Smith v. Stubbert, (1992) 117 N.S.R.(2d) 118 (CA)

• Judge: Jones, Chipman and Roscoe, JJ.A.
• Court: Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Canada)
• Case Date: December 30, 1992
• Jurisdiction: Nova Scotia
• Citations: (1992), 117 N.S.R.(2d) 118 (CA);1992 CanLII 2554 (NS CA);[1992] CarswellNS 250;[1992] NSJ No 532 (QL);117 NSR (2d) 118

Smith v. Stubbert (1992), 117 N.S.R.(2d) 118 (CA);

  324 A.P.R. 118

MLB headnote and full text

Wanita Stubbert and Paul Stubbert (appellants) v. Donald Smith (respondent)

(S.C.A. No. 02667)

Indexed As: Smith v. Stubbert

Nova Scotia Supreme Court

Appeal Division

Jones, Chipman and Roscoe, JJ.A.

December 30, 1992.

Summary:

The plaintiff brought a negligence action for damages against the defendants, for injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident.

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Trial Division, sitting with a jury, found the de­fendants negligent and 75% at fault and the plaintiff contributorily negligent and 25% at fault. The jury assessed $100,000 general damages for nonpecuniary loss, found the plaintiff totally disabled and assessed $625,000 for lost future earnings. The de­fendants appealed the jury's finding of total disability and the damage awards for non­pecuniary loss and lost future earnings. The plaintiff cross-appealed the finding of con­tributory negligence.

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Appeal Division, Jones, J.A., dissenting, dismissed the cross-appeal and allowed the appeal. The court reduced damages for nonpecuniary loss to $40,000 and damages for lost future earnings to $100,000.

Damage Awards - Topic 178

Personal injury and death - Neck injuries - Whiplash - A 33 year old male plaintiff suffered a whiplash injury in a motor vehicle accident - The jury found the plaintiff totally disabled and assessed $100,000 general damages for nonpecuni­ary loss - The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal found the award inordinately high and reduced it to $40,000 - The evidence did not support a finding of total disability, but it was open to the jury to find, on the medical evidence, that the plaintiff suffered a prolonged subsequent physical disability with substantial emotional impact - The court noted a range of $18,000 to $40,000 for similar cases - See paragraphs 14 to 40.

Damage Awards - Topic 493

Personal injury and death - General dam­age awards - Lost future earnings - A jury found a 33 year old male plaintiff totally disabled and assessed $625,000 general damages for lost future earnings - The plaintiff earned $19,000 per year and would have been laid off in July 1989 and still laid off at the date of trial (March 1992) - The jury was not instructed on allowing for contingencies or that the award was to be a self-extinguishing fund - The medical evidence did not support the finding of total disability - The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal held that the award of $625,000 was inordinately high - The court substituted an award of $100,000 - See paragraphs 41 to 80.

Torts - Topic 376

Negligence - Motor vehicle - Standard of care of driver - Keeping a proper lookout - The defendant entered an intersection on a yellow light and struck the plaintiff, who began to enter the intersection on a green light - A jury found the plaintiff contributorily negligent and 25% at fault for failing to see the defendant approach­ing - The plaintiff acknowledged that it was his usual practice to look for oncom­ing traffic before entering an intersection and that he did not see the defendant before he was struck - The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal stated that it was open for the jury to find the plaintiff contributorily negligent and the apportionment of 25% liability was reasonable - See paragraphs 7 to 13.

Cases Noticed:

Nance v. British Columbia Electric Rail­way Co., [1951] A.C. 601, refd to. [para. 14].

Cameron v. Excelsior Life Insurance Co., [1981] 1 S.C.R. 138; 35 N.R. 213; 44 N.S.R.(2d) 91; 83 A.P.R. 91, refd to. [para. 14].

Baxter v. Oakley (1985), 66 N.S.R.(2d) 45; 152 A.P.R. 45 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 37].

Bush v. Air Canada (1991), 103 N.S.R.(2d) 308; 282 A.P.R. 308 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Blotnicky v. Oliver (1988), 84 N.S.R.(2d) 14; 213 A.P.R. 14, refd to. [para. 37].

Berrigan v. Wallace (1987), 76 N.S.R.(2d) 439; 189 A.P.R. 439 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Faulkner v. Inglis and Barkhouse (1989), 94 N.S.R.(2d) 411; 247 A.P.R. 411 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Donaldson et al. v. Mosher (1988), 88 N.S.R.(2d) 148; 225 A.P.R. 148 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Kochan v. Brunswick Construction Ltd. (1987), 78 N.B.R.(2d) 376; 198 A.P.R. 376 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 37].

MacMullin v. Beveridge (1990), 95 N.S.R.(2d) 181; 251 A.P.R. 181 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Fulton v. East Coast Oilfield Services Ltd. (1991), 108 N.S.R.(2d) 18; 294 A.P.R. 18 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 37].

LeBlanc v. LeBlanc (1992), 34 A.C.W.S.(3d) 249 (N.B.Q.B.), refd to. [para. 37].

Brown v. Matheson and Von Kintzel (1990), 97 N.S.R.(2d) 428; 258 A.P.R. 428 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 37].

Andrews v. Grand and Toy (Alberta) Ltd., [1978] 2 S.C.R. 229; 19 N.R. 50; 8 A.R. 182; 83 D.L.R.(3d) 452; [1978] 1 W.W.R. 577; 3 C.C.L.T. 225, refd to. [para. 38].

Joudrey v. Dhalla (1985), 66 N.S.R.(2d) 245; 152 A.P.R. 245 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 39].

Lewis v. Todd, [1980] 2 S.C.R. 694; 34 N.R. 1; 115 D.L.R.(3d) 257; 14 C.C.L.T. 294, refd to. [para. 58].

Whitehead v. Misner and F.B. Marine Enterprises Ltd. (1982), 51 N.S.R.(2d) 111; 102 A.P.R. 111 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 58].

MacEachern v. MacKenzie (1982), 54 N.S.R.(2d) 459; 112 A.P.R. 459 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 58].

Michalak v. Governors of Dalhousie Col­lege and University (1983), 61 N.S.R.(2d) 374; 133 A.P.R. 374 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 67].

Keizer v. Hanna and Buch, [1978] 2 S.C.R. 342; 19 N.R. 209, refd to. [para. 69].

Auld v. Wallace's Moving & Storage Ltd., [1975] 2 S.C.R. 820, refd to. [para. 96].

Guy v. Trizec Equities Ltd. (1979), 27 N.R. 301; 32 N.S.R.(2d) 345; 54 A.P.R. 345 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 100].

Statutes Noticed:

Civil Procedure Rules (N.S.), rule 31.10(2) [para. 73]; rule 62.23 [para. 67].

Counsel:

S. Raymond Morse and Robert Purdy, for the appellants;

Blaise MacDonald and Lisa Fraser Hill, for the respondent.

This appeal and cross-appeal were heard on November 18, 1992, before Jones, Chip­man and Roscoe, JJ.A., of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Appeal Division.

On December 30, 1992, the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered and the following opinions were filed:

Chipman, J.A. (Roscoe, J.A., concurring) - see paragraphs 1 to 82;

Jones, J.A., dissenting - see paragraphs 83 to 103.