Pickens v. Harrison
Pickens v. Harrison
Dissenting Opinion
joined Justice Smedley, dissenting.
I dissent from that portion of the majority opinion dealing with the amount of damages awarded the respondents and from
The majority holds that both of the respondents, Combs the landlord and Harrison the tenant, have recovered double damages; and, based upon the holding that “we can determine exactly the amount of double recovery for each of the respondents,” proceeds to reform the trial court’s judgment by eliminating the sum of $28,568.80 from the judgment running in favor of Harrison and the sum of $2,787.20 from the judgment running in favor of Combs. These items of recovery represent the pecuniary loss found by the Court and the jury to have been sustained by the respondents from damage to their 1949 rice crop. The theory on which the items are eliminated is that they are included in other items of damages awarded the respondents.
An analysis of the record will reflect that the judgment actually decrees a double rcovery only if the jury actually awarded 1949 crop damage to Harrison in answer to special issue No. 14 and to Combs in answer to special issue No. 16. I submit that we do not and at this stage of the proceedings cannot know that the jury did, in fact, include 1949 crop damage in its answers to those issues. I submit further that it is only by the wildest stretch of the judicial imagination that the precise amount of 1949 crop damage, if any, included in the jury’s answers to issues Nos. 14 and 16 can be determined.
It seems to me that the majority misconceives the nature of the error we are called upon to consider. The error here, if there be any, lies not in the fact that the judgment decrees a double recovery but in the fact that it may do so. Inasmuch as 1949 crop damage was to be determined by answers to other issues it was error for the court to word or phrase issues 14 and 16 so that the jury’s answers to those issues could award the same damage again. Our first task then is to examine issues 14 and 16 to see if, fairly interpreted, they permitted answers that would include such damage. Unless they did, there was no error in the charge and we need pursue the inquiry no further. We first consider issue No. 16 dealing with Combs’ damages.
The holding of the majority that the jury’s answer of $13, 600.00 to issue No. 16 includes 1949 crop damage treats issues Nos. 15 and 16 as though they inquire whether Combs has lost anything under his lease to Harrison and the amount of the loss. If such was in fact the nature of the inquiry I would agree
With respect to the respondent Harrison it is held that 1949 crop damage is included in the trial court’s judgment decreeing to him a recovery of $49,160.00, found by the jury in answer to special issue No. 14 to be the amount by which “the value of the use” of his “leasehold interest” in the land was reduced. I agree that the wording of issue No. 14 was such as to authorize the jury to include 1949 crop damage in their answer thereto. But the fact that the issue and the charge may have been erroneous to this extent does not require the conclusion that the jury did award crop damage in its answer to the issue or compel the subtraction of $28,568.80 from Harrison’s recovery.
It is my opinion that as to Harrison’s recovery of damages the judgment presents a situation to which the provisions of Rule 503, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, are applicable. It is there directed that we shall not reverse a judgment for errors of law committed in the course of the trial unless we are of the opinion that the error complained of “was reasonably cal
For the purpose of this discussion we may assume that it was error to so word issue No. 16 as to permit the jury to include 1949 crop damage in their answer thereto when that specific item of damage was being determined separately by answers to other issues. Since the issue was so worded as to permit the jury to include 1949 crop damage in their answer thereto, we may assume also that the error was “reasonably calculated” to cause the entry of a judgment awarding to Harrison double damages — an improper judgment. But the provisions of the rule direct that we must not stop our analysis at this point and order a reversal on what we thus far have concluded. We must go further before ordering a reversal and find from an examination of the whole record (see Cole v. Waite, 151 Texas 175, 246 S.W. 2d 849; City of Galveston v. Hill, 151 Texas 139, 246 S.W. 2d 860; Dallas Ry. & Term. Co. v. Bailey, 151 Texas 359, 250 S.W. 2d 379) that the error “probably did cause” the rendition of a judgment decreeing a double recovery. Moreover, the burden is on petitioners to satisfy us that the jury’s answer to issue No. 14 probably included 1949 crop damage. Texas P. & L. Co. v. Hering, 148 Texas 350, 224 S. W. 2d 191; City of Galveston v. Hill, supra.
The only support the majority offers for its conclusion that the jury’s answer to issue No. 14 probably did include 1949 crop damage is that the issue was so worded that it could have been included. The majority then says that “by the wording of the issue the jury were affirmatively instructed to include all damage done in their answers sought” and concludes that the answer to issue No. 14 therefore “must of necessity” include 1949 crop damage. Aside from the fact that I am unable by diligent search to find in the court’s charge any such affirmative instruction as that mentioned by the majority, the jury certainly was not instructed to include all damages done to Harrison in its answer sought to issue No. 14. By the giving of separate issues dealing with 1949 crop damage the jury was at least impliedly instructed to segregate this item of damage. I do not regard the fact that the issue was so worded that crop damage could have been included as sufficient proof that it probably was included.
