Opinion ID: 601518
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Issues and Instructions Actually Submitted

Text: 38 The charge submitted to the jury in the trial of McDaniel's claims included the following special interrogatories and instructions: 39 Instruction 16 In order to find AnheuserBusch liable to the Plaintiff, you must find by a preponderance of the evidence the following: First: That AnheuserBusch had actual or constructive knowledge of some unreasonable risk of harm to McDaniel; Second: That AnheuserBusch did not exercise reasonable care to reduce or to eliminate the risk of harm to McDaniel; and Third: That AnheuserBusch's failure to use such care proximately caused McDaniel's personal injuries. Question 2 Did the negligence, if any, of those named below proximately cause the injury in question? Answer Yes or No for each of the following: AnheuserBusch, Inc. No Harold McDaniel Yes Question 3 For each person found by you to have caused the injury in question, find the percentage caused by-- AnheuserBusch, Inc. 0 % Harold McDaniel 100 % Railroad 0 % Total 100 % If in answer to Question 2 you have found that the negligence of AnheuserBusch caused the injury in question, then answer the following Questions, otherwise do not answer the following Questions. Question 4 Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that on the occasion in question that Force Corporation failed to perform the switch maintenance requested by AnheuserBusch on Switch # 23? Answer Yes or No. Answer: ________ Question 5 Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that on the occasion in question that such a failure, if any, was negligent? Answer Yes or No. Answer: ________ Question 6 Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such negligence, if any, was a proximate cause of the Plaintiff's injuries? Answer Yes or No. Answer: ________ If you have answered Question 6 Yes and only in that event, then answer the following Question. Question 7 For each person found by you to have proximately caused the injury in question, find the percentage caused by-- AnheuserBusch, Inc. ____ % Force Corporation ____ % Total 100 % 40 McDaniel originally pleaded a broad based negligence claim against Anheuser 39 but by the time the case was submitted to the jury, Anheuser had succeeded in narrowing McDaniel's claim to one grounded only in a theory of land occupier liability. Under Texas law, a suit based on land occupier liability is a simple negligence action. 40 Therefore, when McDaniel's tort claim was finally submitted to the jury, Anheuser's contribution claim against Force was limited to whether Force's maintenance of switch # 23 was negligent. 41 41 Under Texas law, a premises occupier who hires an independent contractor to maintain the property in safe condition is not relieved of liability for the negligent maintenance of the property. 42 In keeping with that maxim, and of significance to this appeal, the jury charge actually submitted was so structured that the jury could not assign any causation to Force unless and until it first assigned some percentage of causation to Anheuser. 42