Ripley v. Wenzel
Ripley v. Wenzel
Opinion of the Court
Appellee, Wenzel, plaintiff below, sued the appellant, Ripley, for a balance due him as compensation for services as a builder, performed for appellant in the construction of an apartment house in the city of Houston. He alleged in his *898 pleadings, first, that the written contract between them was inoperative, because of mutual mistake and of inconsistencies and contradictions in its terms; second, that, if the contract was ever binding, it was abandoned and abrogated by the action of appellant in taking out of appellee’s hands all control over the building during the course of its construction, rendering it impossible for appellee to comply therewith, and by subsequent conduct of the parties wholly inconsistent with the further operation of the contract, and equivalent to and indicating an understanding that the building was not being erected in accordance therewith, but upon a different basis; and, third, that appellant had accepted and appropriated the services of appellee, and the use of his skill and equipment, and that the reasonable value thereof was 10 per cent, of the cost of the building. Appellant pleaded a .general denial, and specially denied, first, the invalidity of the contract; second, that he had taken out of appellee’s hands the control of the work during its progress, and asserted that he had at all times conceded to ap-pellee the power and authority of an independent contractor; and, third, alleged a breach of the contract upon the part of appellee, and claimed damages resulting therefrom. The case was tried before a jury, and on special issues the jury found that the contract was abandoned, and that it was thereafter understood that appellee should receive for his services ten per cent, of the cost of the building, and that the reasonable value of such services was 10 per cent, of such cost, and found against appellant on his cross-action for damages. The jury made other findings, which, in the view we take, are not material to a proper disposition of the case. Upon this verdict judgment was rendered in favor of appellee for $5,469.88, from which appellant has duly perfected this appeal.
It seems that the question raised by ap-pellee’s objection has been settled favorably to his contention. Scott v. Farmers’ & Merchants’ National Bank et al., 66 S. W. 485, is a case that was submitted by the trial court to a jury on special issues. There, as here, the assignments were predicated upon alleged erroneous findings of the jury. We quote the following from the opinion: “When a case has been submitted to a jury on special issues, and the findings of the jury entitled the plaintiff to a judgment, and the trial court overrules a motion to set aside the verdict, but the defendant does not, on appeal, assign as error the action of the court in overruling the motion for a new trial, can he complain of the judgment against him on the ground that certain findings of the jury are not supported by the testimony? We are of the opinion that this question must be answered in the negative. * * * Can such dissatisfied party remain inactive, and on appeal complain of the verdict or of the failure of the court to set it aside of its own motion? Clearly not, because it is not the duty of any court to set aside the verdict, unless requested so to do. There is but one remedy left, and that is to fight the verdict- — to move the court to set it .aside and grant a new trial. The law charges the party against whom the jury finds the facts with knowledge of the fact that the verdict is a barrier to his success; that, unless he secures its removal, it will necessarily be followed by a judgment against him, regardless of what the evidence may be. This being the case, he must not only ask the trial court to set the verdict aside, but if, on appeal he seeks to complain on account of the verdict, he must' do so under an assignment of error addressed to the action of the court in refusing to set it aside and grant a new trial. Armstrong v. Elliott [20 Tex. Civ. App. 41] 49 S. W. 636. * * * And so, * * * while 'Scott and the Citizens’ Railway Company attacked the verdict in the court below on grounds that may have been tenable, yet they have not pursued the attack in this court and assigned error upon the action of that court in overruling their motion to set aside the verdict; and, for that reason, in our opinion it must be held that they have waived their objections to it.”
But we would be inclined to consider the assignments, notwithstanding the opinion above quoted, but for the fact that they are not presented in accordance with the rules. Each of the assignments complains of a finding of the jury, and under none of them is it shown by the statement or otherwise that the alleged erroneous finding was called to the attention of the trial court by appellant in his motion for a new trial, or that the alleged error was sought to be corrected in the court below. Appellant’s motion for a new trial contains 40 distinct specifications of- error, and this court is not required to search through the lengthy motion to see whether the grounds of complaint urged in the assignments were presented to the trial court in the motion for a new trial. The assignments will not be considered.
The nineteenth assignment complains that the “court erred in entering judgment in behalf of plaintiff, because the verdict of the jury is so inconsistent in its several findings that it was impossible to enter an accurate judgment thereon.” Appellant asserts by his proposition, first, that unless, the verdict is certain in its several findings, or the matters found can be made certain by reference to the record, the verdict must be set aside for uncertainty; and, second,. *900 a verdict on special issues must lie the basis of the judgment, and the court cannot look to the record to supply any omissions or defects therein.
We find no reversible error in the record as presented to us, and the judgment of the court below is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ripley v. Wenzel. [Fn1]
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