Colbert v. Anacostia & Potomac River Railroad
Colbert v. Anacostia & Potomac River Railroad
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court:
It is the province of the jury to determine the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given to their testimony. The court can only withdraw a case from their consideration when, conceding the truth of the testimony offered by the party having the burden of The issue, and giving effect to every legitimate inference that may be deduced therefrom, it is plain that the party has not made out a case sufficient in law to‘entitle him to a verdict. If fair-minded men might honestly draw different conclusions from the evidence, it must be submitted to their consideration under proper instructions as to the law governing the case. These principles are so well settled that no citation of authority is necessary. Tested by them, we are of the opinion that it' was error to direct the verdict for the defendant. The question, as it arises here, must be determined by the testimony of the plaintiff alone, in the light of the necessarily assumed truth, and every legitimate inference that may be deduced from it. Without reviewing that testimony, we shall content ourselves with a general statement of the surrounding circumstances as testified to by the plaintiff.
The accident occurred late in the afternoon. The defendant, having the reports of its employees respecting the occurrence, and a knowledge of the facts relating to its liability, upon which it admitted negligence at the trial, sent its claim agent, early the next morning, to obtain plaintiff’s release. She was in bed suffering great pain from the injuries received. Her med
In view of the new trial that may be had, the foregoing statement is sufficient. Though none of the following decisions is directly in point, they discuss the applicable principles, and support thq conclusion. Chesapeake & O. R. Co. v. Howard, 14 App. D. C. 262, s. c. 178 U. S. 153, 167, 44 L. ed. 1015, 1020, 20 Sup. Ct. Rep. 880; Rockwell v. Capital Traction Co. 25 App. D. C. 98, 116, 4 Ann. Cas. 648; Baltimore & O. R. Co. v. Morgan, 35 App. D. C. 196, 205; Washington R. & Electric Co. v. McLean, 40 App. D. C. 465, 471.
It has been argued that the failure of the plaintiff to call her daughter, who was present in court, as a witness, raises a strong presumption of law against the plaintiff. The daughter’s name appears as a witness to the release. Plaintiff undertakes to excuse this failure on the ground that her testimony shows that the daughter was not present during the interview; and further argues that it was for the defendant to call the witness to contradict plaintiff, and corroborate the claim agent.
It would be more satisfactory had the plaintiff.-introduced the daughter’s evidence; but be this as it may, the question that
Any inference of fact that may be deduced from the circumstance is for the jury, and not for the court.
For the reasons given, the judgment is reversed, with costs, and the cause remanded for another trial. Reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- COLBERT v. ANACOSTIA & POTOMAC RIVER RAILROAD COMPANY
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Evidence; Negligence; Release; Questions foe Jury; Failure to Call Witness. 1. The trial court can properly withdraw a case from the consideration of the jury only when, conceding the truth of the testimony offered by the party having the burden of the issue, and giving effect to every legitimate inference that may be deduced therefrom, it is plain that the party has not made out a case sufficient in law to entitle him to a verdict. If fair-minded men might honestly draw different conclusions from the evidence, it must be submitted to the jury for consideration, under proper instructions as to the law governing the ease. 2. A plaintiff in an action for personal injuries against whom a release is pleaded is entitled to have the case submitted to the jury on her testimony that, while alone and suffering pain and incapable of judging the extent of her injuries, the defendant’s claim agent gave her a sum of money, presented a paper which she was led to believe was not a release, and to which her mark was affixed, and that she does not remember touching the pen. (Referring to Chesapeake & O. R. Co. v. Howard, 14 App. D. C. 262; Rockwell v. Capital Traction Co., 25 App. D. 0. 98, 4 Ann. Cas. 648; Baltimore & 0. R. Co. v. Morgan, 35 App. I). C. 196; and Washington R. & Electric Co. v. McLean, 40 App. IX C. 465.) 3. Any inference from the failure of a plaintiff in an action for personal injuries to call as a witness her daughter, whose name appears as that of a witness on a release alleged to have been signed by the plaintiff, is one for the jury to make, and not one for the court.