PJC General Negligence 2024

T EXAS P ATTERN J URY C HARGES

General Negligence • Intentional Personal Torts Workers’ Compensation

TEXAS PATTERN JURY CHARGES

General Negligence • Intentional Personal Torts Workers’ Compensation

Prepared by the COMMITTEE on PATTERN JURY CHARGES of the STATE BAR OF TEXAS

Austin 2024

The State Bar of Texas, through its Texas Bar Books Department, publishes practice books pre pared and edited by knowledgeable authors to give practicing lawyers as much assistance as possible. The competence of the authors ensures outstanding professional products, but, of course, neither the State Bar of Texas, the editors, nor the authors make either express or implied warranties in regard to their use. Each lawyer must depend on his or her own knowl edge of the law and expertise in the use or modification of these materials. IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that (1) this written material was not intended or written by the author(s) to be used for the purpose of avoiding federal penalties that may be imposed on a taxpayer; (2) this written material cannot be used by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer; (3) this written material cannot be used in promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any tax-related transaction or matter; and (4) a taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. The use of the masculine gender throughout this publication is purely for literary convenience and should, of course, be understood to include the feminine gender as well. ISBN (print): 978-1-956363-62-3 ISBN (digital download): 978-1-956363-63-0 ISBN (book set): 978-1-956363-59-3 © 1969, 1973, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004–2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 State Bar of Texas Austin, Texas 78711 All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for the copying of pages or portions of pages of this publication by a photocopy or other similar process or by manual transcription, by or under the direction of licensed attorneys for use in the practice of law. No other use is permitted that will infringe the copyright without the express written consent of the State Bar of Texas. Printed in the United States of America Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts & Workers’ Com pensation was formerly titled Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence & Intentional Personal Torts. Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence & Intentional Personal Torts was formerly titled Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence & Motor Vehicles . Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence & Motor Vehicles was formerly titled Texas Pattern Jury Charges, Volume 1 .

In loving memory and tribute to our loved ones, friends, and colleagues who are no longer with us: your contributions to our lives and to the Texas community will be with us forever.

Judicial history teaches that broad issues and accepted definitions suffice and that a workable jury system demands strict adherence to simplicity in jury charges.

—Judge Jack Pope, in Lemos v. Montez , 680 S.W.2d 798, 801 (Tex. 1984)

COMMITTEE ON PATTERN JURY CHARGES General Negligence • Intentional Personal Torts Workers’ Compensation 2024–2025 H ON . H YATTYE O. S IMMONS , Chair H ENRY L. M OORE , Vice-Chair

R YAN G. A NDERSON A DRIANA H. C ARDENAS M ERRITT C LEMENTS

D ONALD H. K IDD P AULA K NIPPA

D ANIEL B. L INEBAUGH H ON . S HARON M C C ALLY T RACY W ALTERS M C C ORMACK

A LISON C OLVIN

M ATTHEW E. C OVELER

L INDA D EDMAN

S EAN R EAGAN

D ARBY V INCENT D OAN H ENRY C. F ALCON III L UCY H AROUTUNIAN F ORBES

M ARION M AGDALENE R EILLY

T AYLOR L. S EATON

J AN S OIFER

S AMMY F ORD IV

M ICHAEL L. S PRAIN H ON . G ISELA D. T RIANA

J OEY G. G ONZALEZ , J R .

