Court Opinion

ID: 9775854
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 19:11:06.432943+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:31.537439
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
WOODARD, Justice.
Each of the Appellees has filed a Motion for Rehearing in which they assert we have misinterpreted the Court’s opinion in Witty v. American General Capital Distributors, Inc., 727 S.W.2d 503 (Tex.1987).
In the opinion by the Court of Appeals, Witty v. American General Capital Distributors, Inc., 697 S.W.2d 636 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1985), aff’d in part, rev’d in part and remanded, 727 S.W.2d 503 (Tex.1987), Chief Justice Evans and Justice Dunn held that the “trial court erred in deciding that Mrs. Witty was precluded, as a matter of law, from asserting her individual claims for damages at common law, based on her alleged emotional distress,_” Id. at 641. Justice Cohen dissented on the basis that Mrs. Witty’s cause of action for emotional distress resulting from the death of the fetus was barred by the Workers’ Compensation Act.
The Texas Supreme Court agreed with Justice Cohen and said “Kimberly Witty’s common law claim for mental anguish suffered as a result of the loss of her fetus is barred under the Worker’s Compensation Act.” Witty, 727 S.W.2d at 506. That Act applies only to injuries sustained by an employee in the course of their employment. That Act could have no application *177with regard to injuries sustained by a third person or as in this case, a fetus. We believe the Court recognized a cause of action, but found it to be barred.
That opinion was relied upon in Wheeler v. Yettie Kersting Memorial Hospital, 761 S.W.2d 785 (Tex.App. — Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, writ denied) where the appellant found error in granting summary judgment as to a common law cause of action for direct emotional damages resulting from a child being stillborn. In its opinion, the Court certainly recognized that “there is no cause of action at common law for wrongful death and survival because both are creatures of statute.” Id. at 786. However, the Court did recognize the mother’s claim at common law for emotional damages and held “the cause is remanded to the trial court on the common law causes of action.” Id. at 787.
The motions of each Appellee have been considered, and they are overruled.