Lewis v. Moss

• Decision Date: 29 April 1977
• Citation: 347 So.2d 91
• Parties: Theo E. LEWIS and Elizabeth S. Lewis v. William Gary MOSS and World Bazaar et al. SC 2190.
• Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Page 91

347 So.2d 91

Theo E. LEWIS and Elizabeth S. Lewis v. William Gary MOSS and World Bazaar et al.

SC 2190.

Supreme Court of Alabama.

April 29, 1977.

As Amended on Denial of Rehearing June 10, 1977.

Warren L. Hammond, Jr. and Wayne Morse, Jr., Mobile, for appellants.

Bert S. Nettles, Mobile, for appellees.

JONES, Justice.

Where primary and derivative claims in a consolidated action result in a jury verdict awarding damages to the injured wife and a defendant's verdict in the husband's case; where the only defense in the husband's suit is a general denial; and where the We emphasize at the outset that our affirmative reply to the issue here presented is necessarily dependent upon the factual accuracy of each of the premises set out in the above stated question. Counsel for appellees (defendants below) accepts premise No. 1 that the jury, in a single trial of the two claims awarded damages to the wife, and returned a defendant's verdict in the husband's case and premise No. 2 that, as to the issue of liability, there was no legal basis for different verdicts. He does not accept premise No. 3 that there was uncontradicted evidence of some damage to the husband.

evidence is uncontradicted that the husband suffered some damages not claimed by his wife, is the husband entitled to a new trial on the ground of inconsistent jury verdicts? Yes; we reverse and remand.

Before treating appellee's contention with respect to this latter premise, we will first discuss two additional contentions, each of which assumes arguendo that our statement of the issue here presented is factually accurate.

Only Derivative Action, Not Primary Action, Appealed

First, it is contended that while "[t]he jury in this case returned verdicts of $5,243.12 for the wife on the primary action and for the defendants-appellees on the husband's derivative action, . . . the appellants have appealed only the unfavorable verdict in the husband's action. Such an appeal of only one-half of the verdict results in an anomalous situation. The jury possibly could have concluded that the total damages to which both the husband and wife were entitled were $5,243.12, and then awarded it all in the wife's case."

The only authority cited for this proposition is an Illinois intermediate appellate court case of Kimmel v. Hefner, 36 Ill.App.2d 137, 183 N.E.2d 13 (1962), which contains the following language:

"We have no means of knowing whether the jury decided the allowance of $13,000 to Mrs. Kimmel was sufficient benefit to Mr. Kimmel to offset his damages, or whether his claims seemed unreasonable to them . . .

"* * *e n

"The jury may have considered the award to the wife as adequate to the family, and denied a separate recovery to the husband for that reason . . . But if that were the fact, then it would be manifestly unfair to reverse and order a new trial as to the husband's claim alone, without the possibility of adjusting the other verdict to fit.

" '. . . (T)he award should not be disturbed, unless the objective evidence positively and unequivocally shows that damages, clearly proven, have been overlooked . . ..' "

We are unfamiliar with the rules of practice and procedure in Illinois, but this language of the Illinois Court of Appeals is strange and unsuited to our practice.

Our practice and procedure contains no requirement that, where two separate claims are consolidated in a single action, the prevailing party plaintiff must appeal as a prerequisite to the losing party plaintiff's right of appellate review. Indeed, such a rule would presuppose that the losing party had control, or right of control, of the prevailing party an obvious non-fact which the law will not assume. In the present posture of the instant case, we cannot deny this appellant appellate review on the ground that his husband's primary action stands finally adjudicated without appeal.

Inconsistency Waived by Failure to Object

Next, appellees contend:

"If, in fact, the verdicts were inconsistent (which appellees emphatically deny), the appropriate course of action would have been for appellants to have made an objection prior to the jury's discharge. The jury could have then been given appropriate instructions by the trial judge and the opportunity to correct any defect or inconsistency. That might well have resulted in the jury possibly prorating the $5,272.58 award between the two appellants In support of this contention, appellees cite one Alabama case (Bradley v. Jones, 282 Ala. 331, 211 So.2d 465 (1968)), and a Delaware case (Hamilton v. Wrang, 221 A.2d 605 (Del.1966)). Both cases deal with the necessity to object to a verdict defective as to form, and both cases are inapposite here. It is a verdict correct as to form but adverse as to substance to which this appeal is directed. While the trial Court may direct appropriate efforts toward correcting inconsistent verdicts if called to his attention before the jury is discharged, we find no prohibition against raising the issue of inconsistent verdicts for the first time on motion for new trial.

or otherwise resolving the inconsistency."

Failure of Proof of Damages

Finally, counsel for appellees asserts:

"Insofar as the determination of appellees-defendants' negligence is concerned, the reasoning of appellants-plaintiffs is correct. The defendants cannot be found negligent as to one plaintiff but not negligent to another where the act complained of is the same, assuming no question of contributory negligence. However, the negligence of the defendants is not the only element the plaintiff must prove to establish a cause of action which would entitle him to recovery. He must prove that he was injured thereby and, must also prove to the reasonable satisfaction of the jury the amount of damages he sustained."

This is a forthright and accurate statement of the rule. It is stated in Smith v. Richardson, 277 Ala. 389, 171 So.2d 96 (1965):

"The burden is upon one claiming damages to establish the existence of, and the amount of such damages by competent evidence."

Appellees maintain, however, "that appellants failed to prove the reasonable amount of the medical expenses that were related, if, in fact, any were related to the accident. Having thus failed to uphold their burden, an essential element of Mr. Lewis' action is missing and a verdict for the appellees was therefore proper."

Before addressing the quantitative evidentiary issue, we feel constrained to comment upon the Court of Civil Appeals' opinion in Harden v. Alabama Great Southern R. R. Co., 45 Ala.App. 301, 229 So.2d 803 (1969), cited by appellees/defendants for the legal proposition that these husband and wife verdicts were "different but not inconsistent". At page 305, 45 Ala.App., at page 806, 229 So.2d, it is stated:

"If damage to the husband in some measurable amount must necessarily follow proof of personal injury and right to recover by the wife, there would be no defense to the derivative action by the husband. It must follow that the husband would be entitled to the affirmative charge without hypothesis as to damages in some amount. This would be true in consolidated actions. It would then follow that right to recover, and damages in some amount, would be due in separate but nonconsolidated suits brought by the husband if it has been previously determined that the wife was entitled to recover for personal injuries. The matter of injury and right to damages would be res judicata and only the amount of damages would remain to be determined.

"We do not believe this to be the law nor should it be the law in this State." (Emphasis added.)

The reasoning and conclusion in the first (unemphasized) portion of the above-quoted language from Harden is correct. As the general rule set out above makes clear, proof of existence and amount of damages is essential to recovery. Put another way, the...