Title: Cohn v. JC Penney Company, Inc.
Citation: 537 P.2d 306
Docket Number: 13792
State: Utah
Issuer: Utah Supreme Court
Date: June 17, 1975

537 P.2d 306 (1975) Helen Eva Naglich COHN, formerly known as Helen Eva Naglich, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. J.C. PENNEY COMPANY, INC., a Delaware Corporation, et al., Defendants and Respondents. No. 13792. Supreme Court of Utah. June 17, 1975. Richard W. Perkins, of Turner &amp; Perkins, Salt Lake City, for plaintiff-appellant. Craig S. Cook of Worsley, Snow &amp; Christensen, Timothy R. Hanson of Hanson, *307 Wadsworth &amp; Russon, Salt Lake City, for defendants-respondents. ELLETT, Justice: This is an appeal from the refusal of the district court to grant a new trial. The plaintiff fell on premises occupied by defendants and claimed damages. Counsel stipulated that she incurred medical expenses in the sum of $352.25 and lost wages amounting to $656. The case was tried to a jury and submitted thereto on a special verdict. The jury found negligence on the part of the defendants but no contributory negligence. It found damages as follows: Judgment was entered in accordance with the answers contained in the special verdict. The plaintiff duly moved for a new trial, claiming inadequacy of general damages. The trial court overruled the motion, apparently thinking that lost wages were an element of general damages. He instructed the jury regarding damages for the injury which plaintiff claimed she sustained and specifically mentioned suffering, both mental and physical, and the extent which she had been prevented from pursuing the ordinary affairs of life, and the disability or loss of earning capacity resulting from the injury. He also instructed that the jury could not allow more than $656 for lost earnings. He further instructed in regard to special damages to include, inter alia, expenses paid for doctors, medicines, nurses, and x-rays, in the amount of $352.25. His Honor noticed the inconsistency of the answers to the interrogatories in that hospital and doctor bills and lost wages were awarded but nothing was found for pain or suffering. A bench conference was called, and the court indicated to counsel that he thought the verdict was proper since lost wages were a part of general damages. He undoubtedly would not have accepted the verdict had he thought that lost wages were special damages. There should be a consensus of opinion amongst the bench and bar of this state as to the distinction between various categories of general and special damages. We, therefore, set forth what we consider to be the proper distinction between the two. The difference between the two types of damages is of importance because special damages must ordinarily be pleaded in order to be recovered. General damages are those which naturally and necessarily result from the harm done. They are damages which everybody knows are likely to result from the harm described and so are said to be implied in law. Special damages are those which occur as a natural consequence of the harm done but are not so certain to flow therefrom as to be implied in law. One claiming them must plead them so as to let his adversary know what will be involved. An illustration will show the difference: Plaintiff sues defendant for blowing up his dam in the river and claims damages in the amount of $5,000. His proof shows the cost of repairs to the dam to be $1,000. He offers evidence to the effect that he had a water mill which had to be shut down for two months during the rebuilding of the dam and that he lost profits in the amount of $4,000 as a result thereof. The rebuilding of the dam is an item of general damages, but the loss of profits due to in-operation of the mill is an item of special damage because it is peculiar to his case. Another man might have his dam blown up and might not even own a mill, or it might not be operative. Still another man might have special damages because he could not irrigate his farm as a result of the destruction of the dam which he owned and the lowering of the water below the bottom of his lateral ditch. Each dam owner would need to set forth his particular special damages because such special damages do not of necessity follow as a result of the tort. *308 The text material in 22 Am.Jur.2d, Damages § 15, states the law as follows: McCormick on Damages (Hornbook Series) makes the following statement at pages 37 and 38: In the case of Kennedy v. Van Horn, 77 Okl. 100, 186 P. 483 (1919), the plaintiff alleged that he had sustained permanent injuries and that to date he had lost $2,500 in wages as a result of the injuries sustained. Over defendant's objection he was allowed to prove a diminution of earning capacity. The Supreme Court reversed, saying: Where the injuries alleged are of such a character as to give notice to all the world of the damages which would of necessity follow, then, of course, items usually classified as special damages could be proved without pleading them. A typist or a pianist who alleges the loss of a hand should be able to prove loss of earning capacity without specially alleging it because all the world knows that two hands are necessary to either occupation. See *309 