Title: Sieben v. Sieben

State: kansas

Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court

Document:

231 Kan. 372 (1982)
646 P.2d 1036
JOHN W. SIEBEN, Appellee,
v.
THOMAS SIEBEN; ROBERT COFFEY and H.J. SIEBEN CONSTRUCTION, CO., INC., Appellants.
No. 51,908

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed June 11, 1982.
John H. Fields, of Carson, Fields, Boal, Jeserich & Asner, of Kansas City, argued the cause and was on the brief for the appellant/cross-appellee.
Dennis M. Clyde, of Gates & Clyde, of Overland Park, argued the cause and was on the brief for the appellee/cross-appellant.
*373 The opinion of the court was delivered by
HERD, J.:
This is a tort action for actual and punitive damages. The jury awarded John Sieben separate judgments against Thomas Sieben, Robert Coffey and the H.J. Sieben Construction Company. It also awarded the H.J. Sieben Construction Company a judgment against John Sieben on the company's counterclaim. All parties appealed. The Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, reversed the judgment against H.J. Sieben Construction Company and the judgment against John Sieben on the company's counterclaim. These issues were remanded for a new trial. The judgment of the trial court was affirmed in all other respects. We granted review.
The essential facts are as follows: H.J. Sieben owns the construction company. He has two sons, John and Thomas. John works for Tri-State Roadboaring Company and Thomas is president of H.J. Sieben Construction Company. John leased a hiloader and tamper from H.J. Sieben Construction Company through H.J. Sieben the first of April, 1977. Thomas was not advised of the lease because of bad feelings between the brothers. In early May, Thomas learned of the lease from his mother. He then checked the company records and concluded John had not paid the rental on the equipment. Thomas decided to recover the equipment for breach of the lease.
In furtherance of his objective, Thomas hired Haggard Heavy Hauling and enlisted the aid of Robert Coffey, a Sieben employee, to help with the repossession. They made their move on May 6. John was at a service station near the entrance to the property on which he was working when he observed the rental equipment being hauled away. He chased the entourage in his pickup and flagged them down. Coffey was driving the hiloader. Thomas was not present.
John called the police and Coffey called Thomas. Thomas Sieben and the officers arrived where the equipment was parked at approximately the same time. A fight immediately erupted between the brothers with Thomas hitting John in the face several times and John biting Thomas' finger. John then got in his truck and drove it to a position which blocked further removal of the equipment. Coffey, under Thomas' direction, attempted to move the truck out of the way, with John inside, by ramming it with the hiloader. The hiloader struck the truck more than once *374 and at one point the truck nearly tipped over with John in it. John then informed a police officer he was pressing charges against Thomas Sieben and Robert Coffey. He later signed a complaint against both.
Damages to the truck totaled about $1500. John suffered pain in his nose, back and kidneys and swelling in his mouth. His hospital bill for x-rays was $78 and his dental bill for a broken plate was $325. He testified he suffered embarrassment, humiliation and deterioration of his relationship with his parents.
John sued Thomas Sieben and Robert Coffey for battery, asking actual and punitive damages in excess of $10,000. He also sued Coffey for trespass. The company was sued on the theory of respondeat superior. It counterclaimed against John for breach of lease.
The jury returned verdicts in favor of John as follows:
Sieben Construction Company was awarded $650 on its counterclaim. This appeal followed.
The first three issues raised by appellants all involve evidentiary matters and can be dealt with briefly.
It is first argued the trial court erred in receiving evidence of the deterioration in the relationship between John and his parents after the incident between Thomas and John. John offered this evidence in his attempt to prove punitive damages. Appellants objected, arguing John could not prove the hiloader incident was the proximate cause of his subsequent problems. The trial court, in ruling on the objection, stated:
The issue of whether the deterioration in the relationship between John and his parents was proximately caused by the incident in question is one of fact for the jury. See Popejoy Construction Co. v. Crist, 214 Kan. 704, 706, 522 P.2d 180 (1974); Elliott v. Chicago, Rock Island & Pac. Rld Co., 203 Kan. 273, 284, 454 P.2d 124 (1969). The question here was one of weight to be given the evidence, not admissibility.
*375 Appellants also challenge the admission into evidence of tax returns of Sieben Construction Company and Robert Coffey. When this evidence was offered no contemporaneous objection was made by defense counsel. K.S.A. 60-404 states:
See, e.g., Schlatter v. Ibarra, 218 Kan. 67, 71, 542 P.2d 710 (1975). Since there was no contemporaneous objection, this issue is without merit.
Appellants further contend the trial court erred in failing to give an instruction limiting the jury's use of evidence regarding the wealth of Sieben Construction Company and Robert Coffey to punitive damages only.
K.S.A. 60-251 states:
Again the record reveals appellants made no request for such an instruction and no objection to the instructions given before the jury retired, thus rendering the issue without merit.
Appellants next argue the trial court erred in directing the jury to find H.J. Sieben Construction Company liable as a matter of law if either Thomas Sieben or Robert Coffey, or both, were found liable.
The controverted instruction (#14) states:
Instruction #14 followed the substance of instruction #3 which stated, in pertinent part: "The defendants admit Thomas Sieben and Robert Coffey were acting for the interest of their employer H.J. Sieben Construction Company, Inc. at the time of the occurrence." Appellants specifically objected to the foregoing instruction, arguing they made no such admission and that Thomas Sieben and Robert Coffey were not acting within the scope of their employment. Consistent with that position they asked that the mandatory "must" language in instruction #14 be changed to the permissive "may."