My own examination of the record reflects the following pertinent facts: By the petition upon which he went to trial Harrison pleaded specially “that by reason of the loss of 5,076.4
Consideration of the record leads to these further conclusions: If $28,568.80 of the $49,160.00 item is allocated to crop damage according to the holding of the majority, only $20,591.20 is left to be allocated to damage to the remainder of the eleven-year leasehold estate although all the pleadings and evidence were to the effect that the damage to the remainder of the leasehold estate was much greater than the 1949 crop damage. To allocate $28,568.80 to 1949 crop damage would also result in an award to the tenant as damages to his leasehold estate of only
To my mind the foregoing facts shown by the record demonstrate almost conclusively that the jury did not include 1949 crop damage in its answer to issue No. 14. It follows that we should not say that it probably did include it. It then follows that we should not say that the error in the wording of issue No. 14 probably resulted in the rendition of an improper judgment.
It is no answer to say that the provisions of Rule 508 do not apply when we reform and affirm a trial court’s judgment. The effect of our judgment is to reverse an important part of the judgment of the courts below because of an error which it is not shown probably resulted in an improper judgment. This is the result the rule was intended to prevent. In my opinion the judgments of the trial court and Court of Civil Appeals should be affirmed.
Mr. Associate Justice Smedley joins in this opinion.
Opinion delivered October 22, 1952.
Rehearing overruled December 3, 1952.
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
Respondents, Harrison and Combs, filed this suit in the District Court of Jackson County, Texas, against petitioner seeking damages as a result of an alleged pollution of water in respondents’ irrigation well and which water, it was alleged, had become salty as a result of such negligent acts of petitioner, and had damaged a rice crop which Harrison, as tenant, had growing on Combs’ land during 1949. Respondents sought damages both to Harrison’s leasehold estate, and Combs’ ownership
Petitioner comes before this court with eight points of error to the holding of the Court of Civil Appeals. Our decision in Landers v. East Texas Salt Water Disposal Co., 151 Texas 251, 248 S. W. 2d 731, decided while this cause was pending on application disposed of the 8th point adverse to petitioner’s contention, and the 8th point has not been urged in argument, or the briefs filed by petitioner.
Petitioner’s remaining points of error may be grouped into the following contentions:
(1) There being no findings by the jury on the ultimate fact issues necessary to a recovery by respondents (a) whether or not any salt water from petitioner’s wells reached respondents’ irrigation well, and (b) reached there in sufficient quantities, and (c) with sufficient saline content when commingled with the irrigation water coming from the well to damage growing rice, no judgment could be rendered against petitioner. (2) There is no evidence to support the jury’s finding on proximate cause. (3) There is no evidence to support the recovery for future damages as to permanency of the alleged contamination, and (4) Right of lessee Harrison to recovery for contamination of water sands occurring prior to date of respondent Harrison’s lease contract, and (5) There was a double recovery given by the trial court.
We have carefully read and studied the 1269-page statement of facts, the 214-page Volume of the documentary exhibits, and the some 50-odd maps, cross-sections and plats, which constitute the record of the evidence introduced upon the three-weeks trial of this cause. In addition we have examined and studied the elaborate peg model of the 45-core holes, and which purports to show the elevation of the holes and the thickness of the first sand in each hole. To detail the evidence at any length would make this opinion entirely too long. We will endeavor to1 summarize this mass of testimony so as to bring out the high points of the evidence viewed from the standpoint of respondents in accordance with well recognized rules of law.
