Court Opinion

ID: 9602171
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:52:17.915142+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:42:15.563350
License: Public Domain

Evans, Judge,
dissenting.
Plaintiff obtained a verdict and judgment against a railroad because of a collision at a crossing on a foggy morning before daylight; the railroad’s motion for new trial was overruled and on appeal to this court the majority take the following action: 1. Affirms as to enumerations of error numbers 1 and 2. I concur.
The majority opinion holds that defendant waived its right to complain of the service of jurors who were employees of the railroad; but expresses the opinion that said employees were in fact disqualified as jurors, had the point been properly raised. I agree that the conduct of defendant waived his right to complain, but I disagree with the majority as to the qualification of these jurors to serve. The railroad, as defendant, had no right to complain about its own employees serving on the jury. Only the opposite party could have complained. It has been held repeatedly that a juror who is a relative of a party is disqualified, but that his disqualification may be complained of only by the opposite party. It is presumed that a party is benefited by his relatives serving on the jury. See Patterson v. State Highway Dept., 201 Ga. 860 (3) (41 SE2d 260); Downing v. State, 114 Ga. 30 (1) (39 SE 927); Sikes v. State, 105 Ga. 592 (1) (31 SE 567); Wright v. Smith, 104 Ga. 174, 175 (30 SE 651). And it has been held that employees are more inclined to favor a party who is their employer than is a relative of that party. See Central R. Co. v. Mitchell, 63 Ga. 173, 180; Temples v. Central of Ga. R. Co., 15 Ga. App. 115 (2) (82 SE 777).
2. Reverses as to enumeration of error number 3. I dissent.
3. Refuses to pass on Enumerations of error number 5 and 6, because it is felt these matters will not arise in the next trial. I do not believe there should be another trial; and I would affirm as to these two enumerations of error.
4. Reverses on the third enumeration of error. Here defendant complains of the court’s charge to the jury on *296two grounds, to wit: a. The charge instructed the jury as to what a railroad is required to do in the exercise of ordinary care on a foggy and misty morning, b. It was argumentative in suggesting there was mist and fog present on this occasion.
There was no error in the trial judge’s charge to the jury. First of all, the language in the entire paragraph is good law, as is held in Jones v. Grantham, 102 Ga. App. 436, 438 (116 SE2d 668), and many other cases. But the majority correctly states that all law that is set forth in decisions of the appellate courts may not necessarily be appropriate in a charge to a jury. Of course, that is true. But some good reason must be shown as to why the language is not appropriate.
As to the contention that this charge improperly instructed as to what precautions the railroad should have taken at the crossing, let it be pointed out that the court specifically instructed the jury that whether any particular action was required of the railroad "was exclusively for the jury to determine. ”
The majority opinion cites Watson v. Riggs, 79 Ga. App. 784, 785 (54 SE2d 323), wherein the court detailed the acts of negligence alleged by plaintiff against defendant, and then added: "All of these are allegations of simple negligence. If proven to your satisfaction, they may constitute just as much a breach of duty and form just as well a foundation for recovery as would a violation of some particular law. ’’(Emphasis supplied.) The vice in the above charge is obvious and patent. The trial judge did not leave it to the jury’s determination as to whether the alleged acts authorized a recovery, but, in effect, told the jury if the facts were proven as alleged, they amounted to negligence per se, and did indeed authorize a recovery.
But in the case sub judice, in charging as to whether the railroad should have maintained a light or some kind of warning, the trial judge concluded with the following language: "Except in clear and indisputable cases, whether particular circumstances require such action on the part of the railroad is a question exclusively for the jury to determine. ” (Emphasis supplied.)
This concluding sentence makes all the difference in *297the world; it renders a charge proper and legal which would otherwise be erroneous.
In Garrett v. Royal Brothers, 225 Ga. 533 (170 SE2d 294), the Supreme Court of Georgia holds: "The conduct of a defendant cannot be declared to be negligent, as a matter of law, unless it has been so declared by a lawmaking body, and, in the absence of such a declaration the jury is the arbiter of the question of whether a defendant’s conduct on a given occasion is negligent, and, if so, whether such negligence is the degree of negligence required for a recovery by plaintiff.” (Emphasis supplied.) The judge in the case sub judice followed the above pronouncement precisely; he made the jury the arbiter of whether defendant’s conduct on that occasion was negligent; when he charged that the question of whether the railroad should have taken such action, "is a question exclusively for the jury to determine.”
A charge quite similar to the one in question, wherein the duties which might devolve upon a railroad under certain circumstances were charged, and held to be proper, has been upheld time and again. In Pollard v. Savage, 55 Ga. App. 470, at 474, 475 (190 SE 423), it is held: "While specific duties are frequently imposed by statute upon railroad companies with regard to the care which must be exercised at public crossings, they are, even in the absence of specific statutory requirements, bound to exercise reasonable and ordinary care, dependent upon the situation and surroundings of the crossing and the extent of user and commensurate with the danger involved.” And at p. 476 concludes thus: "Consequently, the court did not err in instructing the jury that it was for them to determine whether, in the exercise of ordinary care, the defendant was required to blow the whistle of the engine.” (Emphasis supplied.)
This is exactly in line with the charge that was given in the case sub judice, to wit, leaving it for the jury to determine, under the situation and circumstances, whether the railroad should have had a light or some kind of warning at the crossing.
