Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Perkins

48 S.W.2d 249
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedApril 28, 1932
DocketNo. 1530—5840
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 48 S.W.2d 249 (Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Perkins) 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 & P. Ry. Co. v. Perkins, 48 S.W.2d 249 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1932).

Opinion

SHARP, J.

Claude Perkins filed this suit in the district court of Harrison county against the Texas & Pacific Railway Company for damages for personal injuries, claiming that the sight of his right eye was destroyed as a result of the alleged negligence of a coemployee. It is alleged that the cause of action arises under an act of Congress known as the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (USCA, title 45, c. 2, § 51 et seq.).

The case was tried before a jury. Based upon answers made to special issues submitted to the jury, the trial court entered judgment in favor of Perkins against the railway company for the sum of $4,000. The Court of Civil Appeals at Texarkana affirmed the judg[250]*250'ment of the trial court. 29 S.W.(2d) 835. A writ of error was granted to review the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals.

Defendant in error moves that the writ of error be dismissed because not filed in time as required by law.

The rule is now well established that the filing of an application for writ of error with the clerlt of the Court of Civil Appeals within the time prescribed by article 1742, E. S., is necessary to confer jurisdiction on the Supreme Court. National Compress Co. v. Hamlin, 114 Tex. 375, 269 S. W. 1024, 1027; Tribble v. Uvalde Co. (Tex. Com. App.) 300 S. W. 23; Ladd-Hannon Oil Corp. v. Tripplehorn, 118 Tex. 195, 13 S.W.(2d) 666.

The rule is also well established by the foregoing authorities that a second motion for rehearing by plaintiff in error cannot be used to secure an extension of time to complain of rulings made on a previous motion.

In the case of National Compress Co. v. Hamlin, Judge Greenwood, in rendering the opinion of the court, reviewed the authorities bearing upon this question and clearly stated the rule to be as follows: “On the facts stated it is the settled rule that the petition filed on May 5, 1924, conferred no jurisdiction on this court. Article 154Í of the Eevised Statutes requires the filing of the petition for writ of error with the clerk of the Court of Civil Appeals ‘within thirty days from the overruling of the motion for rehearing.’ Long v. Martin, 112 Tex. 365, 247 S. W. 827. When plaintiffs in error allowed 30 days to elapse from, not only the date of overruling their motion for rehearing, but from the date of filing off the opinion of Chief Justice Pleasants of March 6, 1924, the time had passed to invoke the appellate jurisdiction of this court to review the order refusing to grant the rehearing or any ruling embodied in Chief Justice Pleasants’ opinion. Had the Court of Civil Appeals rendered any decision against plaintiffs in error on April 17, 1924. or at any other time within 30 days before they filed their petition for writ of error, of a nature subject to review by this court, a different question would be presented. This case is one where plaintiffs in error simply seek to use a second motion for rehearing as a means to secure an extension of time to complain of rulings made, not on such second motion, but on a previous motion for rehearing. A second motion cannot be used to accomplish any such end. Henningsmeyer v. Bank, 109 Tex. 116, 195 S. W. 1137, 201 S. W. 652; Vinson v. Carter, 106 Tex. 273, 166 S. W. 363; Smith v. Patton (Tex. Com. App.) 241 S. W. 109.”

The Supreme Court has consistently adhered to the rules announced above. But it is contended by plaintiff in error that the facts of this ease distinguish it from the facts involved in the cases upon which the foregoing rules rest. The facts are undisputed that the original opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court was dated July 10, 1930. Plaintiff in error in due time filed a motion for rehearing, which was overruled in a written opinion dated July 31, 1930. In due time, within fifteen days thereafter, defendant in error filed a motion for rehearing, which was overruled in a written o'pinion dated October 2, 1930. That an application for writ of error was filed by plaintiff in error with the clerk of the Court of Civil Appeals on October 31,' 1930.

Article 1877, E. S. 1925, provides that: “Any party desiring a rehearing of any matter determined by any Court of Civil Appeals, may, within fifteen days after the date of entry of the judgment or decision of the court * * * file with the clerk of said court his motion in writing for a rehearing there-q£9 * * * ”

. It is plain that the Legislature in the enactment of article 1877 intended to permit any party desiring a rehearing of any matter passed upon by the Court of Civil Appeals, within fifteen days after the date of the entry of the judgment or decision of the court, to file with the clerk of the court a motion in writing for rehearing. There is no ambiguity about the words or terms used in this statute. Its meaning is clear. The court having rendered an opinion in writing on July 31, 1930, i overruling plaintiff in error’s motion for re-1 hearing, defendant in error had the right, un-1 der the statute, to file his motion for rehearing and the Court of Civil Appeals clearly had jurisdiction to hear such motion, and the Court of Civil Appeals exercised that jurisdiction and Wrote an opinion overruling it.

To give the construction to this article of I the statute as contended for would be to compel a party to appeal by writ of error from the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals and allege the grounds of complaint before it was definitely known just what the final judgment or decision of the Court of Civil Appeals would be. After the Court of Civil Appeals had overruled plaintiff in error’s motion for rehearing, unless the court had changed its ruling in some way, a second motion for rehearing could not be filed by plaintiff in error in order to gain an extension of time. This rule is definitely settled. But the decisions do not hold that under article 1877 the defendant in error would not have the right to file a motion for rehearing complaining of the ruling of the Court of Civil Appeals and have the court pass upon it. Certainly the act of defendant in error in presenting his motion for rehearing could not be chargeable to plaintiff in error to the effect that it was seeking an extension of time.. The defendant in error under the law had a right to have the errors complained of passed upon, if presented in due time, and this record shows that the Court of Civil Appeals overruled this motion for rehearing in a written opinion, dated Oc[251]*251tober 2,1930, and that the application for writ of error was filed by plaintiff in error within thirty days thereafter.

If a construction of the statute should be given as contended for, it would require a litigant to file his application for writ of error before the Court of Civil Appeals had finally acted upon the case. The law requires all errors relied upon to be incorporated in the application for writ of error, and, if not, they are waived. It would be impossible to do this until the Court of Civil Appeals had finally acted upon all motions properly and legally before it. We must assume in construing a statute that it was not the intention of the Legislature to require an impossible thing. To give the statute the construction contended for would be to deny litigants their just and legal rights and create an anomalous situation never contemplated by the Legislature. Therefore, we hold that the Supreme Court acquired jurisdiction of this ease, and the motion to dismiss the application for writ of error is overruled.

Plaintiff in error contends that the case having been submitted to the jury on special issues, it was error to give defendant in error's special charge No.

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Bluebook (online)
48 S.W.2d 249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-p-ry-co-v-perkins-texcommnapp-1932.