Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Smith

115 S.W.2d 1238, 1938 Tex. App. LEXIS 560
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 8, 1938
DocketNo. 1777
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 115 S.W.2d 1238 (Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Smith) 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 & P. Ry. Co. v. Smith, 115 S.W.2d 1238, 1938 Tex. App. LEXIS 560 (Tex. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

LESLIE, Chief Justice.

The plaintiff, Eula Janfe Smith, instituted this suit against the defendant to recover damages for injuries alleged to have been inflicted on her by reason of the defendant’s employees forcibly and negligently removing her from the toilet of the defendant’s train while she was a lawful passenger thereon. As the result of the treatment thus received she alleges that she sustained various. serious and permanent injuries, suffered a miscarriage, etc.

The defendant answered by general demurrer, general denial, and plea of contributory negligence. It was the pleading and proof of the defendant' that the plaintiff was attempting to throw herself from the moving train out of the window of the restroom and that it was necessary for the employees to break into that room and prevent her from accomplishing such purpose; that in doing so they used no more force than necessary under the circumstances. The case was submitted to a jury upon the following special issues and the answer to each issue is given:

“1. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s brakeman forcibly ejected the plaintiff Eula Jane Smith from the toilet on the occasion in question? Answer yes or no. Answer: Yes.
“If you have answered the foregoing special issue No. 1 ‘Yes’ and in that event only, then you will answer
“2. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s brakeman was negligent in forcibly ejecting, if he did, the plaintiff from said toilet? Answer yes or no. Answer: Yes.
“If you have answered questions Nos. 1 and 2 ‘Yes’ and in that event only, then you will answer
“3. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff sustained personal injuries as a result of being forcibly ejected, if she was, from said toilet? Answer yes or no. Answer: Yes.
“If you have answered Questions Nos. 1, 2 and 3 ‘yes’ and only in that event, then you will answer
“4. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the negligence, if any, inquired about in special issue No. 2, was a direct and proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries, if any? Answer yes or No. Answer: Yes.
“5. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s employees in charge of the train had .reasonable grounds to believe that the plaintiff was in such mental condition while traveling on defendant’s train that it was necessary for them to restrain plaintiff to prevent her from jumping off the train? Answer yes or no. Answer: Yes.
“6. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s employees used only such force in removing plaintiff from the toilet to her seat in the car as was reasonable and necessary, under the circumstances, for the protection of plaintiff? Answer yes or no. Answer: No.
[1240]*1240“7. Was the plaintiff guilty of negligence in the way and manner she acted in and after getting- on the train? Answer yes or no. Answer: No.
“8. Did such negligence, if any, on the part of the plaintiff, proximately contribute to her injuries, if any? Answer yes or no. ■ Answer: No.
“9. What amount of money, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence, if paid now in cash, would reasonably compensate the plaintiff for her injuries, if any, sustained as a direct and proximate result of the defendant’s negligence, if any? Answer: $1,200.”

The court entered a judgment accordingly. The defendant appeals. All assignments of error are addressed to the ruling of the trial court in overruling the motion for a new trial.

Appellant’s first assignment is that the court erred in refusing to direct a verdict in its behalf. An inspection of the record discloses that there was evidence to carry the case to the jury and sufficient to support the verdict. For this reason we also overrule the contention that the verdict and judgment is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.

The second and third assignments of error relating to the same matter will be considered together. The first raises the point that the jury having found in answer to issue No. 5 that' the defendant’s employees -had “reasonable grounds” to believe plaintiff was in such mental condition while traveling on the train “that it was necessary for them to restrain plaintiff to prevent her from jumping off the train,” and since there is no finding on “damages or injury” to plaintiff by reason of “any extra force exerted on the plaintiff to restrain her from jumping off the train, that the jury may have found plaintiff was injured by reason of being forcibly restrained from jumping from the train, although such restraint was necessary” and “there is no way to determine by the verdict * * whether the jury found the extra force exerted * * * in any way injured plaintiff.”

Stated somewhat differently in assignment No. 3, the contention is made that in submitting issue No. 9 the trial court called for a finding of damages by reason of being ejected from the toilet but did not “limit same to the unnecessary force used in ejecting her * * * and that it is impossible 'for the court to determine as to the amount of damages found by the jury by reason of the unnecessary 'force and the judgment as entered for $1200, includes damages for forcibly ejecting plaintiff from the toilet whether the injury was caused by unnecessary force or necessary force.” (Italics ours.)

The verdict in response to issues 1, 2, 3, and 4 fixed the liability of the defendant as for negligence, unless the effect of such finding was nullified by the jury’s answer to issue No. 5, wherein it was found “defendant’s employees in charge of the train had reasonable grounds to believe that the plaintiff was in such mental condition while traveling on defendant’s train that it was necessary for them to restrain plaintiff to prevent her from jumping off the train.”

The fact that the employees may have had “reasonable grounds” to entertain such belief concerning the plaintiff’s mental condition “while traveling on the train” would not warrant the employees in being “negligent in forcibly ejecting the plantiff from the toilet” — which fact is made the basis of the negligence complained of. Both facts, the one of “reasonable grounds” for apprehension, etc., and the other of “negligent conduct,” could exist at the same time, but the former would not justify or excuse the latter. Besides, the jury in response to issue No. 7 found that the plaintiff was not guilty of negligence in the “way and manner she acted in and after getting on the train,” and further in response to issue 6 that the defendant’s employees “in' removing her from the toilet to her seat,” did not use “only such force * * * as was reasonable and necessary under the circumstances for the protection of the plaintiff.” If the answer to issue No. 7 be correct, obviously there was nothing in the plaintiff’s conduct to give rise to the fears and apprehension entertained by the employees for this passenger’s safety.

It is not believed that the concern of the defendant’s employees, however natural, for the plaintiff, nor the reasons therefor, would afford the appellant a defense against the charge of negligence.

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Bluebook (online)
115 S.W.2d 1238, 1938 Tex. App. LEXIS 560, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-p-ry-co-v-smith-texapp-1938.