Rhodes v. Lamar, 145 Okl. 223, 292 P. 335 (1930), where at page 339 it is reported: The Utah case of Littledike v. Wood, supra, was a case brought for assault and battery, wherein plaintiff alleged the defendant struck the plaintiff in the mouth with his fist and knocked two of his front teeth out and loosened a great many more, cut his lower lip and knocked him down, struck him over the eye, kicked or struck him in the side and broke three ribs, which punctured the left lung. The trial court instructed the jury to consider on the question of damages "the time lost and that he will probably hereafter lose, if any, as may appear from the evidence, by reason of and as the result of said injury." Plaintiff had not pleaded lost time. The defendant appealed from a judgment in favor of plaintiff, and in treating of the question this court at page 326, of the Utah Reports, 255 P. at page 173 said: In the case of Atwood v. Utah Light &amp; R. Co., supra, the plaintiff had not alleged loss of earning capacity. At page 376 of the Utah Reports, 140 P. at 140 this court held: Again this court discussed the problem involved herein in the case of Clawson v. Walgreen Drug Co., 108 Utah 577, at pages 587 and 588, 162 P.2d 759, at page 764 (1945), and said: In the instant case the plaintiff did plead that he would In Pauly v. McCarthy, 109 Utah 431, 184 P.2d 123 (1947), this court in speaking on the question of whether recovery for permanent disability could be proved without specially pleading it set out three lines of decision, the first two of which are summarized and the third of which is quoted beginning at page 441 of the Utah Reports, at page 128 of 184 P.2d viz.: (1) Recovery can be had under a general allegation for damages. (2) Not recoverable under a general allegation of damages, without specially pleading the fact of permanency. (A theory that permanent injury is in the nature of special damages, which must be specifically pleaded to allow recovery therefor.) "(3) A third line of authorities holds that unless facts from which the permanency of the injury will necessarily be implied are alleged, there must be a special *311 averment that the injuries are permanent, in order to let in proof to that effect. This is really a qualification of the second rule. Under this rule the fact that permanency may possibly or even probably follow from the nature of the injury is not sufficient to allow recovery therefor, in the absence of a specific allegation of permanency." It thus seems clear that the loss of earnings to date of trial and impairment of earning capacity are both items of special damages, and yet they may be proved under an allegation of general damages where the description of the injuries is such that everyone must know that of necessity there would be a loss of earnings and an impairment of earning capacity. In Utah there does not seem to be an inflexible rule regarding the pleading of special damages. It is a question of whether or not the pleadings contain such information as will apprise the defendant of such damages as must of necessity flow from that which is alleged. In the instant matter the plaintiff made no objection to the verdict at the bench conference, and the defendants now claim that her failure to object constituted a waiver of the right to request a new trial or to appeal from the verdict. They cite some Utah cases to support their claim.[1] The case of Jorgensen v. Gonzales (footnote 1) states: In that case it was made to appear that the jury had allowed damages for traveling expenses which were not proper. The trial court properly sent the jury back for further deliberations. The case of Langton v. International Transport, Inc. (footnote 1) is on all fours with the instant matter. There the jury returned a verdict as follows: There the jury was polled and stood six for and two opposed to the verdict. The trial court then asked counsel if they had anything to present to the court, and both responded in the negative. Judgment was entered on the verdict. Subsequently, plaintiff moved for a new trial, which was denied. The appeal followed. In affirming the trial court, this court quoted from the case of Brown v. Regan[2] as follows: In the instant matter there was not merely an inadequate award of general damages there was no award at all. The verdict was deficient in form, and counsel had an opportunity to have the jury sent *312 back for further deliberations. This he did not do, perhaps fearing that the jury might either award some nominal amount or even change the verdict and award nothing to the plaintiff. It would be a smart trial tactic if he could have had a new trial on damages only before a jury which would not be acquainted with the weakness of plaintiff's cause of action. We think the Langton case disposes of the present matter. The judgment is, therefore, affirmed. Costs are awarded to the respondents. HENRIOD, C.J., and CROCKETT, TUCKETT and MAUGHAN, JJ., concur. [1] Lish v. Utah Power and Light Co., 27 Utah 2d 90, 493 P.2d 611 (1972); Langton v. International Transport, Inc., 26 Utah 2d 452, 491 P.2d 1211 (1971); Jorgensen v. Gonzales, 14 Utah 2d 330, 383 P.2d 934 (1963). [2] 10 Cal. 2d 519, 75 P.2d 1063 (1938).