Court Opinion

ID: 9767016
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 05:06:16.983469+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:26.934202
License: Public Domain

HOWELL, Justice,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in part and dissent in part.
This is a classic example of a shirt-tail pleading hurriedly drawn in order to rush a lawsuit to court, which pleading the plaintiffs never found the opportunity to amend.1 On the other hand, the defendant never found the opportunity to request a hearing in which it could have urged its exceptions. Neither party is to be congratulated on diligence in the preparation of his case. However, our obligation is to do substantial justice even in those cases where the level of preparation is below par.
Defendant was put on notice that plaintiffs had sustained “severe injuries” requiring “medical treatment” causing them to suffer “severe pain and mental anguish” in the past plus probable “pain and mental anguish” in the future. Defendant did not press its special exceptions and did not obtain an order requiring plaintiffs to advise it of the nature of these “severe injuries.” Perhaps it considered that it had obtained sufficient information through discovery. Perhaps it was afflicted with the universal problem of lack of sufficient time to adequately prepare. Plaintiffs were obviously suffering from the same affliction.
I would hold that the original pleading of “severe injuries” causing medical expense and pain was sufficient, in the absence of a special exception, to support the verdict for all injuries found by the jury.
*645On the other hand, the pleading of medical expenses is entirely in the past tense. Defendant had no notice whatever of any claim for future medical expense. The verdict for future medical expense is unsupported by the petition and, at least insofar as future medical expense is concerned, the record fails to show a clear abuse of discretion on the trial court’s behalf in refusing the proposed trial amendment. Recovery thereof should be denied.
I concur that judgment disallowing recovery upon the verdict for “physical impairment in the past” and for “physical impairment he will probably suffer in the future” should be reversed. I would reform the trial court judgment to include the amounts found by the jury for impairment and would render. I dissent from an award of future medical expense.

. Plaintiffs’ original petition, being considerably shorter than the opinions discussing it, reads as follows:
[Here omitting caption, opening address and description of parties]
II.
On or about the 28th day of November, 1982, Plaintiffs were traveling on Princeton Road approaching the GTE Building when they suddenly and without warning were caused to collide with an excavation created by the Water Department of the City [of?] Rowlett. Defendant had excavated a ditch across the roadway for the purpose of repairing a water line and had failed to place barricades to prevent traffic from colliding with the excavation. No warning signs of any kind were placed on the roadway to warn approaching traffic and Plaintiffs were not aware of the excavation prior to their vehicle colliding with it.
III.
Defendants were guilty of acts of omission and commission each of which constituted negligence and was a direct and proximate cause of the injuries suffered by Plaintiffs.
IV.
Both Plaintiffs suffered severe injuries to their body which required medical treatment all of which was necessary for treatment of their injuries. Plaintiff [Quaere: Plaintiffs?] incurred medical expenses all of which were reasonable charges for similar care and treatment in Dallas County, Texas. Plaintiffs have suffered severe pain and mental anguish in the past and in all probability will suffer pain and mental anguish in the future. Plaintiff, MICHAEL ORTALE, has suffered a loss of earning capacity in the past and future. Plaintiffs are entitled to recover $250,000.00 for their damages.
WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, Plaintiffs pray that Defendant be cited to appear and answer herein and that upon the trial of this case that they recover all of their damages and for such other and further relief, both general and special, either at law or in equity, to which they may show themselves justly entitled.
[Signature omitted.]