This issue is simplified by the language of the pretrial order. It provides: "At all times relevant herein, defendants Thomas Sieben and Robert Coffey were acting within the course or scope of their employment with the H.J. Sieben Construction Company, Inc." Appellants posed no objection to the order. The first time a question was raised about the scope of employment of Thomas Sieben and Robert Coffey was at the close of appellee's case in chief. K.S.A. 60-216 pertains to pretrial orders and states:
Supreme Court Rule No. 140(f) states: "Should counsel object to the pretrial order, he shall state his objections in writing and forward his objections and the pretrial order to the court within ten (10) days." 228 Kan. lxxvi.
In Kleibrink v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Co., 224 Kan. 437, 442, 581 P.2d 372 (1978), we discussed the effect of the pretrial order:
As noted, appellants here made no attempt to modify the pretrial order. It follows that the order controls the subsequent course of the litigation. The instructions, in this respect, were correct. See also Querry v. Montgomery Ward & Co., Inc., 217 Kan. 104, 111, 535 P.2d 928 (1975); Freeto Construction Co. v. American Hoist & Derrick Co., 203 Kan. 741, 746, 457 P.2d 1 (1969).
A question arises whether instruction #14 was a correct statement in another sense. The last sentence of the instruction directed the jury it was precluded from assessing damages against Sieben Construction Company in a greater amount than those damages found against the employees. Contrary to the general rule, the instruction did not make clear where a third party seeks to render an employer liable for the torts of the employee on the doctrine of respondeat superior, the liability of the employer is derivative of the liability of the employee. See 3 Am.Jur.2d, Agency § 267, p. 632. Ideally, then, the trial court should have instructed the jury the liability of the appellant-employees fixed the measure of the appellant Sieben Construction Company's liability.
Appellants objected to instruction #14, but on other grounds. Where no contemporaneous objection is made the instruction as given constitutes the law of the case by which the jury must be guided. Iseman v. Kansas Gas & Electric Co., 222 Kan. 644, 649, 567 P.2d 856 (1977); Martin v. State Highway Commission, 213 Kan. 877, 885, 518 P.2d 437 (1974). Here the jury properly followed the instructions as given. In addition, the actual damages assessed against the corporation were less, not more, than the total damages assessed against the employees, resulting in no prejudice to appellants. This issue is without merit.
Appellants' final contention is that appellee's total recovery should not have exceeded $28,000. Appellants argue the trial court erred in allowing the jury to apportion appellee's damages among the three appellants. We agree. Although this problem has *378 become rare with the onset of comparative fault legislation, it manages to occasionally occur in cases involving intentional torts such as battery. This is because our comparative fault statute, K.S.A. 60-258a, has done nothing to change the common-law rule of joint and several liability for defendants in intentional tort actions. See, e.g., Lynn v. Taylor, 7 Kan. App.2d 369, 373, 642 P.2d 131, rev. denied 231 Kan. 801 (1982); Sandifer Motors, Inc. v. City of Roeland Park, 6 Kan. App.2d 308, 317-18, 628 P.2d 239, rev. denied 230 Kan. 819 (1981).
The general rules regarding the issue are well stated in 74 Am.Jur.2d, Torts §§ 73-80, pp. 680-90. In pertinent part they are:
*379 This court has most recently dealt with the problem in Hubbard v. Havlik, 213 Kan. 594, 518 P.2d 352 (1974), a negligence case resulting from a vehicle accident. There we stated:
The same general rule is applicable to punitive damages. See 22 Am.Jur.2d, Damages § 262, pp. 356-57; Annot., 20 A.L.R.3d 666.
We hold Thomas Sieben, Robert Coffey and H.J. Sieben Construction Company, Inc., jointly and severally liable to John Sieben for $20,000 actual damages and $8,000 punitive damages and modify the judgment accordingly.
On cross-appeal John Sieben contends the trial court erred in allowing Sieben Construction Company to amend its claim against him from one of conversion to breach of lease after the evidence was in.
In Kiser v. Gilmore, 2 Kan. App.2d 683, 587 P.2d 911 (1978), rev. denied 225 Kan. 844 (1979), it was stated:
H.J. Sieben, major stockholder in H.J. Sieben Construction Company, Inc., and father of both appellee and appellant Thomas Sieben, testified the agreement to lease the construction equipment was made between himself, on behalf of Sieben Construction Company, and appellee personally. As a defense to Sieben Construction's conversion claim, appellee testified to the existence of a lease agreement covering the equipment, but contrary to the testimony of H.J. Sieben, contended at all times that he entered the agreement on behalf of his employer in his capacity as construction manager.
Motions for leave to amend are directed to the sound discretion of the trial court. Walker v. Fleming Motor Co., 195 Kan. 328, 330, 404 P.2d 929 (1965). The trial court did not err in allowing *380 Sieben Construction to amend its counterclaim to conform with the evidence presented. A question of fact was presented for jury determination.
Neither did the trial court err in refusing appellee's counsel's request that the court include instructions guiding the jury regarding the establishment of the terms of the lease. The evidence adduced at trial and even statements of appellee's counsel himself established the existence of the lease. Indeed, the existence of the lease was the heart of John Sieben's defense against H.J. Sieben Construction Company's claim of conversion of the equipment involved. The trial court's action was supported by the evidence and will not be disturbed on appeal.
The judgment of the trial court in favor of John Sieben against Thomas Sieben, Robert Coffey and H.J. Sieben Construction Company is affirmed as modified. The judgment of the trial court in favor of the H.J. Sieben Construction Company is affirmed. That part of the judgment of the Court of Appeals inconsistent with this opinion is reversed.
McFARLAND, J., not participating.