As a part of his alleged cause of action, he pleaded the maximum weekly .compensation rate of $25 for a period of 401 weeks and relied on such rate whether he was able to obtain total permanent disability benefits or permanent partial disability benefits. To contend that such an allegation is one of law has been held not to be sound. Federal Underwriters Exchange v. Bickham, Tex.Civ.App., 136 S.W.2d 880, syl. 14, affirmed 138 Tex. 128, 157 S.W.2d 356. In our opinion, it was not reversible error ⅛ the case at bar to mention or refer to such weekly compensation rate in the presence of the jury or to have read that portion of the pleadings to the jury, if such pleadings were read to the jury.

Concerning appellant’s assignment of error charging improper argument before the jury by appellee’s counsel in his closing argument, it should be observed that counsel' has a right in such argument to make reasonable deductions from the evidence heard at the trial and to reply to arguments previously made by opposing counsel. The matters about which appellant here complains are set forth in two separate approved bills of exception too lengthy to be here incorporated. All of the arguments of counsel for both parties were set out in the approved statement of facts. We shall state from the record the chronological order of the pertinent matters as they occurred leading up to the closing argument of appellee’s counsel challenged here by appellant.

The evidence reveals ■ without objections that appellee was forty years of age, had grown up on a farm where he had worked since he was a lad until he entered the Army in- 1942; 'that he spent 'more than three years ill the European theatre of war where he was engaged in manual labor as a motor mechanic most of the time, putting in long hours particularly during an invasion; that he lived a hard Army life but was never bothered with disability, hence he never asked for or received any government disability ■ benefits; that upon being separated • from the • Army, he engaged in hard labor and had been “roughnecking” in the oil field since 1946 until he received the injury in question while he -was employed by Cactus Drilling Company, and was earning $108 per week, often with as much as $18 per week overtime pay added thereto.

Appellant’s witness, Dr. William David Sharp, testified in part that he treated the injuries of appellee beginning on March 27, 1953, found “multiple contusions” of the face, chest and right knee; that he saw appellee again professionally on March 28, March 30, April 1, April 3, and occasionally thereafter until June 17, 1953, during all of which time appellee still had not recovered and was not able to work because of his injuries. Appellee, testified at length about his injuries which, resulted in disabilities for which appellant had not paid him anything, not even a dime. Other witnesses testified concerning appellee’s injuries.

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278 S.W.2d 893, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-insurance-assn-v-logsdon-texapp-1954.