Court Opinion

ID: 9765818
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:20:56.737061+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:15.990599
License: Public Domain

MURRAY, Chief Justice.
I dissent from the opinion of the majority. The majority have held that the trial court abused its discretion in sustaining ap-pellee’s objection to appellant’s proffered trial amendment presented to the court for the first time after the close of the evidence and while the charge of the court was being prepared. The effect of the trial amendment was to raise a new defense to the damages alleged by appellee. The objection made to the filing of the trial amendment by appellee was that he would have to withdraw his announcement of ready in order to have time to prepare his case against this new defense, as he was taken completely by surprise by the offering of the trial amendment. The trial court sustained this objection and refused to permit the filing of the trial amendment, reading as follows:
“I. That Plaintiff Philip J. Moulton has wholly failed to take the necessary action to mitigate his damages in this cause and has, in fact, contributed to cause an injury of greater severity to himself than that which he received in the accident in question by failing to exercise the care of an ordinary prudent person in following competent medical advice to prevent the further aggravation of, or in the alternative, the complete healing of such injury. That such failure to exercise such care as an ordinary prudent person would have exercised was a proximate cause or contributing cause of the disability, if any, plaintiff may or might have received as a result of the injury in question.
“II. In the alternative, Plaintiff Philip J. Moulton, by the exercise of ordinary care and the expenditure of a small sum of money, could have avoided or eliminated any recurrence of the condition existing in his right knee after August 31, 1963.”
The majority have held that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing leave to file this trial amendment, citing the case of Vermillion v. Haynes, 147 Tex. 359, 215 S.W.2d 605. I do not consider that case as being in point. There the trial was before the court without the intervention of a jury, and there was no pleading of surprise by the opposing party. We quote from the opinion:
“ * * * Here the respondents’ objections were that the petitioner had neglected for more than a year to file the amendment, that it was tendered after the evidence was closed and without previous notice, and that it was without merit or support in the evidence and would prevent equity being done. It will be observed that these objections carried neither suggestion nor hint that the respondents were *207in any manner surprised or unprepared to meet the issues raised by the amendment; nor did they suggest that, in this trial without a jury, the amendment would otherwise prejudice them in maintaining their action on its merits.” (Emphasis mine.)
In the case at bar Dr. Berry’s testimony was admissible under the pleadings as they were, and it could not have been excluded even if objected to, so it cannot be said that this new defense was tried by the expressed or implied consent of all parties.
In Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Cummings, Tex.Civ.App., 364 S.W.2d 255, the Court said:
“We think we should add that issues are not tried by consent merely by the hearing of testimony thereon, but that submission to the jury has been held to be a part of the process, and the mere facts that testimony may have been developed on issues not necessary to be submitted to the jury under the pleading does not mean that the party has consented to the trial of such issues.”
In Matthews v. General Accident Fire & Life Assur. Corp., 161 Tex. 622, 343 S.W.2d 251, the Supreme Court, speaking through Justice Griffin, said:
“The Court of Civil Appeals held that the defense of defendant embodied in its Requested Special Issue No. 3 had been raised by the testimony of plaintiff and the doctors who testified, which testimony was admitted without any objection being raised by the plaintiff. Therefore, the Court of Civil Appeals reasoned such defense had been tried by consent of the parties, and it was error for the trial court to refuse to submit the Requested Special Issue No. 3. We hold the issue was not tried by consent of the parties, and the trial court was justified in refusing to give it because there was no pleading to support it.”
In Jenkins v. Hennigan, Tex.Civ.App., 298 S.W.2d 905, the Court said:
“The refusal to permit filing of the trial amendment presents error only in the event the court abused its discretion in this respect, and we are not prepared to say that any such abuse is shown. Appellant argues that the issues were tried by implied consent of the parties, but we cannot agree that this is so. Except for the testimony of Williams himself, there was no evidence to show the rate of speed at which he was driving at the time in question, and his testimony in this respect was elicited while he was being cross-examined by defense counsel. Plaintiffs made no objection to his testimony, it is true, but no valid objection they could have made has been suggested and none occurs to us. When defendant requested leave to file the trial amendment and that the issues under consideration be submitted to the jury, plaintiffs promptly objected, and this was the first occasion they had had to declare themselves. We find nothing in their couduct, therefore, from which to imply their consent to a trial of the issues. See Salley v. Black, Sivalls & Bryson, Tex.Civ.App., 225 S.W.2d 426; Harkey v. Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n, 146 Tex. 504, 208 S.W.2d 919; Cadwell v. Dabney, Tex.Civ.App., 208 S.W.2d 127. The motion shows on its face to have been filed and presented after the evidence had been finally closed, and no reason for defendant’s failure to file it earlier is disclosed by the record. Furthermore, for all that the record discloses, plaintiffs may have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the trial court that allowance of the amendment would prejudice them in maintaining their action. We are convinced, therefore, that point seven presents no error and it is overruled. See Shepard v. Outley, Tex.Civ.App., 256 S.W.2d 652; Ragsdale v. Lindsey, Tex.Civ.App., 254 S.W.2d 843, 848; Rule 66, T.R.C.P.”
The burden of proof is upon the party contending that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing leave to file a trial amendment, and especially is this true where *208such trial amendment is tendered for the first time after both sides have rested and the charge to the jury is being prepared.
Here the burden of proof is not upon Moulton to show that he was in fact surprised, but upon appellant to establish that Moulton was not surprised. Westinghouse Elec. Corp. v. Pierce, 153 Tex. 527, 271 S.W.2d 422; Consolidated Copperstate Lines, Inc. v. Standard Asbestos Mfg. & Insulating Co., Tex.Civ.App., 378 S.W.2d 704, wr. ref. n. r. e.; Weaver v. Bogle, 325 S.W.2d 457; Davis v. National Acceptance Co., Tex.Civ.App., 233 S.W.2d 321, wr. ref. n. r. e.
I cannot agree that this record shows that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing appellant leave to file a trial amendment after the evidence was closed, at a time that surprised appellee, and would compel him to ask that he be permitted to withdraw his announcement of ready
I respectfully dissent.