L AURA P. H ALEY

R EBECCA V ELA

D ANIEL D. H OROWITZ III H ON . W M . R ANDELL J OHNSON

T ENNESSEE W ILSON W ALKER H ON . M ELODY M. W ILKINSON

COMMITTEE ON PATTERN JURY CHARGES—OVERSIGHT 2024–2025 H ON . D ANIEL E. H INDE , Chair H ON . R OBERT S CHAFFER , Vice-Chair H ON . J OHN P. D EVINE , Supreme Court Liaison B ROCK C. A KERS H ON . D ENNISE G ARCIA M ALERIE T. A NDERSON T RACI A. G IBSON S COTT A RMSTRONG H ON . M ELISSA G OODWIN H ON . S COTT B RISTER M ARY T AYLOR H ENDERSON K IRSTEN M. C ASTAÑEDA J AY J ACKSON H ON . M URRY B. C OHEN D AVID C. K ENT J. C HRISTOPHER D EAN J EFFREY S. L EVINGER M ICHAEL E ADY L A D AWN H. N ANDRASY H ON . A NA E. E STEVEZ K AREN S. P RECELLA M ARCUS E STHER M ICHAEL L. S LACK A PRIL F ARRIS H ON . B ONNIE S UDDERTH T ITIANA D. F RAUSTO H ON . T IMOTHY S ULAK S TEWART G AGNON J IMMY V AUGHT H ON . A NDREW A. W RIGHT

STATE BAR OF TEXAS 2024–2025 S TEVE B ENESH , President P AUL K. S TAFFORD , Chair of the Board

A ARON Z. T OBIN , Chair, Board Professional Development Subcommittee S ARAH C LOWER K EATHLEY , Chair, Committee on Continuing Legal Education T REY A PFFEL , Executive Director

S HARON S ANDLE , Director E LMA E. G ARCIA , Assistant Director

D EREK S MITH , Project Publications Attorney R OBERT C. C ABLE , Publications Attorney E LIZABETH F LOREANI , Publications Attorney N ICHOLAS B. G ODDARD , Publications Attorney

R OGER S IEBERT , Senior Editor C OURTNEY C AVALIERE , Editor L EXI C LIDIENST , Editor C ASEY E LLIS , Editor J ILL H OEFLING , Business Manager

E DWARD M ORGAN , Operations Manager T RAVIS R IDDLE , Production Supervisor J ENNIFER T OWNSEND , Production and Editorial Assistant

H OLLY R EDDEHASE , Meeting Coordinator L ARA T ALKINGTON , Marketing Coordinator K EVIN H ENDERSON II, Website Manager J ENNIFER K ARLSSON , Web Content Specialist J ENNIFER P EREZ , Web Content Specialist O TTO N ICLI , Web Content Strategist L ENILA C ARRENO , Accounting Specialist

COMMITTEE ON PATTERN JURY CHARGES General Negligence • Intentional Personal Torts Workers’ Compensation 1984–2023 Chairs E DWARD F. S HERMAN , 1984–1994 E DUARDO R. R ODRIGUEZ , 1994–1995 P ATRICIA J. K ERRIGAN , 1995–1998 G UY D ON C HOATE , 1998–2004 B EN T AYLOR , 2005–2006 B ROCK C. A KERS , 2007–2017 D ANIEL B. L INEBAUGH , 2017–2020 P AULA K NIPPA , 2020–2021 Vice-Chairs H ON . F RANKLIN J. D OUTHITT , 1984–1994 R USSELL H. M C M AINS , 1994–1995 G ILBERT T. A DAMS , J R ., 1995–1998 P ATRICIA J. K ERRIGAN , 1998–2000 B ROCK C. A KERS , 2000–2006 D ANIEL B. L INEBAUGH , 2005–2008, 2016–2017

M ICHAEL L. S LACK , 2009–2014 G REG C. W ILKINS , 2017–2018 E RIC J. M AYER , 2018–2019 P AULA K NIPPA , 2019–2020 D ANIEL H OROWITZ III, 2020–2021 H ON . S HARON M C C ALLY , 2021–2022

Members

M ARK W. A LTMAN II

H. A LAN C ARMICHAEL M ERRITT C LEMENTS D ANA L IVINGSTON C OBB

P ATRICIA O’C ONNELL A LVAREZ

R YAN G. A NDERSON W. S TEPHEN B ENESH

A LISON C OLVIN

D USTIN B ENHAM

M ATTHEW E. C OVELER

H ARVEY G. B ROWN , J R .

