Court Opinion

ID: 9607179
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:56:01.307197+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:37.407466
License: Public Domain

CROCKETT, Chief Justice
(dissenting).
There were five issues to be determined: (A) Negligence of defendant; (B) Whether it was proximate cause; (C) Damages; (D) Negligence of plaintiff; (E) Whether it was proximate cause.
It will be noted that of the five issues, four of them were determined in favor of the plaintiff. As to (D) only was the answer adverse to him.
It cannot be doubted that strictly upon the basis of the answers as given, the plaintiff would be entitled to a judgment because they found on (E) that even though he was negligent, it had no effect in causing the injury. The only basis upon which the court could possibly justify depriving him of the damages which the jury found he suffered as a result of defendant’s negligence is for the court to arbitrarily rule that the jury was wrong on issue (E).
The stated reasoning for the view that the jury was wrong on issue (E) seems to be this: They having found him negligent on issue (D), there is no reasonable basis for *389finding (E), that it did not contribute to cause the injury. The fallacy in such reasoning is the assumption that the jury was right in finding him negligent on issue (D), and therefore must be wrong on (E). I must concede that there is difficulty in reconciling the jury’s opposite answers to (D) and (E). But if the court is going to arbitrarily say the jury is wrong on one or the other, it seems just as logical to say that their finding on issue (E) is right, which would say in effect there was no negligence which proximately contributed to cause the injury, and therefore they must have been mistaken on issue (D) as to negligence, as it would to accept finding (D) as correct and reject (E), thus defeating the plaintiff.
It is appreciated that there is a reasonable basis in evidence for finding (D), that the plaintiff was negligent, whereas, if we assume that finding to be correct, there is no reasonable basis for finding (E) that plaintiff’s negligence was not a proximate cause. Nevertheless, the answers were contradictory. They show that the jury were confused and made no clear analysis and determination of the issues. After the return of their answers the inconsistency should have been called to their attention and they be given an opportunity to further deliberate and agree upon consistent answers if possible. Undesirable as it is to protract litigation, as I see it, the only way that justice can be done here is to remand the case for a clear and unequivocal determination of the issues of fact. I, would therefore grant a new trial for that purpose.
WADE, J., concurs with the views expressed by CROCKETT, C. J.