Mo., K. & T. Ry. Co. v. Highfill
Decision Date | 08 September 1930 |
Docket Number | Case Number: 19310 |
Court | Oklahoma Supreme Court |
Parties | MISSOURI, K. & T. RY. CO. v. HIGHFILL. |
¶0 1. Master and Servant--Personal Injury Action--Petition not Required to Negative Defense of Assumption of Risk.
In a personal injury action based on the master's negligence, a plaintiff is not required to negative the defense of assumption of risk in his petition.
2. Same--Pleadings Held to Raise Issue of Assumption of Risk so as to Admit Plaintiff's Evidence in Avoidance of Defense.
In a personal injury action based on the master's negligence, where the petition alleges in detail the nature of a defendant's negligence, and the answer pleads assumption of risk, and reply denies the answer, the issue of assumption of risk is sufficiently raised to admit plaintiff's evidence in avoidance of such defense.
3. Same -- Action Against Master Engaged in Interstate Commerce Governed by Federal Decisions and not by Simple Tool Doctrine.
A personal injury action by a servant against his master, who is engaged in interstate commerce at the time of the injury arising out of employment requiring the use of a simple tool or appliance which was defective, is governed by the common law as construed by the federal courts, and not by what is commonly known as the simple tool doctrine. In such case, a servant does not assume the risk attributable to his master's failure to furnish a nondefective appliance where the defect has been called to the master's attention, and there has been a promise of reparation and direction to use such defective appliance pending reparation.
4. Same--Judgment for Plaintiff Sustained.
Record examined, and held, that the evidence is sufficient to sustain the judgment under the rule as set out in paragraph 3 of the syllabus.
Commissioners' Opinion, Division No. 1.
Error from District Court, Muskogee County; Enloe V. Vernor, Judge.
Action by R. F. Highfill against the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company. Judgment for plaintiff, and defendant appeals. Affirmed.
M. D. Green, John E. M. Taylor, and Eric Haase, for plaintiff in error.
S. P. Jones, Franklin Jones, Glen Alcorn, and Raymond Buck, for defendant in error.
¶1 In this cause the parties occupied the relation of master and servant. The servant, R. T. Highfill, defendant in error and plaintiff below, recovered a judgment against the master, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company, plaintiff in error and defendant below, in a personal injury action brought and tried on the theory that the federal doctrine of the common law of master and servant controlled the merits of the case for that the defendant was engaged in interstate commerce at the time of plaintiff's injury.
¶2 Upon defendant's motion to make his petition more definite and certain in particular details, plaintiff filed an amended petition of which the principal charging allegation read, to wit:
¶3 Following other appropriate allegations as to his earning capacity at the time of injury and his life expectancy, he alleged damages in the sum of $ 60,000 for which in said amount he prayed judgment.
¶4 Defendant, without challenge of the sufficiency of the amended petition, answered by denial of each and every material a legation thereof, and further pleaded that if plaintiff was injured in the manner as alleged, he "was himself guilty of carelessness and negligence which contributed to his said injuries," and "that said injuries were the result of the risks of his employment, which he assumed," and thereupon prayed that it be adjudged to go hence without day with its costs in the cause.
¶5 By reply plaintiff denied "each and every material allegation" of defendant's answer.
¶6 In detailing the issues to the jury at the opening of the trial, plaintiff's counsel stated, to wit:
¶7 Over defendant's objection thereto, on the ground that the points thereof, to wit, "that the plaintiff had been requested to continue the use of certain clubs and had been promised another one," were not within the issues framed by the pleadings, the statement was by the court permitted to stand for later consideration.
¶8 Proceeding with his evidence, plaintiff was permitted to testify, over defendant's objections, in affirmance of the points contained in his quoted opening statement. Upon defendant's unsuccessful motion to strike the evidence objected to and demurrer to plaintiff's evidence, and over its objections, plaintiff was given leave to file a trial amendment covering the same, to wit:
¶9 Defendant objected to the filing of the trial amendment for the reasons that:
"Plaintiff's petition and amended petition did not raise...
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