Court Opinion

ID: 9668792
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 02:26:27.752018+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:48.301706
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Smith
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. The trial court ordered a severance upon motion of the respondents, as well as upon his own motion. The respondents’ motion for severance was never withdrawn. At the time the severance was ordered by the trial court, the respondents made no objection thereto, but, on the other hand, proceeded to trial. Under the circumstances, I think that the trial court’s order of severance was proper. This case is being reversed and remanded and the majority suggests to the trial court that on a retrial of this case that the trial court should set *314aside his order severing this cause into four trials. This, in effect, is an implied holding that the trial court committed error in the first instance in ordering the severance. I not only think the severance as ordered by the trial court was proper, but I think the suggestion of the majority that the order be set aside is wholly unauthorized.
There are several phases of this case which show clearly that the trial court did not abuse his discretion in ordering the severance. I think that if upon a retrial of this case the trial court should be of the opinion, in determining whether or not to grant a motion for severance, that under all the circumstances taking into consideration the furtherance of convenience; the fact that there were a considerable number of parties, and that there was no joint liability for defendants’ separate collections of usurious interest, or for statutory penalties thereon, and it is further made known that here is no joint liability for exemplary damages, then I think it would be an abuse of discretion for the trial court to refuse to grant the motion for severance. Under Rules 40, 41, 68, and 174, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the trial court has broad discretion in the matter of ordering separate trials and severances. Rule 40, after providing for permissive joinder of parties of certain classes, provides in paragraph (b) that the court “* * * may order separate trials or make other orders to prevent delay or prejudice,” and Rule 174, paragraph (b), provides that ‘The court in furtherance of convenience * * * may order a separate trial of any claim * * * or of any separate issue * * *.’ ”
This case was not tried upon the wrong theory and there was no error in entering the order for severance and I can find no error in the manner in which the court submitted the issues to the jury. In fact, this was an errorless trial.
The majority has held that it was error for the trial court to refuse to submit the issue as to “total damages.” The majority makes this holding without taking into consideration the fact that the trial court did nto abuse its discretion in granting the severance. The court submitted Special Issues 18 and 19 in such form that the rights of the respondents were adequately protected. The issues submitted confined the jury to a finding of damages in such sum of money which would reasonably and fairly compensate plaintiffs in damages directly and proximately caused by the collection efforts, if any, of the respondents, Industrial Finance Service Company, its agents and employees. The respondents suffered no injury. In fact, they were benefited, *315if anything, by the case being severed and submitted as it was. The suit was for $32,141.75. The jury found that the total damages caused by the respondents was only $5,000 actual damages and $5,000 exemplary damages. Under the circumstances, the respondents are not entitled to any credit on the judgments, and the rule that credit for the amount previously or subsequently paid to the injured party by way of settlement or compromise made with other tort-feasors is not applicable.
Under Rule 434, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, and under the record in this case, I would affirm the judgment of the trial court for actual damages as well as the judgment for $494.14 for usury. I would reverse the judgment of the trial court wherein it refused to render judment for $5,000 exemplary damages as found by the jury and enter judgment for that sum in favor of petitioners.
Adjudging that plaintiffs shall pay one-half of all costs incurred in the trial of this case from its inception until now is unwarranted. Under this record, the judgment should be as above indicated and all costs should be adjudged against the respondents.
Opinion delivered May 15, 1957.