It is fundamental that the rule to be applied is “if discarding all adverse evidence and giving credit to all evidence favor
The evidence showed that Harrison had an eleven-year lease on Combs land, beginning December 15, 1948. Immediately thereafter he drilled and equipped an irrigation well on this land and prepared the land for irrigation at a cost of $25,000.00 and planted a rice crop for year 1949. The land was very fine rice land and was the same as sod. The land was properly prepared for the crop and the seed sowed in April and May of 1949 and came up to a very fine stand — one of the best in that vicinity. The crop was of a fine, healthy color and when watered the crop grew and flourished abundantly. After a flooding of water from the irrigation well about the first of July, the tops of the stalks began to turn reddish brown and rust colored, the plant began to look sick, and stopped growing. The stalk did not boot out, nor the head fill as it should. As each plot of ground would be irrigated the crop would begin to show damage. This deterioration continued until the crop was harvested in the fall. It was stipulated as to the number of barrels of rice actually made on the 359.7 acres in rice, and which could be irrigated from this well, and also the price which was received for the rice. When the rice first began to burn and show evidences of damage, about July 13, 1949, respondent consulted a Dr. Wyche, of the Rice Experiment Station of Texas A. & M. College, who inspected the crop and recommended the application of certain fertilizers which respondents applied promptly and in the best recognized manner and method. This application did not benefit the crop, and it continued to deteriorate. Dr. Wyche testified that after examining the land, the way the rice had been planted and cultivated, the appearance of the rice after it began to show deterioration, and the failure of the crop to respond to the fertilizer, he saw no other source of the damage except water from the irrigation well, and that he did not know of any cause for the damage other than salt water from the well. Other witnesses testified as to the crop before and after the damage, that when the well was first completed it produced good water that tasted
The evidence as to the source of contamination was as follows : About two miles in a general northeasterly direction, in November 1943 the Little Kentucky Oil Field was brought in by petitioner. Huseman No. 1 well began making approximately 15% salt water about three weeks after it was brought in (this would fix the date as approximately December 1, 1943). This well increased its output of salt water in 1944 to 25% and in 1945 to 80%, which latter figure was 150 to 165 barrels per day. In 1949 the output of salt water had increased to 92% or approximately 460 barrels per day. Petitioner had other oil wells making some salt water on the Kramer & Chernosky leases and which was put into Lunis Creek. (The Harrison irrigation well was located about 6000 feet west from this creek.) From the beginning of production until June 1949 this salt water was run into a borrow ditch which took it to Lunis (or Looney’s) Creek. The creek ran generally in a north and south direction across a part of the Combs tract. It was estimated that about 495,000 barrels and in excess of 20,000,000 gallons of salt water had been disposed of down this borrow ditch and Lunis Creek during the six years this method of disposal was used. The general slope of the surface of the ground and the run-off of rain
Three witnesses who had drilled core holes into the first water sand, and one into the second water sand, testified in the case. The first sand was at depths varying from 10 to 16 feet, while the second sand ran about 28 to 32 feet. Each witness took water samples from each sand tested, where the sand was not dry, and the samples were analyzed by competent chemists for sodium chloride (salt) content, and the reports of such analysis were introduced in evidence. The first witness (respondents) took his coring the latter part of October and early in November of 1949. During the first part of October 1949 the rainfall in this vicinity was from 9.34 inches to a high of 14.85 inches, and the total October rainfall was from 15.55 to 22.66 inches. All scientific witnesses said that heavy rains would pass into the first sand and dilute the salt content. The salt content of the corings near Lunis Creek as shown by first witness, and in the first two sands were from 4440 parts of salt per million parts
The irrigation well was 26 inches in diameter and about 500 feet deep. Inside this hole was an 18 inch steel casing down to about 225 feet and from there on to the bottom was 12 inch steel casing. Between the outside of the casing and the wall of the well was poured coarse gravel so that the water from the various sands could percolate down and be picked up by the pump. The casing was not perforated for 109 feet, which was the pump setting, but below this level there were holes cut in the sides of the casing opposite each water-bearing sand. One of petitioner’s witnesses testified that the first sand was continuous from the Little Kentucky Field down to Harrison’s well. A ground water expert testifiying for respondents, in answer to a proper hypothetical question testified that the salt water from the Huseman pit percolated through the water sand and contaminated Harrison’s well. One of petitioner’s witnesses testified that he could not think of any place except the Huseman pit where the salt water contamination could come from. Respondent Harrison testified that as soon as he discovered his well had turned salty that he rode around over his neighborhood, and a wide scope of the surrounding country, looking for sources of contamination, and there was no other source of contamination which he could find except the pits in the Little Kentucky Field. No witness could give any other source of contamination.
1 We believe that the record contains evidence to support the jury’s findings that petitioner polluted the fresh water sands with his salt water, and that such pollution reached the Harrison well and was a proximate cause of the damages suffered by respondents. This recitation of the evidence also refutes all the assignments which petitioner has that there is no evidence to
Petitioner further contends that no judgment can be entered against him because there were certain ultimate fact issues necessary to a recovery by respondents, which were not submitted to the jury, thus precluding any recovery by respondents. This contention urges that the submission of an issue of “proximate cause” after each issue of petitioner’s negligence, in the orthodox way set out in Wichita Falls & Okla. Ry. Co. v. Pepper, 134 Texas 360, 135 S.W. 2d 79, was not sufficient finding on the ultimate issue of causation; but such question of causation, under the facts of this particular case, should have been broken down into the component elements necessary to fix liability on petitioner. Petitioner states his views in his supplemental brief clearly and pointedly as follows:
“* * * The postulate is this: When under a complex fact situation one particular issue out of those composing ‘cause in fact* becomes itself a controlling issue on which the whole case turns, that issue must be separately submitted. This postulate is a logical and necessary result of the axiom that a litigant is entitled to a separate submission on all controlling issues. The separate-submission of a controlling issue of cause in fact leaves unaffected the submission of foreseeability and the other non-controlling issues of cause in fact.”
