Court Opinion

ID: 9626387
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 08:10:15.936076+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:00:51.273078
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J.
I dissent.
The majority of this court has again invaded the realm of fact finding, and in violation of the settled rule that facts must be determined in the trial court, has found and determined the issues of fact contrary to the trier of fact— the jury in this case—and the trial judge who denied motions for a nonsuit, directed verdict, judgment notwithstanding the verdict and a new trial. In so holding, this court again denies litigants the right to a jury trial on issues of fact in a case where a trial by jury is admittedly a matter of right under the Constitution and laws of this state.
What was the ultimate issue of fact to be determined in this ease? It was whether or not the conduct of the individual defendants was that of a reasonably prudent person under like circumstances. If the conduct was not such, he was negligent, and if such negligent conduct was a proximate cause of the injuries suffered by plaintiff, liability was established.
It must be remembered that a jury and trial judge heard the evidence in this case and concluded that the conduct of *214either Gripenstraw or Perrin or both of them was not that of a reasonably prudent person and that either or both of them was or were negligent. It cannot be denied that this ultimate fact was so determined.
The members of the jury and trial .judge are presumed to have “reasonable minds.” They saw the participants and saw and heard the witnesses and must have concluded that a reasonably prudent person would not have permitted boys ranging in weight from 85 to 190 pounds to engage in a game of touch football under the circumstances there depicted. These fact finders, with “reasonable minds,” may have felt that a reasonably prudent person in charge of the playground would have applied the “exponent chart” which was admitted to be “partially for the safety of the participants” in such a game. These fact finders, with “reasonable minds, ’ ’ may have disbelieved the witnesses who testified that touch football, when played as described by them, would not endanger the life or limb of the participants. In short, these fact finders with “reasonable minds,” on whom the Constitution and law of this state places the responsibility of determining issues of fact, concluded from the evidence that a reasonably prudent person would not have permitted little Willie Pirkle, 13 years, 4 months of age, 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 97 pounds to play in a game of touch football with big, overgrown Jackie Perkins, 14 years, 6 months of age, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 145 pounds, and that in so doing Mr. Gripenstraw or Mr. Perrin or both were guilty of negligence.
Now, a majority of this court says that this jury and this trial judge did not possess “reasonable minds”; that they are not entitled to the benefit of the presumption which the law has bestowed upon them—that they possess “reasonable minds”; and that the constitutional mandate and statutory provisions relating to the function of a jury and a trial judge are of no force or effect whatsoever as this court arrogates to itself both the fact finding and law making powers.
No evidence of negligence, the majority says. But what is the test for determining when negligence is a question of fact or a question of law? The only test mentioned in the lawbooks is the so called “reasonable minds” test. That is, where the evidence is such that “reasonable minds” cannot differ as to the conclusion to be reached, it is a question of law. The majority does not mention this test or any other test. It simply declares arbitrarily, contrary to the conclusion *215reached by the jury and trial judge, that there was “no negligence.” But suppose little Willie Pirkle was only 8 years of age, 4 feet tall and weighed only 60 pounds and big, overgrown Jackie Perkins was 16 years of age, 6 feet tall and weighed 200 pounds, and the record was the same in other respects, what would the majority say? If it would find there was negligence in such a case, where should the line be drawn ? It seems only reasonable to me that if this court intends to overthrow the “reasonable minds” test as it has done in this case, it should lay down some other test or standard for determining "when the issue of negligence is one of fact or law. The present decision places the determination of this issue within the arbitrary power of four members of this court without regard to any test, standard or rule to guide either this court or any lower court in future cases. Thus, the reason of the law is superseded by the arbitrary rule of four men. Obviously this rule will change from time to time as the philosophy of the majority changes.
The decision which the majority of this court has rendered in this case resolving an issue of fact contrary to the conclusion reached by the jury and the trial judge is more far-reaching than its effect upon the law applicable to this particular case. In effect, it is an attack upon the jury system. By this decision the majority of this court says to the people of California, You can write into your Constitution and statutes that litigants in cases of this character are entitled to a trial by jury, but regardless of the determination by the jury of the factual issues, a majority of this court will have the last say as to the determination of the factual issues. This means that when a majority of this court desires to overthrow the factual determination by a jury it may do so regardless of the nature and character of the evidence supporting such determination.
The volumes of the reported decisions of this court contain the record of the Justices of this court who have expressed their views on the effect of factual determinations by juries and it may be gleaned therefrom that some of those Justices have not been in accord with the constitutional and statutory provisions which make the jury system a part of our system of jurisprudence. While the validity of these provisions has been settled beyond the realm of successful attack, the operation of the system is greatly restricted and rendered ineffective by decisions such as this, which are becoming more numerous as the decisions of the present court are rendered. *216By such decisions a bare majority of this court may snatch from a litigant his property and rights gained through the lawful process of a jury trial, thereby depriving such litigant of one of his most valuable, fundamental, constitutional rights, guaranteed by both the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of California. Such is the situation in the case at bar. As one who believes in preserving the American way of life and upholding and supporting the Constitutions which guarantee the continuance of that way of life, I cannot refrain from expressing my unqualified disapproval of this decision and those of similar import which is now the trend of decision by the majority of this court.
Because I believe in upholding the constitutional guarantee of the right of trial by jury and the statutory law of this state which confers upon a jury and trial judge the exclusive power of determining the facts in a case such as this, and because it appears beyond question that an honest evaluation of the record in this case must necessarily resolve the issue of negligence here to be one of fact which must be determined by the jury and trial judge in accordance with the process of law as defined in our Constitution and statutes, I would affirm the judgment in this case.
Respondents’ petition for a rehearing was denied March 9,1953. Carter, J., was of the opinion that the petition should be granted.