Rush v. Clinger, 20717

• Decision Date: 20 May 1968
• Docket Number: No. 20717,No. 2,20717,2
• Citation: 236 N.E.2d 840,142 Ind.App. 677
• Parties: Donald RUSH, Dortha Rush, Appellants, v. Philip CLINGER, Appellee
• Court: Indiana Appellate Court

Page 840

236 N.E.2d 840

142 Ind.App. 677

Donald RUSH, Dortha Rush, Appellants, v. Philip CLINGER, Appellee.

No. 20717.

Appellate Court of Indiana, Division No. 2.

May 20, 1968.

Jerrald A. Crowell, Bowman and Crowell, Fort Wayne, for appellants.

Arch N. Bobbitt, William D. Ruckelshaus, Indianapolis, Jesse A. Brown, Rochester, for appellee.

PFAFF, Judge.

This action was brought by appellants against appellee for damages allegedly sustained by appellants to their livestock as a result of alleged malpractice and fraud on the part of the appellee during the course of appellee's employment as a veterinary surgeon by the appellants.

Issues were formed by the appellants' amended complaint in two paragraphs. The first paragraph alleged that appellee was employed by appellants over a period of time to diagnose and treat certain livestock of appellants, and that appellants suffered a loss of certain livestock as the result of appellee's failure to use the ordinary care and skill of a veterinary surgeon in diagnosing and treating said livestock. The second paragraph alleged fraud on the part of appellee in that appellee falsely represented to appellants that tests made on appellants' livestock indicated the presence of leptospirosis and that immediate vaccination was necessary; that because of such vaccination the appellants suffered the loss of certain livestock.

Appellee filed an answer in two paragraphs denying the alleged lack of ordinary skill and care in diagnosing and treating appellants' livestock and denying any alleged fraud in connection therewith.

Trial was had by jury. At the close of appellants' evidence appellee filed a motion for directed verdict, which was sustained by the court. Upon the court's direction and instruction the jury returned a verdict in favor of appellee and judgment was rendered accordingly.

Appellants filed their motion for a new trial on the grounds that:

1. The verdict of the jury is contrary to law;

2. Error of law occurring at the trial, as follows:

(a) The Court erred in sustaining the defendant's motion, made at the close of plaintiffs' evidence, to instruct the jury to return a verdict for the defendant.

(b) The Court erred in giving to the jury at the request of the defendant an instruction to return a verdict for the defendant.

Such motion for new trial was overruled and this appeal followed.

Appellants contend that the trial court erred in giving a peremptory instruction for a directed verdict for the appellee where there is some evidence or legitimate inferences which may be drawn therefrom supporting the material allegations of their complaint.

There are numerous cases which set forth the legal principles which govern the consideration of a motion for a directed verdict and peremptory instruction. These principles were cogently enunciated in Whitaker, Admr. v. Borntrager (1954), 233 Ind. 678, 680, 122 N.E.2d 734, where the court stated that a trial court may properly give the trial jury a peremptory instruction to find for the defendant in the following instances:

'When there is a total absence of evidence or legitimate inference in favor of the plaintiff upon...