J OHN W. C RAVEN

H ON . J EFF B ROWN

T HOMAS H. C ROFTS , J R A LAN B. D AUGHTRY

A DRIANA H. C ARDENAS

Members

H ON . M ARK D. D AVIDSON

B RIAN L OWENBERG W ILLIAM K. L UYTIES P AMELA J O M C C LAIN O SCAR M ENDEZ , J R . F RED M. M ISKO , J R . H ON . D ARYL L. M OORE H ON . M ARY L. M URPHY C HARLES N OTEBOOM H ON . J AN P. P ATTERSON M ICHAEL H. P ATTERSON R ODNEY M. P ATTERSON T RACY W ALTERS M C C ORMACK H ENRY L. M OORE

L INDA D EDMAN

R ONALD D. D ICKENS D ARBY V INCENT D OAN P AUL (C HIP ) F ERGUSON

N ORBERTO F LORES

L UCY H AROUTUNIAN F ORBES

S AMMY F ORD IV R ICK F REEMAN D AVID E. G ARCIA

H ON . A NNE L. G ARDNER L AWRENCE L. G ERMER R OBERT B. G ILBREATH A RTURO J. G ONZÁLEZ

T IMOTHY P ATTON H ON . J ACK P OPE

J OEY G ONZALEZ

A MBER H AMILTON G REGG

H ON . K AREN H. P OZZA

R. D EAN G RESHAM L AURA P. H ALEY

R OY E. P RICE , J R .

P ATRICE P UJOL

H ON . G EORGE C. H ANKS

C ARLOS Q UINTANA B ARBARA R ADNOFSKY

J AY H ARVEY

P RESTON E. H ENRICHSON

S EAN R EAGAN

E LIZABETH F ERGUSON H ERRERA

M ARION M AGDALENE R EILLY

L ARRY W AYNE H ICKS

R ICKY R ICHARDS

C HARLES R. H OUISSIERE III

T ARA D ELYCE R ICHARDSON

J ESSICA T. H UDGINS M ICHAEL J AMAIL B ERNARD G. J OHNSON P HILIP W. J OHNSON K EVIN J AMES K EITH D ONALD H. K IDD K EITH E. K ISNER S TEVEN C. L AIRD H ON . S USAN L ARSEN C URTIS W. L EISTER H ON . S COTT R. L INK

M ARK R. R OBINIUS

R UBEN R OBLES

H ON . D AVID R ODRIGUEZ F IDEL R ODRIGUEZ , J R . P RINCESS K OLBY R OGERS R ICKY H. R OSENBLUM

H ON . W M . R ANDELL J OHNSON

T AYLOR L. S EATON S TEVEN D. S ELBE E FREM D. S EWELL

H ON . H YATTYE O. S IMMONS

T IMOTHY K. S INGLEY R ANDALL O. S ORRELS

Members

T HAD D. S PALDING

G UADALUPE V ALDEZ T REVIÑO

J AMES K ENNETH S PIVEY

H ON . G ISELA D. T RIANA R OBERT A. V ALADEZ

M ICHAEL L. S PRAIN

S ANDRA L. S TERBA -B OATWRIGHT

R EBECCA V ELA

B RANT J EFFREY S TOGNER

C YNTHIA A. V ILLANUEVA T ENNESSEE W ILSON W ALKER

R OBERT D. S TOKES S COTT P. S TOLLEY

D. M ICHAEL W ALLACH

H ON . T IMOTHY M. S ULAK H ON . K ENT C. S ULLIVAN S USAN R ENEE S ULLIVAN

T ERRY W ELDON

G LEN M. W ILKERSON

M AX E. W RIGHT

T OBI T ABOR

H ON . L INDA R EYNA Y ANEZ

A LFORD I. T AYLOR

N ICHOLAS E. Z ITO

COMMITTEE ON PATTERN JURY CHARGES Civil 1987–1988 J. H ADLEY E DGAR , Chair H ON . W ILLIAM L. H UGHES , J R ., Vice-Chair

F RANK L. B RANSON II J. C ARLISLE D E H AY R USSELL H. M C M AINS

R ICHARD W. M ITHOFF , J R . H ON . B OB E. S HANNON

B. L EE W ARE , J R .

O. J. W EBER

CONTENTS

P REFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxv

C HANGES IN THE 2024 E DITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix

I NTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxi

C HAPTER 1

A DMONITORY I NSTRUCTIONS

PJC 1.1

Instructions to Jury Panel before Voir Dire Examination. . . . . . 3

PJC 1.2

Instructions to Jury after Jury Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