Petitioner therefore contends that subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of Point (1) stated under our summary of his points of error, each constitute an ultimate issue, and therefore required a jury finding in favor of respondents on each subdivision before any judgment against petitioner could be rendered. The learned trial judge in his charge gave the following instructions:
“By the term ‘proximate cause’ as used in this charge is meant a cause which in a natural and continuous sequence unbroken by any new and independent cause, produces an event and without which the event would not have occurred. And to be a proximate cause of an event, it should be such a cause that it could have been reasonably anticipated and foreseen by a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care that the event or some similar event would result from such cause as a natural and probable consequence. There may be more than one proximate cause of an event, but there can be only one sole proximate cause of an event.
“You are instructed that by the term ‘natural’ as used in the foregoing instruction defining ‘proximate cause’ is meant normal or in accordance with ordinary experience and by the term ‘continuous’ as used therein, is meant without break, cessation or interruption, and by the word ‘sequence’ as used therein, is meant succession or that which follows as a result.”
Petitioner has brought forward no objections or complaint of these instructions.
Petitioner cites no cases in point to sustain his complaint, and we have found no such case. There are certain well established rules of law which we believe sustain the trial court’s manner and method of this submission.
2 Rule 279 Vernon’s Texas Rules of Civil Procedure provides in part “When the Court submits a cause upon special issues, he shall submit the controlling issues made by the written pleadings and the evidence * * *. Where the court has fairly submitted the controlling issues raised by such pleading and the evidence, the case shall not be reversed because of the failure to submit other and various phases or different shades of the same issue. * *
Two submissions of the same issue are never required. Commercial Standard Ins. Co. v. Shudde (T.C.A.), 76 S.W. 2d 561, aff. no written opinion, wherein it was held that in a personal injury case containing a proper definition of “negligence,” the court should not define the term “proper lookout,” as such definition if given would be twice submitting the issue of negligence. Little Rock Furniture Co. v. Dunn, 148 Texas 197, 222 S.W. 2d 985 (3-5). In City of Panhandle v. Byrd, 130 Texas 96, 106 S.W. 2d 660, it was held that when the court submitted the issue of proximate cause, and defined that term so as to include “foreseeability,” an additional issue inquiring as to “foreseeability” should not have been given. The case was reversed because of a conflict in the jury’s answer to the two issues. The reasoning of the Byrd case sustains the trial court’s action in the present
“The issue to be determined is the total effect of the defendant’s conduct considered in the light of all the evidence. This in many cases will require the jury to consider a number of facts, but a ‘group of facts’ may constitute the ultimate issue rather than one single fact, See Fox v. Dallas Hotel Co. 111 Texas 461, 475, 240 S.W. 517, 522. Where as in this case, the one ultimate issue embraces a number of subsidiary facts, it is not improper to include in the issue these several facts, * *
The last sentence fits our situation perfectly. The ultimate issue of proximate cause in this case includes the subsidiary facts of (a) whether any salt water from petitioner’s oil well reached respondents’ irrigation well, (b) if it reached there in sufficicient quantities, and (c) with sufficient saline content when mingled with the fresh water to damage the growing rice. Those were evidentiary facts included within the ultimate fact of proximate cause. See also City of Houston v. Lurie, 148 Texas 391, 224 S.W. 2d 871, 14 A.L.R. 2d 61; Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Bailey, 151 Texas 359, 250 S.W. 2d 379, wherein we held that
See also Meadowlake Foods Inc. v. Estes, (TCA), 218 S.W. 2d 862, error ref. N.R. E., 219 S.W. 2d 441; Ft. Worth & D. C. Ry. Co. v. Capehart (T.C.A.) 210 S.W. 2d 839, writ ref., N.R.E.; Phoenix Ref. Co. v. Tips, 125 Texas 69, 81 S.W. 2d 60; Dakan v. Humphreys, (TCA, Co. Ct. case) 190 S.W. 2d 371; Werner v. Brehm, (TCA) 216 S.W. 2d 991, writ ref. N.R.E. We overrule petitioner’s points of error as to necessity of breaking down issue of proximate cause, and hold that the trial court correctly submitted such issue.
