Court Opinion

ID: 9773390
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:44:18.474703+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:53.155942
License: Public Domain

PARRIS, Justice,
dissenting.
I dissent from the majority ruling on the appellant’s second point of error. I dissent because it was error to allow a witness, not identified in a response to discovery asking the identity of persons with knowledge of relevant facts, to testify; and the appellant’s objection to the testimony was sufficient to preserve error.
Appellant’s fourteenth interrogatory requests that appellee state:
State the full name and last known address, giving the street, street number, city and state of every person known to you or your attorneys who have knowledge of any relevant facts pertaining to this cause of action, including, but not limited to, eye-witnesses to such event, as well as medical witnesses and other persons having such knowledge thereof.
The appellee’s objection to interrogatory fourteen is as follows:
Defendant objects to Interrogatory # 14 as same is overly broad, burdensome, and unclear, such that it would be extremely difficult for Defendant to answer same. Defendant does not recognize Plaintiff's "cause of action.” In ad*913dition, because there was no “accident” for which there could be our witnesses, or persons with relevant knowledge, said question would require Defendant to provide an extremely lengthy list of virtually all persons who were employed at Weber Aircraft, in addition to many others with knowledge of activities which occurred in Weber Aircraft. Therefore, Defendant objects to answering same without further specification by Plaintiff as to the information requested.
Interrogatory fourteen made a legitimate inquiry about persons having knowledge of relevant facts, see TEX.R.CIV.P. 166b(2)(d), and the use of similar interrogatories is a common practice.1 Appellee's objection that interrogatory fourteen would require it to identify virtually all of Weber’s employees begs the question because Miller’s identity and relevant knowledge were known to appellee. If appellee was truly concerned with the risk of sanctions for not identifying all of Weber’s employees with relevant knowledge, it could have conditioned its answer naming those known to have relevant knowledge with language of the following sort:
In addition to the persons identified, in response to plaintiff’s interrogatory fourteen, there may be other employees of Weber Aircraft with particular knowledge of facts relevant to plaintiff’s cause of action, whose identities or relevant knowledge are not known to defendant.
The majority opinion places the burden on one seeking discovery to obtain a ruling on the opposing party’s objection. The majority cites no authority for this departure from the general rule that one urging an objection must obtain a ruling on his objection.
I would hold appellant’s objection to Miller’s testimony sufficient to preserve error because it was sufficiently specific, and because it is apparent from the trial court’s ruling that the trial court understood appellant’s objection. Appellant’s objection to the testimony of Miller and the ruling of the trial court are as follows:
MR. MARTINES: Let the record reflect that the Plaintiff has entered an objection to the testimony of this witness for the reason that the Defendant’s attorneys invoked the rule at the time of the beginning of this trial, which forbade any testifying witness to be present in the courtroom during the other witnesses’ testimony. Secondly, that the Defendant has entirely failed to answer any motion for production designating any witnesses as relevant fact witnesses. Thereby, we have had no previous notice that they intended to call this man to testify as allowed under the Rules of Civil Procedure, that his testimony should not be allowed as he was not identified.
THE COURT: The Court is going to rule on — overrule that, ... The record will speak for itself as far as the pleadings and what have you, what was asked for and whether or not that’s a violation. The Court will overrule it.
To preserve error, an objection must state the specific grounds for the desired ruling if those specific grounds are not apparent from the context of the objection. TEX.R.APP.P. 52(a). A specific objection is one which enables the trial court to understand a precise question and make an intelligent ruling, affording the offering party an opportunity to remedy the defect, if possible, de los Angeles Garay v. Texas *914Employers Ins. Ass’n, 700 S.W.2d 657, 659 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1985, no writ).
The trial court’s ruling shows that the court understood that appellant was objecting to the testimony of a relevant fact witness not identified in discovery.
For the reasons stated, I would reverse and remand for new trial.

. E.g.: An interrogatory requesting the names, addresses, telephone numbers and current employment situations of all persons who have knowledge of facts and circumstances which were the basis of the lawsuit. See Yeldell v. Holiday Hills Retirement & Nursing Center, 701 S.W.2d 243, 246 (Tex.1985). An interrogatory inquiring of "all persons with knowledge of relevant facts such that they may have actual or constructive knowledge of any discoverable matter, but without regard to the ultimate admissibility into evidence of the matter.” See Walsh v. Mullane, 725 S.W.2d 263, 264 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1986, writ ref'd n.r.e.). Interrogatory requesting "the names of all witnesses to a part or all of the events made the basis for the lawsuit." See Brewer v. Isom, 704 S.W.2d 911, 912 (Tex.App.-Dallas 1986, no writ).