PJC 1.3

Charge of the Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

PJC 1.4

Additional Instruction for Bifurcated Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

PJC 1.5

Instructions to Jury after Verdict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

PJC 1.6

Instruction to Jury If Permitted to Separate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

PJC 1.7

Instruction If Jury Disagrees about Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

PJC 1.8

Circumstantial Evidence (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

PJC 1.9

Instructions to Deadlocked Jury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

PJC 1.10

Privilege—Generally No Inference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

PJC 1.11

Fifth Amendment Privilege—Adverse Inference May Be Considered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

PJC 1.12

Parallel Theories on Damages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

PJC 1.13

Instruction on Spoliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

PJC 1.14

Instruction for Deposition Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

PJC 1.15

Instructions for Multilingual Jurors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

xi

C ONTENTS

C HAPTER 2

B ASIC D EFINITIONS IN N EGLIGENCE A CTIONS

PJC 2.1

Negligence and Ordinary Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

PJC 2.2

High Degree of Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

PJC 2.3

Child’s Degree of Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

PJC 2.4

Proximate Cause [Generic, Nonproducts Instruction]. . . . . . . . . 41

C HAPTER 3

I NFERENTIAL R EBUTTAL I NSTRUCTIONS

PJC 3.1

New and Independent Cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

PJC 3.2

Sole Proximate Cause. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

PJC 3.3

Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

PJC 3.4

Unavoidable Accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

PJC 3.5

Act of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

C HAPTER 4

B ASIC N EGLIGENCE Q UESTIONS

PJC 4.1

Broad Form—Joint Submission of Negligence and Proximate Cause. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

PJC 4.2

Standards for Recovery of Exemplary Damages. . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

PJC 4.3

Proportionate Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

PJC 4.4

Proportionate Responsibility If Contribution Defendant Is Joined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

C HAPTER 5

N EGLIGENCE P ER S E

PJC 5.1

Negligence Per Se and Common-Law Negligence. . . . . . . . . . . 69

PJC 5.2

Negligence Per Se and Common-Law Negligence—Excuse. . . 73

PJC 5.3

Negligence Per Se—Simple Standard—Broad Form. . . . . . . . . 75 [PJC 5.4 is reserved for expansion.]

PJC 5.5

Statutory Dramshop Liability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

xii

Contents

PJC 5.6

Defense to Respondeat Superior Liability under Statutory Dramshop Act or Common Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

C HAPTER 6

I NTENTIONAL P ERSONAL T ORTS

PJC 6.1

False Imprisonment—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

PJC 6.2

False Imprisonment—Instruction on Unlawful Detention by Threat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 False Imprisonment—Instruction on Defense of Privilege to Investigate Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

PJC 6.3

PJC 6.4

Malicious Prosecution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

PJC 6.5

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

PJC 6.6

Assault and Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

C HAPTER 7

T HEFT L IABILITY

PJC 7.1

Owner of Property at Issue—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

PJC 7.2

Theft of Property—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

PJC 7.3

Theft of Service—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

PJC 7.4

Conversion of Property—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

PJC 7.5

Theft Damages—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

PJC 7.6

Sample Instructions—Actual Damages for Theft. . . . . . . . . . . . 107

PJC 7.7

Additional Damages—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

PJC 7.8

Attorney’s Fees—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

PJC 7.9

Conversion Damages—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

PJC 7.10

Sample Instructions—Actual Damages for Conversion. . . . . . . 116

PJC 7.11

Predicate Question and Instruction on Award of Exemplary Damages for Conversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

PJC 7.12

Question and Instruction on Exemplary Damages . . . . . . . . . . . 121

xiii

C ONTENTS

PJC 7.13

Question and Instruction for Imputing Liability for Exemplary Damages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

[Chapters 8 and 9 are reserved for expansion.]

