Court Opinion

ID: 9552908
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 19:19:08.355582+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:29:20.647389
License: Public Domain

SHINN, P. J.
I concur. Again I feel compelled to comment upon the prevalent lack of understanding on the part of counsel as to the function of findings and the importance of relating them to the material issues.
• There were findings that plaintiff is a resident of Los Angeles County; that defendant is a California corporation, and upon all the other allegations of the complaint which were admitted. There was also a finding that all the allegations of the affirmative defenses were untrue. By this blanket finding the court found that defendant did not discharge plaintiff because of physical disability; that the contract was not terminated during the training season; that defendant did not pay plaintiff’s expenses and transportation as required by the contract; that the contract did not provide *726for the reference of disputes to the conference commissioner as arbitrator; that plaintiff did refer the dispute between himself and defendant to the commissioner; that the contract did not require plaintiff to give notice of his claim to the commissioner within 90 days; that plaintiff did give notice to the commissioner as required by the contract. In all these respects the findings are exactly contrary to the admitted facts and the undisputed evidence. Such ill-considered, contradictory and obviously false findings are an imposition upon a reviewing court.
But the errors and defects do not end with the findings upon immaterial or admitted facts or with those last mentioned. The one important question was whether plaintiff suffered disability resulting directly from injury sustained in the performance of his services. There was no finding upon that issue, although defendant earnestly insisted in writing that a finding should be made, as well as specific findings upon other issues. Defendant even went so far as to make an unsuccessful application to the District Court of Appeal for a writ of mandate to require the court to make additional findings.
It will be seen from the main opinion that the court has been required to make a painstaking and laborious analysis of the findings in order to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for regarding them as sufficient to support the conclusions of law and judgment. I agree that there was substantial evidence to support the finding that plaintiff was physically able to play football when he first engaged in practice, and in view of this finding, I believe a finding that he was subsequently injured in the performance of his services should be implied. But even if the finding were not implied a contrary finding would not have been logical, inasmuch as there was nothing to suggest injury except in practice. By this narrow margin I conclude that the inadequate, contradictory, false and confusing findings do not justify a reversal.