Lane v. Fair Stores

• Decision Date: 07 November 1951
• Docket Number: No. A-3213,A-3213
• Citation: 150 Tex. 566,243 S.W.2d 683
• Parties: LANE v. FAIR STORES, Inc.
• Court: Texas Supreme Court

Page 683

243 S.W.2d 683

150 Tex. 566

LANE v. FAIR STORES, Inc.

No. A-3213.

Supreme Court of Texas.

Nov. 7, 1951.

Rehearing Denied Dec. 12, 1951.

Bob Huff, Lamesa, R. H. Munsterman, Levelland, for petitioner.

Allison & Allison, Levelland, R. Stansell Clement, Lamesa, Leachman, Matthews & Gardere, Henry D. Akin and Rice & Tobolowsky, all of Dallas, for respondent.

SMITH, Justice.

This is a suit for damages brought by petitioner, C. A. Lane, against respondent, the Fair Stores, Inc., for injuries sustained by petitioner's wife, Mrs. Mamie Lane.

Trial was before a jury and its answers to special issues were the basis for the entry of judgment in favor of petitioner. On appeal, the judgment was reversed and remanded by the Court of Civil Appeals at Amarillo. 240 S.W.2d 373.

The statement of facts was not tendered to the Court of Civil Appeals for filing until two hundred and thirty four (234) days after the trial court overruled respondent's motion for new trial.

The failure to comply with the provisions of Rule 386, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, placed the case before the Court of Civil Appeals without a statement of facts. The statement of facts, therefore, cannot be considered on appeal.

The respondent predicated its appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals upon five points to-wit: (1) The error of the trial court in overruling its motion for an instructed verdict; (2) the error of the trial court in overruling appellant's motion for judgment non obstante veredicto; (3) the error of the trial court in not submitting to the jury an issue on contributory negligence raised by the pleadings and the evidence; (4) the error of the trial court in permitting recovery of $2,500.00 for future medical expenses in the absence of evidence to support it; (5) the error of the trial court in permitting appellee to recover $10,125.00 for past and future reduced capacity of his wife to discharge her duties as a housewife.

From an examination of the respondent's motion for instructed verdict, its motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and its motion for new trial, it is apparent the points stated cannot be considered without a statement of facts.

The Court of Civil Appeals held that the transcript revealed fundamental error, in that, petitioner failed to allege a cause of action and that the pleadings and the findings of the jury in answer to special issues submitted were insufficient to support the judgment rendered by the trial court in favor of petitioner.

It further held that the immediate cause of injury was the conduct of the crowd and that respondent could not have reasonably foreseen or anticipated the chain of events leading to the resulting injury sustained by Mrs. Lane. With this holding we cannot agree.

The petition alleges that the respondent was the owner of a dry goods store located in the city of Levelland, Texas; that petitioner on or about June 16, 1949, was on the premises of respondent by invitation; that the manager of the store, while acting in the scope of his employment, had for several days conducted an advertising campaign to induce a large crowd to attend its opening sale; that the advertisements stated the doors would open at 9:00 A.M. and that a pair of fine hose would be given to each of the first three hundred persons entering the store on the morning designated; that in response and reliance upon said statement and promise, petitioner arrived upon the premises at about 8:30 A.M.; that at 9:00 A.M., the advertised opening hour, only a small crowd had congregated; 'that immediately after 9:00 A.M. a great throng of prospective customers began assembling around the entrance of said store and that at 9:25 A.M. approximately four or five hundred people had congregated at the opening of said store. Plaintiff alleges a few minutes before the doors were actually opened, the crowd became impatient and started pushing and those in the back of the crowd began pushing forward in an attempt to get near the entrance of said door in order that they might be one of the lucky number to receive some free merchandise. Plaintiff alleges that defendant, well knowing the large crowd had assembled, and well knowing that they were pushing and crowding, and that said defendant, acting by and through its duly authorized agent, Mr. C. B. Dryden, the said Dryden having been in the clothing business for approximately 30 years and having had a vast amount of experience in handling large throngs of people similar to the one in front of the Fair Store on this occasion, and said defendant well knowing the propensity of said crowd and well knowing that some of the prospective customers...