C HAPTER 10

A GENCY AND S PECIAL R ELATIONSHIPS

PJC 10.1

Employee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

PJC 10.2

Borrowed Employee—Liability of Borrowing Employer . . . . . 130

PJC 10.3

Borrowed Employee—Lending Employer’s Rebuttal Instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Borrowed Employee—Disjunctive Submission of Liability of Lending or Borrowing Employer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

PJC 10.4

PJC 10.5

Employment as Defense under Workers’ Compensation Act . . . 133

PJC 10.6

Scope of Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

PJC 10.7

Deviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

PJC 10.8

Independent Contractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

PJC 10.9

Independent Contractor by Written Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

PJC 10.10

Respondeat Superior—Nonemployee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

PJC 10.11

Joint Enterprise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

PJC 10.12

Negligent Entrustment—Reckless, Incompetent, or Unlicensed Driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

PJC 10.13

Negligent Entrustment—Defective Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

PJC 10.14

Negligent Undertaking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

PJC 10.15

Imputing Gross Negligence to a Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

C HAPTER 11

T RESPASS

PJC 11.1

Trespass Actions Generally—When to Apply (Comment). . . . . 157

PJC 11.2

Trespass to Real Property—Basic Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

xiv

Contents

PJC 11.3

Monetary Damages Recoverable for Claims Involving Real Property Interests (Comment). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

PJC 11.4

Intentional Trespass—Question and Instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

PJC 11.5

Permanent vs. Temporary Injury (Frequency and Duration)— Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Cost to Repair, Fix, or Restore (Temporary Injury to Property)—Question and Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Diminution in Market Value (Permanent Injury to Property)—Questions and Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Personal Injury Damages Resulting from Trespass— Question and Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Personal Injury Damages Resulting from Trespass Committed with Malice—Questions and Instructions . . . . . . . . 177

PJC 11.6

PJC 11.7

PJC 11.8

PJC 11.9

C HAPTER 12

N UISANCE

PJC 12.1

Nuisance Generally—When to Apply (Comment). . . . . . . . . . . 181

PJC 12.2

Private Nuisance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

PJC 12.3

Public Nuisance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

PJC 12.4

Nature of Nuisance—Permanent or Temporary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

PJC 12.5

Damages from Permanent Nuisance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

PJC 12.6

Damages from Temporary Nuisance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

C HAPTER 13

A NIMAL I NJURY

PJC 13.1

Owner or Possessor of Animal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

PJC 13.2

Dangerous Propensity of Domesticated Animal. . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

PJC 13.3

Abnormally Dangerous Domesticated Animal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

PJC 13.4

Domesticated Animal That Is Not Abnormally Dangerous . . . . 214

PJC 13.5

Wild Animal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

xv

C ONTENTS

C HAPTER 14

D EFENSES

PJC 14.1

Limitations—Tolling by Diligence in Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

C HAPTER 15

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —B URDEN OF P ROOF ON J UDICIAL R EVIEW

PJC 15.1

Burden of Proof (Comment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

PJC 15.2

Consideration of Appeals Panel Decision (Comment) . . . . . . . . 224

PJC 15.3

Weight to Be Given Opinion of Designated Doctor (Comment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

C HAPTER 16

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —E MPLOYMENT

PJC 16.1

Employee—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

PJC 16.2

Independent Contractor—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

PJC 16.3

Borrowed Employee—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

PJC 16.4

Excluded Employment—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

PJC 16.5

Employer with More Than One Business—Question. . . . . . . . . 238

PJC 16.6

Out-of-State Employment and Injury—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

PJC 16.7

Subcontracting to Avoid Compensation Liability—Question. . . 242

C HAPTER 17

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —C OURSE AND S COPE OF E MPLOYMENT

PJC 17.1

Injury in Course and Scope of Employment—Question. . . . . . . 247

PJC 17.2

Heart Attack—Injury—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

PJC 17.3

Not in Regular Course and Scope of Employment, or Temporary Direction—Instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

PJC 17.4

Personal Comfort—Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

PJC 17.5

Employee Injured While Engaged in Recreational, Social, or Athletic Activities—Instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

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Contents

PJC 17.6

Employee Injured While Traveling (Comment). . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

PJC 17.7

Employee Injured While Traveling to or from Work— Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Employee Injured While Traveling with Dual Purpose— Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

