Court Opinion

ID: 9865611
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 19:07:08.855848+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:40:38.512905
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION ROE REHEARING.
The plaintiff filed a motion for rehearing and quoted from the opinion as follows: “The whole evidence reveals no circumstance which would justify a jury in finding that the plaintiff was struck at the instance, procurement, or command of the defendant.” It is stated that this excerpt represents the controlling factor in the affirmance of the case. It does. It is contended that in this excerpt and in no part of the opinion did the court take into consideration the following evidence of the plaintiff, Eobert Smith: “I heard Tom Wrench [defendant’s agent who made the actual physical assault] testify in the justice’s court in the hearing touching this case, and he said Mr. Ship [acting manager] told him to go back down there and straighten it out and beat hell out of me.” The plaintiff states: “Assuming that the statement in question was made by the defendant’s agent, such a statement within itself would have justified and authorized a jury in finding that the witness Tom Wrench was acting under instructions and in the interest of his employer.” It is contended that Wrench denied so testifying in the justice’s court. Let us analyze this contention of the plaintiff in this motion for rehearing. Let us assume that the case had been submitted to a jury. On this particular point the jury could only have impeached Wrench by believing the plaintiff’s statement as to what Wrench testified in the justice’s court. In such event we would then have the jury considering *197wbat the plaintiff Smith said that Wrench said that manager Ship said. This would be purely hearsay, without probative value, and insufficient as a matter of law on which to base a verdict against the defendant. Therefore the motion for rehearing is denied.