Court Opinion

ID: 9665669
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:54:16.654477+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:17.550267
License: Public Domain

Carleton Harris, Chief Justice, dissenting. I disagree with the disposition of this case by the majority. The taking of the depositions (of the two doctors, one for appellant and one for appellee), while allotted only three lines in the majority opinion, required considerable time; what is more important, the preparation for taking same, required considerably more time. While appellant seems to have viewed this litigation as more or less routine, I cannot accept that evaluation, and the fact that the jury returned a 9 to 3 verdict, to me, sufficiently belies such an assertion. Actually, this vote is rather convincing evidence that the case was indeed difficult and required skill, experience, and thorough preparation so — while the record does not reflect the actual amount of time expended in preparing for trial, the result is clearly indicative that appellee’s attorney was well informed on all facets of the case — knowledge that results only after diligent and careful study. Here is a laborer, with an eighth grade education, unemployed, totally disabled (as found by the jury), who, in the years to come, will not have to again litigate the question of his disability because the efforts of his attorney established his total and permanent disability. It appears to me that in disapproving the allowance to Mr. Rummell for his attorneys’ fee, the court is overemphasizing the purported lack of time expended by that attorney (though it does not appear in the record), and minimizing the results achieved. It is admitted by the majority that none of the cases cited by either party affords a sufficient comparison to be controlling. The majority then states: “we find nothing affording any satisfactory means by which the time and effort spent in preparation for trial can be measured with any degree of accuracy.” This simply means to me that the majority is taking an educated guess as to the amount to be awarded appellee for the attorneys’ fee. I submit that this is hardly a sufficient basis to overturn the findings of the trial judge, who heard the case tried, heard the amount of fee argued, had every opportunity to observe the skill displayed and was thus in a much better position to determine, from the conduct of the trial, the time that had been spent in prepration. I recognize that the amount of benefits to be drawn by Mr. Rummell is not definite, i.e., such is dependent on appellee living a sufficient length of time to draw the benefits that have been calculated, and this uncertainty perhaps could justify a reduction in the amount of the fee. However, it does not in my view, justify a 50% reduction and certainly I would not reduce the amount to less than $7,500.00. For the reasons set out herein, I respectfully dissent. I am authorized to say Holt, J. joins in this dissent.