PJC 17.8

C HAPTER 18

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —D EFENSES AND E XCEPTIONS

PJC 18.1

Act of God—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

PJC 18.2

Intoxication—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

PJC 18.3

Self-Inflicted Injury—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

PJC 18.4

Injury Followed by Self-Inflicted Death—Question . . . . . . . . . 267

PJC 18.5

Intentional Act of Another Person—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

PJC 18.6

Employee’s Intention to Injure Another—Question. . . . . . . . . . 271

PJC 18.7

Horseplay—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

PJC 18.8

Injurious Practices of Employees of Texas A&M University System or Its Institutions, the University of Texas System or Its Institutions, or the Texas Department of Transportation— Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

PJC 18.9

Election of Remedies—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

C HAPTER 19

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —O CCUPATIONAL D ISEASE

PJC 19.1

Occupational Disease—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

PJC 19.2

Date of Injury for Occupational Disease—Question . . . . . . . . . 285

PJC 19.3

Last Injurious Exposure—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

C HAPTER 20

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —T IMELINESS OF R ESPONDING , F ILING , AND D ISPUTING

PJC 20.1

Waiver—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

PJC 20.2

Notice to Employer of Injury—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

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C ONTENTS

PJC 20.3

Good Cause for Delay in Notifying Employer—Question. . . . . 295

PJC 20.4

Claim for Compensation to the Division—Question . . . . . . . . . 298

PJC 20.5

Good Cause for Delay in Filing Claim—Question. . . . . . . . . . . 300

C HAPTER 21

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —E XTENT - OF -I NJURY D ISPUTES

PJC 21.1

Extent of Injury—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

C HAPTER 22

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —A VERAGE W EEKLY W AGE

PJC 22.1

Average Weekly Wage—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

PJC 22.2

Wages—Definition for Average Weekly Wage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

PJC 22.3

Average Weekly Wage—Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

PJC 22.4

Nonpecuniary Wages—Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

PJC 22.5

Similar Employees—Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

PJC 22.6

Similar Services—Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

C HAPTER 23

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —D ISABILITY , M AXIMUM M EDICAL I MPROVEMENT , AND I MPAIRMENT

PJC 23.1

Producing Cause of Disability—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

PJC 23.2

Duration of Disability—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

PJC 23.3

Wages Earned During Disability—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

PJC 23.4

Bona Fide Position of Employment—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

PJC 23.5

Date Bona Fide Position of Employment Offer Received— Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Weekly Earnings Offered through Bona Fide Position of Employment—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328 Negating Division’s Finding of Maximum Medical Improvement; Seeking Determination of Not at Maximum Medical Improvement—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

PJC 23.6

PJC 23.7

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Contents

PJC 23.8

Negating Division’s Finding of Maximum Medical Improvement and Impairment Rating; Seeking Alternate Certification—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Maximum Medical Improvement and Impairment Rating (Multiple Alternative Impairment Ratings)—Question . . . . . . . 333

PJC 23.9

PJC 23.10

Producing Cause—Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

PJC 23.11

Disability—Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

PJC 23.12

Wages—Definition for Disability, Maximum Medical Improvement, and Impairment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

PJC 23.13

Bona Fide Position of Employment—Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . 338

PJC 23.14

Maximum Medical Improvement—Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

PJC 23.15

Impairment—Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

PJC 23.16

Impairment Rating—Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

C HAPTER 24

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —S UPPLEMENTAL I NCOME B ENEFITS

PJC 24.1

Supplemental Income Benefits Entitlement (Comment) . . . . . . 345

PJC 24.2

Reduced Earnings as Direct Result of Impairment— Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 Reduced Earnings as Direct Result of Impairment— Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

PJC 24.3

PJC 24.4

Active Effort to Obtain Employment—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . 348

PJC 24.5

Active Effort to Obtain Employment—Instruction . . . . . . . . . . 349

PJC 24.6

Refusal of Vocational Rehabilitation Services—Question. . . . . 351

C HAPTER 25

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —L IFETIME I NCOME B ENEFITS

PJC 25.1

Injury Causing Total Loss of Use—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

PJC 25.2

Producing Cause of Total Loss of Use of Two Members— Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

