Court Opinion

ID: 9760596
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:02:37.378429+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:14.061042
License: Public Domain

NORVELL, Justice
(dissenting).
I agree with the Court that this cause was not properly submitted to the jury, but I do not agree that this improper submission was harmless. The broad general submission concerning a safe place to walk seems particularly prejudicial. Mere proof of an accident (using the term in its popular sense) is not proof of negligence. As Mrs. Holmes did not intentionally fall down, the fact that she did could well indicate that she must have been walking in an unsafe place, or could be so considered by a jury. The tendency of this form of broad submission is to effectively weaken the defendant’s theory of “no negligence” on its part through use of an improper submission and pitch the battle (if any be remaining) upon the affirmative defense of contributory negligence. I also apprehend that once the general “safe place to walk” issue be answered in the affirmative, no great difficulty was or will be encountered in securing an affirmative answer to the only basic root issue that should have been submitted, namely, that relating to the alleged looseness of the metal strip upon the stairstep.
We have here another example of a time honored trial tactic which accompanied the introduction of the special issue practice in Texas, namely, getting a jury to follow along in answering general or undisputed issues until the desired answer to a vital or controlling issue is secured largely as a matter of routine rather than deliberation. This process has been likened to pulling on an old boot. Once the boot is started right at the top, there is little difficulty encountered with the heel. This maneuver is equally effective whether applied to primary negligence or contributory negligence.
Being in general agreement with the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals, I would affirm that Court’s judgment and accordingly respectfully dissent from this Court’s order of reversal.
GRIFFIN and STEAKLEY, JJ., join in this dissent.