Court Opinion

ID: 9641886
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:42:28.166914+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:40.045145
License: Public Domain

DORSEY, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the opinion of the Court that there is no evidence to support the finding of gross negligence; however, I disagree with the majority as to which element of gross negligence is lacking evidentiary support.
Gross negligence is that entire want of care which would raise the belief that the act or omission complained of was the result of conscious indifference to the welfare or right of another. Williams v. Steves Industries, Inc., 699 S.W.2d 570, 572 (Tex.1985). In the instant case, the injury complained of is the corrosion of copper parts in various machines. Al*684though the fumigant phostoxin is a poisonous chemical, no personal injuries were suffered. The risk to which Terminix exposed the appellee was a risk to the equipment of appellee during fumigation. The risk of corrosion was heightened by high humidity and ’ high temperatures within the warehouse and the excessive amount of phos-toxin.
The mental state of Mr. Brewer, Termi-nix’s manager and applicator, is the determining factor. Although there is no direct evidence that Brewer knew of the heightened corrosive attributes of phostoxin under conditions of high humidity and high temperatures, he admitted reading the label to acquaint himself with the dangers. Warnings on the label and literature clearly advised caution because of the increased potential for corrosion by the chemical as the temperature and humidity increased. I find some evidence of his knowledge of the risk. Even if Brewer did not know those risks of phostoxin, he should have known them. He was an applicator certified by the Texas Structural Pest Control Board and phostoxin is a fumigant whose distribution is limited to certified applicators because of the toxicity and dangerousness of the product.
However, there is no evidence that he was consciously indifferent to those risks of corrosion. In reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we look only at the evidence that tends to support the jury’s conclusion and disregard all evidence to the contrary. In re King’s Estate, 150 Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660, 661 (1951). To aid in our review of the evidence that tends to support the “conscious indifference” element, several facts are argued by appellee: Brewer’s failure to measure the building a second time, his failure to ascertain the temperature and humidity inside the building prior to and during fumigation, his giving incorrect advice of how best to protect the equipment, and Terminix’s failure to hire Vernon Walters, a recognized expert with fumigants, as a consultant for the fumigation. During fumigation, Brewer took readings of the concentration of the toxin and conferred with Walters, who testified he told Brewer one reading of several taken was “on the high side,” although not alarming. Brewer took no action to reduce the concentration.
Evidence of “some care” does not negate “such an entire want of care” required in gross negligence cases. Burk Royalty Co. v. Walls, 616 S.W.2d 911, 921 (Tex.1981). Nonetheless, there is no evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff/appellee, that Brewer was consciously indifferent to the risk or, more simply, that he did not care.