3 Petitioner complains that Harrison has been permitted to recover damages for injury to the land, prior to the date of Harrison’s lease. The answer to this contention is that the evidence will support the fact that the irrigation well, when first brought in and operated was a good well, and there was no salt contamination, but that such contamination arose after Harrison had been using the irrigation well and pumping water therefrom, and this was the time of the injury suffered by Harrison.
Prior to the submission of the court’s charge, petitioner objected to special issues Nos. 13 and 14 and 15 and 16 on the grounds that same would permit plaintiffs (respondents) to have a double recovery of damages. Issues 10 thru 12 had to do with the 1949 crop. Issue No. 13 reads as follows:
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the value of the use of plaintiff Gerard A. Harrison’s leasfoold interest in the land in question has been reduced by any of the acts of the defendant heretofore inquired about?
Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”
The jury answered this issue “yes”. Issue No. 14 was as follows:
“What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence to be the amount by which the value of the use of the leasehold interest of plaintiff Gerald A. Harrison in the land in question has been reduced?
Answer in dollars and cents, if any.”
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the rental value of plaintiff C. F. Combs’ interest in the land in question has been lessened by any acts of defendant heretofore inquired about?
Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”
The jury answered “Yes” to this issue. Issue No. 16 is as follows:
“By what amount, if any, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence, that the rental value of plaintiff C. F. Combs’ interest in the land in question was reduced ? Answer in dollars and cents, if any.”
To this issue the jury answered $18,600.00.
A reading of Special Issues Nos. 13 thru 16 clearly demonstrates that any injury suffered to Harrison’s “leasehold interest” and Combs’ “interest” in the land for the year 1949 is included in the issues. The evidence shows that the first evidence of any damage to the rice crop was noticed about July 1, 1949. Respondents continued to use the water from the irrigation well to water the crop as needed to mature this crop. The rice crop was harvested in October, 1949. Therefore whatever damage was done began prior to July 1, 1949, and prior to the harvesting of the 1949 crop. To our mind, Issues Nos. 13-14 which inquire as to lessened value of respondent Harrison’s leasehold interest in the land in question being reduced, and which imposes no time limitation upon such reduction, must of necessity include 1949 damage, or lessening of the leasehold interest. There being no limitation or exclusion as to the damage done, the issue must cover a.'l damage done, and there is no sound basis for excluding any poi tion of such damage under the plain wording of the issue. By the wording of the issue, the jury were affirmatively instructed to include all damage done in their answers sought.
4, 5 In inquiring as to the lessened rental value of respondent Combs’ interest in the land in question, we likewise find no limitations or restrictions on the jury. Since the evidence shows the damage causing the lessened rental value of Combs’ interest occurred before the harvesting of the 1949 crop, and since the issues 15 and 16 cover the whole of such damage, the jury were bound, under the issues as worded, to include 1949 lessening of rental value. However, issues 10 thru 12 specifically have to do
6 Respondents urge that petitioner did not properly raise this issue in the trial court, and therefore cannot raise it now. Res-
7 Having demonstrated that the jury in answering Special Issues Nos. 13-16, both inclusive, necessarily included the 1949 damages, and the jury having found that the amount of 1949 damages totaled $31,356.00, we have no hesitation in holding that the error in the special issues did cause the rendition of an improper judgment against defendant. His rights were certainly prejudiced to the extent of this $31,356.00 and which is a most serious wrong done him. This could not be held to be a “harmless error” that probably did not cause the rendition of an improper judgment. From a calculation of the answers given by the jury to the appropriate special issues controlling the damages suffered on account of injury to the 1949 rice crop, the trial court awarded to respondent, Harrison, the sum of $28,568.80 for his damages to the 1949 crop. To respondent, Combs, was awarded the sum of $2,787.20 for his damages to the 1949 crop. From these facts we can determine exactly the amount of double recovery for each of the respondents. Deducting these items from the judgment of the trial court, gives us the sum of $49,260.00 recovery in favor of Harrison, and the sum of $13,700.00 recovery in favor of respondent, Combs.
The judgment of the trial court is hereby modified to read that Gerard A. Harrison do have and recover of and from W. L. Pickens the sum of $49,260.00; and that C. F. Combs do have and recover of and from W. L. Pickens the sum of $13,700.00, Except as modified above, the judgments of both courts below are hereby affirmed.
Opinion delivered October 22, 1952.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- W. L. Pickens v. Gerald A. Harrison Et Al
- Cited By
- 38 cases
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- Published