It is always a question for the jury to determine as to whether a railroad should have had a watchman, or warning lights, etc. at a crossing; and if so, what kind of *298guard or lights should have been maintained there to disclose the presence of a train. If the trial judge invades the province of the jury and charges them that the failure to have such lights, etc. is negligence, this is reversible error. But if the judge instructs the jury that they are to determine whether lights, etc. should have been maintained, this is an exact compliance with the law, and is never error. Sylvania Central R. Co. v. Gay, 82 Ga. App. 486, 488 (53 SE2d 713); Central of Ga. R. Co. v. Barnett, 35 Ga. App. 528 (1a), at 531 (134 SE 126); Central of Ga. R. v. Leonard, 49 Ga. App. 689 (4) (176 SE 137); Atlanta & W. P. R. Co. v. Twedell, 70 Ga. App. 812, 816, 817 (29 SE2d 668); Atlanta & W. P. R. Co. v. Hudson, 123 Ga. 108 (51 SE 29); Ga. R. & Power Co. v. Shaw, 25 Ga. App. 146 (102 SE 904); Davis v. Whitcomb, 30 Ga. App. 497 (2) (118 SE 488); Payne v. Chambliss, 27 Ga. App. 374 (108 SE 472).
Secondly, we come to the contention that the trial judge in his charge was argumentative by intimating that mist and foggy conditions prevailed on that morning at the railroad crossing. In other words, it is contended that the trial judge invaded the province of the jury by intimating his opinion that it was a 'misty and foggy morning.’ But this fact was undisputed by all the evidence! Both witnesses for plaintiff and witnesses for defendant testified that it was a foggy morning, some saying "real foggy,” others saying, "very foggy, awful,” and others simply saying, "foggy.” But there was not a single witness who testified that it was not foggy, or that it was a clear morning. Let us refer to the transcript:
The following witnesses for plaintiff testified to the foggy condition on the morning of the collision, to wit: Roy Lawrence Smith, Jr. (Tr. p. 5); David L. Waldron, U. S. Deputy Marshall for Southern District of Georgia, "extremely foggy” (Tr. p. 47); Freddie Lee Williams — "real foggy” (Tr. p. 59); Harry Depratter — "real foggy” (Tr. p. 77); Lawrence Lee — "real foggy” (Tr. p. 81).
Now let us look at the testimony of witnesses for the defendant: David Johnston — photographer — patches of fog — interfered with his speed (Tr. 102); Engineer A. H. Clark (Tr. p. 139); Brakeman R. T. Kirkland (Tr. p. 165); Conductor M. H. Murdock (Tr. p. 176); E. L. Fordham (Tr. p. 183); Freddie Lee Williams (Tr. p. 196); *299Roy Lawrence Smith — real foggy (Tr. p. 215); Timothy Allen Harrison — it was awful — it was real foggy (Tr. p. 232).
I repeat that not a single witness for either plaintiff or defendant testified that it was clear, or that it was not foggy. (Incidentally, Black’s Law Dictionary defines "fog” as including "mist.”)
So, this was an uncontradicted and undisputed fact, and there could be no error whatever in intimating that such condition prevailed. Our courts have repeatedly held that it is never error for a trial judge to state to a jury that a fact has been proven, when there is no dispute as to the establishment of such fact. See Goldstein v. Karr, 110 Ga. App. 806, 809 (140 SE2d 40): "When a fact is proved by undisputed evidence, it is never error to assume or intimate that the fact is proved. Fitzgerald Cotton Oil Co. v. Farmers Supply Co., 3 Ga. App. 212, 216-217 (3) (59 SE 713).” See also: Daniel v. Charping, 151 Ga. 34 (3) (105 SE 465); Imperial Inv. v. Modernization Const., 96 Ga. App. 385 (2) (100 SE2d 107); Abbott v. State, 91 Ga. App. 380 (3) (85 SE2d 615); Roberts v. McClellan, 80 Ga. App. 199 (4) (155 SE2d 736); Davis v. State, 58 Ga. App. 440 (5) (198 SE 800); Ga. R. & Electric Co. v. Cole, 1 Ga. App. 33 (1) (57 SE 1026).
There was no error in the court’s charge. The court did not instruct the jury as to what precautions the railroad should have taken to protect the crossing; he instructed them carefully that this was a question exclusively for the jury to determine.
And no argumentative charge as to fog and mist was delivered. This was a proven fact; no witness contested the presence of fog and mist. As stated before, it has been held repeatedly that to assume the existence of a fact which is proven and uncontradicted in the record is not erroneous.
As to defendant’s enumeration of error number five, it is recited in said enumeration of error that when plaintiffs counsel made certain remarks to the jury, defendant’s counsel moved for mistrial, which motion was sustained. It is beyond the power of defendant to complain of failure of the court to take further corrective action in view of his recitation that his motion for *300mistrial was sustained. Further, counsel for plaintiff apologized for the remarks in the presence of the jury, and the judge instructed the jury to disregard said remarks; and admonished counsel to refrain in the future from commenting on matters not in evidence. (Tr. pp. 246-247.) There was no error here.
As to defendant’s enumeration of error number six, defendant’s counsel moved for a mistrial, and requested the court to rebuke counsel for allegedly improper argument if he did not grant the mistrial. The court not only instructed the jury properly respecting the matter, but also rebuked counsel in the presence of the jury, in the very stern language: "Mr. Neville, this is the second time . . . I’m just as sure as I can be that so far as I know you are a good lawyer. I am just as sure as I can be that you can’t make that argument in your home circuit, and you’ve had years of experience, and I am going to tell you for the last time to argue the evidence and the reasonable deductions from it. I want you to keep that in mind. All right.” (Tr. p. 248-249). There was no error in this enumeration.
For all the reasons stated above, I dissent.