Title: CITY OF WOODWARD v. MITCH
Citation: 1956 OK 322, 304 P.2d 1055
Docket Number: 
State: Oklahoma
Issuer: Oklahoma Supreme Court
Date: December 4, 1956

CITY OF WOODWARD v. MITCH Annotate this Case CITY OF WOODWARD v. MITCH 1956 OK 322 304 P.2d 1055 Case Number: 37312 Decided: 12/04/1956 Supreme Court of Oklahoma THE CITY OF WOODWARD, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, PLAINTIFF IN ERROR, v. JOHN MITCH, DEFENDANT IN ERROR. Syllabus by the Court. ¶0 1. Where a municipal corporation has the duty of keeping its sidewalks in repair and an accident happens by reason of some slight defect from which damage was not reasonably to be anticipated, the said city was not chargeable with negligence. 2. When a defect in a sidewalk is so slight that no careful or prudent person would reasonably anticipate any danger from its existence, but still an accident happens which could have been guarded against by the exercise of ordinary care and foresight, the question of defendant's responsibility is one of law. 3. Record examined, and judgment of the trial court is reversed and remanded with directions. Appeal from District Court of Woodward County; F.B.H. Spellman, Judge. Action by John Mitch against City of Woodward to recover damages for loss of services, society, comfort and companionship of his wife, Mae Mitch, and for medical bills incurred, on account of injuries received by Mae Mitch as the result of a fall on the sidewalk on the main street of the City of Woodward, Oklahoma. Judgment for plaintiff and defendant appeals. Reversed and remanded with directions. Walter H. Thomas, Woodward, for plaintiff in error. Bryan Billings, Woodward, for defendant in error. PER CURIAM. ¶1 This appeal is from a judgment against the City of Woodward, a municipal corporation, defendant below. We will hereafter refer to the parties as they appeared in the trial court. ¶2 Plaintiff instituted this action to recover damages from defendant, for loss of services, society, comfort and companionship of his wife, Mae Mitch, and medical bills incurred, on account of injuries sustained by Mae Mitch when she fell on a sidewalk in the City of Woodward on August 16, 1954, at the hour of 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon. The cause was tried to a jury resulting in a verdict and judgment for plaintiff in the sum of $578, and defendant has appealed. ¶3 Except as to element of damages, and parties plaintiff, this case is identical, as to facts and law, to cause No. 37,078, City of Woodward v. Mitch, Okl., 297 P.2d 557 , decided by this Court May 1, 1956. ¶4 In this case, as in that case, defendant for reversal urges error of the court in overruling its demurrer to plaintiff's evidence and in refusing to grant peremptory instructions requested by the defendant. ¶5 The opinion in City of Woodward v. Mitch, supra, is hereby adopted as the opinion herein. ¶6 The cause is reversed and remanded, with directions that it be dismissed. ¶7 JOHNSON, C.J., WILLIAMS, V.C.J., and WELCH, DAVISON, HALLEY, BLACKBIRD, JACKSON and CARLILE, JJ., concur. ¶8 CORN, J., dissents. ¶9 The Court acknowledges the aid of the Supreme Court Commissioners in the preparation of this opinion. After a tentative opinion was written by Commissioner Jean R. Reed and approved by Commissioners J.W. Crawford and James H. Nease, the cause was assigned to a Justice of this Court for examination and report to the Court. Thereafter, upon report and consideration in Conference, the foregoing opinion was adopted by the Court.