Court Opinion

ID: 9829046
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 18:56:57.88462+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:42:56.753394
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
In its motion for rehearing appellant contends that we were in error in disposing of its first six propositions, on the theory that each of them presented in different phases the error of the trial court in refusing to instruct a verdict for it because of the insufficiency of the evidence. Appellant contends that some of said propositions present the distinct and separate issue that the evidence was not sufficient to authorize the jury to find or apportion the amount of damage caused by it, as distinguished and separated from that caused by the other contractors on said building. As we construe these propositions, the underlying principle back of same is that the evidence was not sufficient on that phase to support the findings of the jury.
The record shows that the Terminal Building Corporation, which owned the ground and had the old building destroyed and the new one erected, let the contract to four different firms, namely: The plumbing contract was let to Martyn Bros., which included all outside plumbing and sewer connections; the contract for glass and glazing was let to Buse Ingram, of Fort Worth; and the contract for the steel work was let to Austin Bros. Practically all the other work, both for the destruction of the old building and the erection of the new, was let to appellant. The contract price to appellant took by far the major portion of the entire cost of the building. The testimony of the witness Elliott, who was secretary of the Terminal Building Corporation, was that Watson Company carried out and performed all of the provisions of its contract called for in the erection of said building. The testimony was sufficient to show to a reasonable extent the damage caused by Martyn Bros, in carrying out their contract, and also the damage, if any, occasioned by the other contractors with Terminal Building Corporation. The jury was specifically instructed by the court that in assessing damages, if any, it should only consider such loss of net profits to plaintiffs’ (appellees’) business as it found to be directly caused by the acts and conduct- of the servants or agents of the defendant Watson Company, and that it should not consider any loss of profits caused by any other contractor, subcontractor or their agents, servants or employes. The statement of facts embraces between three and four hundred pages. We have carefully examined same in the light of appellants’ motion for rehearing, and we think the evidence was sufficient to enable the jury to find with reasonable certainty the amount of damage caused appellees by the acts of appellant alone, and we think the evidence supports the amount of the verdict as rendered.
The motion for rehearing is overruled.