Court Opinion

ID: 9769348
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 14:46:41.205043+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:01.086187
License: Public Domain

GREENHILL, Justice
(dissenting).
I disagree with the majority opinion as to Ordinance 287 (Section 1 of Chapter 125) of the City of Dallas. In my opinion, the ordinance is applicable. It prohibits the sale of all merchandise which would include gasoline, oil, and other products sold at a filling station.
It is necessary, however, in a case such as this, for Respondents to prove special damage. The trial court found that Respondents would not suffer any special damage. On appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals, Respondents had points of error that (1) there was no evidence to support this finding, and (2) that the finding was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence. The Court of Civil Appeals sustained both of these points. 355 S.W.2d at 204.
The opinion of the expert witness Miller that there was special damage is relevant, but his testimony was not binding on the trial court. So Respondents did not conclusively prove that they did suffer special damage. It was, however, within the province of the Court of Civil Appeals to hold that finding of the trial court *952was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence. This being a court of law only, we will not review a holding by the Court of Civil Appeals that a verdict is or is not against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence, the holding being considered to be one of fact. Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Deen (1958), 158 Tex. 466, 312 S.W.2d 933 at 938.
A holding of “against the great weight and preponderance” calls for a reversal and remand of the cause. Accordingly, I would affirm the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals in so far as it reverses this cause and would remand the case to the trial court for a new trial.
CALVERT, C. J., and WALKER and NORVELL, JJT-, join in this dissent.