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Hennessy v. District of Columbia

CATHERINE HENNESSY. v. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Hennessy v. Dist. of Columbia, 19 D.C. 220 (1890)
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Court
District of Columbia Court of Appeals · State Highest Courts
Decided
June 23, 1890
Docket
No. 26,661
Judges
Cox, Hagner, James
Citations
19 D.C. 220
Headnotes
Measure op Damages ; Neglect op Plaintipp to Follow Physi.cian’s Instructions; Reduction op Verdict by the Court. In an action to recover damages for a permanent injury to plaintiff’s arm if it appear that the permanency of the injury was largely brought about by the neglect of the plaintiff to follow the instructions of her physician in the care of the injured limb, the verdict should be reduced accordingly.
Summary
Motion by defendant for a new trial on a bill of exceptions and case. Judgment reversed, unless plaintiff remit ■one-half of the verdict of $3,000.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — James

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Mr. Justice James

delivered the opinion of the Court:

This cause is appealed on a case stated. The plaintiff recovered a judgment for $3,000 for injuries suffered by means of the defendant’s negligence in allowing a dangerous defect in a sidewalk to remain unrepaired and unguarded. The verdict was evidently based upon a finding that the injury to the plaintiff ?s arm was permanent, and that this extent of the injury was the natural consequence of the original injury. We find that the physician who ■attended the plaintiff testified that it needed not to be permanent ; that the plaintiff refused to follow his instructions to use her arm, and that such use would have made it more serviceable. We are convinced by an examination ■of the evidence that the plaintiff herself caused a large part of the results of "the injury shown at the trial, and that the verdict is therefore excessive in contemplation of law. If a remittitur of $1,500 is entered the judgment will stand affirmed ; otherwise a new trial will he ordered.

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