Opinion ID: 2461163
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: evidence review

Text: The majority now overtly misapplies our decision in Pool v. Ford Motor Co., 715 S.W.2d 629 (Tex.1986) for reviewing the court of appeals holdings on the factual sufficiency of the evidence. As foreseen, in reviewing factual sufficiency points, the Pool opinion can now be used to substitute this court's judgment for that of the court of appeals. Pool, 715 S.W.2d at 638 (Gonzalez, J., concurring). The court remands this cause to the court of appeals for its reconsideration of all the evidence in determining whether there was factually sufficient evidence to support the jury's findings on two of Alm's ordinary negligence theories. In regard to the first theory, the court remands for reconsideration of Alcoa's alleged negligence in designing a cap with a pilfer-proof band. Because the lower court did not mention the testimony of Jaye Gibbs, this court implicitly holds that the court of appeals did not consider such testimony. Gibbs stated that Alcoa tested closures where the pilfer-proof ring was essentially the only thing holding a cap with weak threads on a bottle. Gibbs further stated that from Alcoa's tests on pilfer-proof caps and caps without the pilfer-proof ring revealed that a similar result was reached with each. The court of appeals' failure to expressly mention this testimony should not be grounds for remanding to the court of appeals for their reconsideration of the factual sufficiency of the evidence. The court next attacks the court of appeals' alleged failure to consider evidence in its factual sufficiency review on Alm's theory that Alcoa was negligent in failing to include a mechanical inspection system. The court of appeals failed to explicitly mention the testimony of Alm's expert, George Green, that a mechanical inspection system was feasible and that he had in the past offered to design a system for Alcoa. Green states that there are several methods for assuming there is a good thread on cap, [o]ne of them is a method of ultrasonic transducer. Another method involves a shadowgraph. Green made these simple statements without reference to costs, efficiency, or utility. Green did not state that these methods would have prevented cap misapplication or the injury to Alm. I can hardly criticize the court of appeals for failing to set out these points in its opinion. Other evidence exists in the record which supports the court of appeals' judgment. The court's remand to the court of appeals for its reconsideration on the sufficiency of the evidence was inappropriate for the two alleged acts of ordinary negligence. Henceforth, it appears that the courts of appeals must summarize and transcribe the entire statement of facts. If it does not, this court can second guess the court of appeals whenever we do not agree with its assessment, utilizing any evidence the court of appeals does not mention in order to remand the cause to the court of appeals for its further review.