Adams v. Wilkes
Adams v. Wilkes
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
Action for $7,000 damages, alleged to have been sustained by the plaintiff in the destruction of his dwelling house by fire caused by the alleged negligence of the defendants in installing a heating plant, which they had undertaken under a written contract. The case was tried before Judge Moore and a jury, November term, 1920, and resulted in a verdict for the defendant. Plaintiff appeals.
*96 On April 2, 1919, the plaintiff and the defendants entered into a written contract by which the defendants undertook to' furnish and install in the plaintiff’s dwelling house a heating plant of specified description, with certain accessories mentioned, for $253.50. The contract contained a-certain guaranty, the only portion of which pertinent to the present controversy is an undertaking on the part of the plaintiff to furnish “a suitable chimney,1’ into the lower part of which the smoke pipe from the furnace was to be inserted.
The witness .was allowed, to state that the flue (of the chimney) was built wrong; that the pipe entered the corner *97 of the chimney; that to be safe it should have entered in front of the- fireplace, and not at the corner of the chimney; with an elbow; that, entering the corner, there should have been a course of two bricks laid flat between the entrance of the pipe and any inflammable material. It was. a necessary conclusion from this testimony that the pipe was not properly installed, which the jury were as capable of forming as the witness, and must have formed if they believed the witness. The refusal to allow the witness to state the only possible conclusion from this testimony was entirely proper.
The question of the origin 'of the fire was one of the issues of fact in the case, to be determined by the jury from the evidence. The opinion of the witness must necessarily have been a conjecture, which the jury were as capable of forming as the witness; the matter was properly left to them.
The agreed case contained the statement:
“The witness then as an expert testified what would have been a proper way to have put the pipe in the chimney.”
This covered any possible error that may have been committed.
“So, if you conclude that the heating plant caused the fire, you next ascertain from the evidence whether or not there was negligence and carelessness on the part of the defendants in putting it in. Did they put it in so as to bring the heat in contact with, or so near, the timber as to communicate fire to the timber and then set fire to the house? Was there a piece of timber there, and by the exercise of due care could they have found out that it was there? These are’ questions of fact which you are to decide from the evidence, and the plaintiff must show you these facts *99 by the greater weight of the evidence before he can recover.”
The judgment of this Court is that the judgment of the Circuit Court be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Adams v. Wilkes Et Al.
- Cited By
- 3 cases
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- Syllabus
- 1. Appeal and Eebor—Findings on Conflicting Evidence Not Disturbed.—Finding of jury on sharply conflicting evidence cannot he disturbed on appeal. 2. Evidence—Conclusion of Expebt Held Pboperly Excludf.d.'—In an action against installers of heating plant for damages for loss of house by fire, Court did not err in refusing to allow witness offered as an expert to state that pipe was not properly installed, and to state where in his opinion the fire started, having been allowed to state that the chimney was built wrong, that pipe entered the corner thereof, and to be safe it should have entered at front of the chimney, etc., since the opinion of witness as to where the fire started must necessarily have been a conjecture which the jury were as capable of forming as the witness. 3. Appeal and Error—Erroneous Exclusion op Evidence Cured by Admission op Testimony op Same Witness.—Any error of the Court in refusing to allow a witness to answer the question, “If that pipe had been properly installed, how ought it to have gone in there,” was cured where such witness as an expert tes lifted what would have been a proper way to install the pipe. 4. Appeai and Error—Exception Contrary to Rule Not Considered.—An exception containing three) distinct propositions with no specification of error to any one of them in violation of Supreme Court Rules, No. 5, § 6 (90 S. E. VII) will not be considered. 6. Evidence—Pleaded Portion op Contract Below Signature Held Admissible.—Court did not err in allowing in evidence the pleaded portion of a contract containing a guaranty which appeared below the signature .of the complaining party, being upon the same sheet and becoming a part of the contract regardless of the particular point upon the paper where the signature appeared. 6. Evidence—Test op Furnace Held Admissible in Action For Loss by Fire.—In an action against installers of heating plant for loss of house by fire claimed to have been caused by proximity of wood to pipe), where defendant contended that furnace did' not start fire, Court properly permitted witness to testify that they tied paper on the pipe of a larger furnace, and that the pipe did not set it afire, though thel paper was left there 3 1-2 hours with the register red hot. 7. Trial—Allowing Attorneys to Accompany Jury in Viewing Premises Discretionary.-—-It is discretionary with the presiding Judge to allow or refuse to allow attorneys in the case to accompany the jury on an inspection of premiseis involved. 8. Negligence—Instruction Held Not To Absolve Installers op Furnace From Exercising Due Care.—In an action against installers of heating plant for damages for loss of house by fire, an instruction held to protect plaintiff from any possible inference that in contracting to furnish a suitable) chimney defendants were absolved from the duty of due care under the circumstances. 9. Trial—Verdict in Singular Instead op Plural Not Reversible.— In an action against several defendants, plaintiff cannot complain that the verdict was in the singular, “for the) defendant,” instead of in the plural.