PJC 25.3

Accrual Date—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

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C ONTENTS

PJC 25.4

Ending Date—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

PJC 25.5

Total and Permanent Loss of Vision—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

PJC 25.6

Spinal Injury Resulting in Paralysis—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

PJC 25.7

Skull/Traumatic Brain Injury—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

PJC 25.8

Burns to the Body—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

PJC 25.9

Other Serious Bodily Injury of First Responder—Question. . . . 374

C HAPTER 26

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —D EATH B ENEFITS

PJC 26.1

Death—Injury in Course and Scope of Employment Producing Death—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

PJC 26.2

Death—Eligible Spouse—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

PJC 26.3

Death—Eligible Child—Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

PJC 26.4

Death—Eligible Grandchild—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

PJC 26.5

Death—Eligible Parent—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

C HAPTER 27

W ORKERS ’ C OMPENSATION —A TTORNEY ’ S F EES

PJC 27.1

Claimant’s Attorney’s Fees—Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

C HAPTER 28

P ERSONAL I NJURY D AMAGES

PJC 28.1

Personal Injury Damages—Instruction Conditioning Damages Questions on Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 Personal Injury Damages—Instruction on Whether Compensatory Damages Are Subject to Income Taxes. . . . . . . . 398

PJC 28.2

PJC 28.3

Personal Injury Damages—Basic Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

PJC 28.4

Personal Injury Damages—Injury of Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

PJC 28.5

Personal Injury Damages—Injury of Minor Child . . . . . . . . . . . 410

PJC 28.6

Personal Injury Damages—Parents’ Loss of Services of Minor Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

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Contents

PJC 28.7

Personal Injury Damages—Exemplary Damages . . . . . . . . . . . 416

PJC 28.8

Personal Injury Damages—Instructions in Cases Involving Preexisting Injury or Condition or Subsequent Aggravation of Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419 Personal Injury Damages—Exclusionary Instruction for Failure to Mitigate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422 Personal Injury Damages—Child’s Loss of Consortium— Question about Parent’s Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Personal Injury Damages—Child’s Loss of Consortium— Damages Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425

PJC 28.9

PJC 28.10

PJC 28.11

PJC 28.12

Personal Injury Damages—Bystander Claim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

C HAPTER 29

W RONGFUL D EATH D AMAGES

PJC 29.1

Wrongful Death Damages—Instruction Conditioning Damages Questions on Liability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433 Wrongful Death Damages—Instruction on Whether Compensatory Damages Are Subject to Income Taxes . . . . . . . 434

PJC 29.2

PJC 29.3

Wrongful Death Damages—Claim of Surviving Spouse. . . . . . 435

PJC 29.4

Wrongful Death Damages—Claim of Surviving Child . . . . . . . 441

PJC 29.5

Wrongful Death Damages—Claim of Surviving Parents of Minor Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Wrongful Death Damages—Claim of Surviving Parents of Adult Child. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448

PJC 29.6

PJC 29.7

Wrongful Death Damages—Exemplary Damages. . . . . . . . . . . 451

PJC 29.8

Wrongful Death Damages—Apportionment of Exemplary Damages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454

C HAPTER 30

S URVIVAL D AMAGES

PJC 30.1

Survival Damages—Instruction Conditioning Damages Questions on Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457

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C ONTENTS

PJC 30.2

Survival Damages—Instruction on Whether Compensatory Damages Are Subject to Income Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

PJC 30.3

Survival Damages—Compensatory Damages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

PJC 30.4

Survival Damages—Exemplary Damages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

C HAPTER 31

E XEMPLARY D AMAGES P URSUANT TO T EX . C IV . P RAC . & R EM . C ODE §41.008( C ) Question and Instructions—Murder as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(1)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469 Question and Instructions—Capital Murder as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(2)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Question and Instructions—Aggravated Kidnapping as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(3)). . . . . 479 Question and Instructions—Aggravated Assault as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(4)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Question and Instructions—Sexual Assault as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(5)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 Question and Instructions—Aggravated Sexual Assault as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(6)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492 Injury to a Child, Elderly Individual, or Disabled Individual as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(7)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499 Question and Instructions—Theft as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(13)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

