Treece v. Hamilton

378 S.W.2d 194, 53 Tenn. App. 13, 1963 Tenn. App. LEXIS 126
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedDecember 12, 1963
StatusPublished

This text of 378 S.W.2d 194 (Treece v. Hamilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Treece v. Hamilton, 378 S.W.2d 194, 53 Tenn. App. 13, 1963 Tenn. App. LEXIS 126 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

S. J. MILLIGAN, Special Judge.

Lawrence E. Hamilton sues the defendants, Kandy Treece and Tucker Steel Corporation, for Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) for damages to his tractor, personal injuries and for loss of the use of the tractor while being repaired.

At the conclusion of all the evidence, on motion of the plaintiff, the Court directed the jury to return a verdict for the plaintiff, leaving only for the jury the question of damages; whereupon the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, Lawrence E. Hamilton, for Seven [15]*15Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($7,323.98) and on motion for new trial being filed, the Trial Court granted a remittitur of One Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($1,323,98), leaving a net verdiot for the plaintiff of Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00). The remittitur was accepted, and defendants appealed.

The defendants assigned four errors, none of which complains of action of the Court in directing a verdict for the plaintiff on the question of liability.

In defendants’ first assignment of error they say that the Court erred in not sustaining their motion for new trial and motion for new trial as amended on each ground thereof, and particularly the amended motion which challenged the competency of the juror, Mrs. Porter.

By the second assignment defendants complain of the verdict being excessive, and by the third assignment they say the verdict was so excessive as to evince passion, prejudice and caprice.

The third assignment need not be considered by this Court for the reason that since the passage of Chapter 253 of the Acts of 1949, Tennessee Code Annotated 27-118, it is not necessary for the Court to find that a verdict is so excessive as to indicate passion, prejudice, corruption, partiality, or unaccountable caprice on the part of the jury. The Court may only consider whether or not the verdict “should be reduced”. Streetman v. Richardson, 37 Tenn.App. 524 at 527, 266 S.W.(2d) 838.

By the fourth assignment they reiterate their complaint as to the competency of the juror, Mrs. Porter.

By these assignments two questions are presented:

[16]*16(1) Is the verdict of the jury, after the remittitur by the Trial Court, excessive?

(2) Were the defendants denied a fair and impartial trial on the question of damages because of the alleged incompetence of one member of the jury?

The determination of the first question requires a review of the evidence. It is well established that it is not the prerogative of this Court t,o weigh the evidence, but it is its duty to determine whether the amount of the verdict is supported by material evidence. Friendship Telephone Company v. Russom, 43 Tenn.App. 441, 309 S.W.(2d) 416; Lyman et al. v. American National Bank and Trust Company, 48 Tenn.App. 328, 346 S.W.(2d) 289.

The verdict was a general verdict for Seven Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents, and under the statute, T.C.A. see. 20-1318, a general verdict is held to embrace every issue unless exception is taken at the term at which the verdict is rendered; and the record does not disclose any exception such as is contemplated by the statute having been made ; however, on the hearing of the motion for new trial, defendants relied upon the affidavit of counsel to the effect that the foreman of the jury reported, “The jury has awarded for property damage Three Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($3,323.98); loss of wages, Fifteen Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00)”.

The bill of exceptions shows the following:

“THE FOREMAN: Tour Honor, the jury has awarded for property damage $3,323.98 loss of wages * * ”.
[17]*17“THE COURT: Just give me a total.”

Thereupon the Foreman reported a total verdict of Seven Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($7,323.98).

Defendants say that by a mathematical calculation the jury’s verdict was, property damage Three Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($3,323.98), loss of wages Fifteen Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) and personal injuries Two Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00).

Plaintiff testified that the tractor was repaired at a cost of Three Thousand, Three Hundred Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($3,323.98). The service manager of the company making the repair testified to the same effect and that it was necessary to replace the cab.

Plaintiff testified that the truck was in repair shop approximately thirty-four days and based on gross income during the eight months preceding the accident, and deducting therefrom the amount of expenses which would have been incurred and what were incurred the record shows a net loss of in excess of Seventeen Hundred Dollars ($1,700.00).

This brings us to the consideration of the award for personal injuries — which, according to the mathematical calculation set out herein, was Two Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00).

Plaintiff says he had a cut on his wrist, was bruised and shaken up and was sore and stiff for over two weeks, but that he had no permanent injuries. The Court granted a remittitur of One Thousand, Three Hundred [18]*18Twenty-Three Dollars and Ninety-Light Cents ($1,-323.98), reducing the verdict to Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00). As the verdict was a general verdict, we cannot say the Trial Court applied the remittitur to any particular item attempted to be set up by the defendants.

In (Blue) Star Service, Inc. v. McCurdy, 36 Tenn.App. 1, 251 S.W.(2d) 139, the Court said:

“Also, ‘There is added weight to the judgment of the trial court, when, as here, the Circuit Court, by way of remittitur, reduced the amount of damages fixed by the jury’. Ezell v. Sign Post Co. Inc., 30 Tenn.App. 256, 205 S.W.(2d) 13; Smith v. Sloan, 189 Tenn. 368, 377, 225 S.W.(2d) 539, 227 S.W.(2d) 2.”

We find there was. substantial evidence to sustain the jury’s verdict, and the assignments of error in reference to same are overruled.

Defendants say they were denied a fair trial because of the alleged incompetence of one of the jurors.

On voir dire examination of the jury the following questions and answers appeared:

“MB. ELY: * * * Does any member of the jury at this time have any case pending involving an automobile accident, any immediate member of your family been involved in a serious automobile accident?”

In response to this question one juror answered that his wife had been injured and had not recovered, and one juror answered that his daughter had been involved in a small accident. The record does not disclose that any other juror responded to- the above question.

[19]*19On the voir dire Mrs. Porter stated that her husband was deceased but had been a tractor trailer driver prior to his death.

Mr. Howard Kelsey filed an affidavit in support of defendants’ motion for a new trial in which he stated he as a representative of the defendant, Steel Company, was present in court and heard the above question asked and that since the trial he had found that Mrs.

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Related

Lyman v. American National Bank & Trust Company
346 S.W.2d 289 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1960)
Friendship Telephone Company v. Russom
309 S.W.2d 416 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1957)
Kirkendoll v. State
281 S.W.2d 243 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1955)
Ezell v. Post Sign Co., Inc.
205 S.W.2d 13 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1947)
Durham v. States
188 S.W.2d 555 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1945)
Thomas v. State
109 Tenn. 684 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1902)
Mahon v. State
127 Tenn. 535 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1912)
Smith v. Sloan
225 S.W.2d 539 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1949)
Thomas v. Hodges
299 S.W.2d 1 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1957)
Meacham v. Woods
325 S.W.2d 281 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1959)
(Blue) Star Service, Inc. v. McCurdy
251 S.W.2d 139 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1952)
Streetman v. Richardson
266 S.W.2d 838 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1953)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
378 S.W.2d 194, 53 Tenn. App. 13, 1963 Tenn. App. LEXIS 126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/treece-v-hamilton-tennctapp-1963.