Court Opinion

ID: 9738831
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:03:52.829659+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:08.705403
License: Public Domain

Souris, J.
[concurring). I agree with Mr. Justice Black, for the reasons stated in his opinion, that plaintiffs were not entitled to a directed verdict on the issue of liability and that it was not reversible error to admit the crane operator’s testimony concerning matters claimed to be equally within the knowledge of the decedent. However, for reasons set forth in my opinion in McCullough v. Ward Trucking Co., 368 Mich 108, and for other reasons indicated below, I cannot join in those portions of Justice Black’s opinion which relate to evidence of and jury argument on decedent’s widow’s receipt of workmen’s compensation benefits.
This record discloses plaintiffs made no objections in the trial court to the admission of such evidence. In fact, both counsel examined the administratrix with reference to her receipt of such benefits with only 1 presently immaterial objection, — and that by defendants’ counsel. Defendants’ counsel elicited from the administratrix the amount of the weekly workmen’s compensation benefit she received as decedent’s widow. Plaintiffs’ counsel then put in evidence the amount paid to date of trial and the period during which benefit payments would continue.
As in Wright v. Delray Connecting R. Co., 361 Mich 619, 628, 629, the evidence regarding workmen’s compensation benefits got into the case through the active efforts of both counsel. In Wright, both conn*60sel took the case as they found it at the conclusion of proofs and argued to the jury with reference to the workmen’s compensation benefits within the limits of the evidence. Here, however, at conclusion of proofs, in the absence of the jury and at defense counsel’s request, the trial judge ruled it would be improper for plaintiffs’ counsel to refer to the amount of compensation paid to the widow in his argument to the jury. Plaintiffs’ counsel was permitted to argue that workmen’s compensation benefits had been paid the widow, that she was not precluded thereby from suing to recover her damages, and that the compensation benefits were not adequate. However, when he mentioned the amount of the weekly benefit (put in evidence by the defense), he was prevented from pursuing the matter further by defense counsel’s objection, which the trial judge sustained.
Notwithstanding my belief that this ruling was erroneous, for reasons expressed in McCullough v. Ward Trucking Co., supra, I do not believe it justifies our reversal. The jury returned a verdict of no cause, a verdict well within its right on the proofs in this record. I am not prepared to say on this record that barring, even erroneously, jury argument on the amount of weekly benefits prejudicially affected the jury’s verdict against plaintiffs on the issue of liability.
Affirmed. Costs to defendants.
O’Hara, J., took no part in the decision of this case.