Jordan v. Philadelphia
Jordan v. Philadelphia
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The refusal of the court below to affirm the point, that “ Under all the evidence, the verdict must be for the defendant,” is the only alleged error complained of in this case. The ground upon which such instruction was asked was that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence and that the trial judge should have so instructed the jury.
As we view the evidence, this was not a question of law. There were elements of doubt in regard to it which made it a question of fact for the jury. “ Whenever there is reasonable doubt as to the inference to be drawn from the facts established by the testimony, the question of negligence is necessarily for the jury:” Shaffer v. Harmony Boro., 204 Pa. 339. Negligence on the part of the defendant is not denied here, and could not be, under the circumstances. Was there reasonable doubt as to the inference to be drawn from the facts established by the testimony which carried the case to the jury ?
The plaintiff also testified that there was water in the street, so that it was unsafe to step down into it, even if she had known that the sidewalk was unsafe, but it does not seem to us that the case reached the stage at which it was necessary to determine whether or not she was bound to take some other route than the one upon which she was going in returning to her home, and that question is, therefore, unimportant. At the most it was a disputed question.
The general instructions of the trial judge in the court below were full and of such a character that the defendant had no right to complain of them. They were such that it is not to be wondered at that the only ruling of which the defendant complains was the refusal to instruct the jury to find for it. In this there was no error.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.