PJC 31.1

PJC 31.2

PJC 31.3

PJC 31.4

PJC 31.5

PJC 31.6

PJC 31.7

PJC 31.8

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Contents

PJC 31.9

Question and Instructions—Intoxication Assault as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(14)). . . . . . . . . . . . 517 Question and Instructions—Intoxication Manslaughter as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(15)) . . . 520 Question and Instructions—Continuous Sexual Abuse of Young Child or Disabled Individual as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(16)). . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Question and Instructions—Trafficking of Persons as a Statutory Ground for Removing Limitation on Exemplary Damages (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008(c)(17)) . . . 527

PJC 31.10

PJC 31.11

PJC 31.12

C HAPTER 32

P ROPERTY D AMAGES

PJC 32.1

Property Damages—Instruction Conditioning Damages Questions on Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Property Damages—Instruction on Whether Compensatory Damages Are Subject to Income Taxes . . . . . . . 536

PJC 32.2

PJC 32.3

Personal Property Damages—Total Destruction of Property. . . 537

PJC 32.4

Property Damages—Partial Destruction of Property . . . . . . . . . 540

C HAPTER 33

P RESERVATION OF C HARGE E RROR

PJC 33.1

Preservation of Charge Error (Comment). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

PJC 33.2

Broad-Form Issues and the Casteel Doctrine (Comment) . . . . . 549

A PPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551

S TATUTES AND R ULES C ITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

C ASES C ITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599

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C ONTENTS

S UBJECT I NDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS BOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

xxiv

PREFACE This Committee, the Pattern Jury Charges Committee on General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts & Workers’ Compensation, was aided by the fact that an earlier State Bar committee had pioneered the use of pattern jury charges in the origi nal volume 1, published in 1969. That committee was composed of— Judge Walter E. Jordan, chair W. James Kronzer, Jr. Judge Charles W. Barrow Judge James R. Meyers Royal H. Brin, Jr. Judge Phil Peden Judge Lewis Dickson George E. Pletcher Judge Clarence A. Guittard Judge Truman E. Roberts Gus M. Hodges Preston Shirley Judge Quentin Keith Dean W. Turner Rollins M. Koppel Judge Frank M. Wilson Notwithstanding, the Texas Pattern Jury Charges has greatly changed from its 1969 predecessor, both in content to reflect extensive developments in Texas substantive and procedural law and in format to make it more easily usable by lawyers and judges. The objective of the Committee for the 2024 edition was to review and revise this volume to ensure that it accurately reflects Texas law. Consequently, an essential part of the Committee’s work is to monitor Texas case law developments as well as the enactment, amendment, or abrogation of statutes that implicate or affect topics addressed in the most recent edition of what many refer to as “the Green Book” and then update its contents accordingly. Sometimes this work even results in the incorpo ration of a new topic or issue altogether. The Committee also annually reviews each chapter to determine whether the authorities cited remain good law or should be updated to reflect new, clarifying, or superseding authorities. Accordingly, a few of the major changes in this edition are— • updated instructions and commentary for disfigurement damages, • new instruction addressing how a jury should handle evidence from a deposition, • new and updated workers’ compensation instructions and commentary on the subject of lifetime income benefits, • new instructions regarding multilingual jurors, and • updated commentary regarding a separate submission of physical pain and mental anguish. Our Committee consists of trial attorneys, appellate practitioners, members of the judiciary, and legal scholars. These Committee members, whose names appear on a preceding page, spent an incredible amount of uncompensated time researching and drafting this publication with the goal of providing pattern questions and instructions that will aid both bench and bar in preparing the appropriate jury charge. Their hard

xxv

P REFACE

work and dedication were critical to the publication of this volume and are gratefully acknowledged. The Committee’s work was admirably aided and supported by current and past State Bar of Texas presidents and various staff members. Hon. Daniel Hinde is chair of the Oversight Committee on Pattern Jury Charges, which oversees the publication of all volumes. The Oversight Committee’s support and advice were important elements in the successful completion of this volume. This book is ultimately a tribute to the concern of all involved with its publication that it achieve fairness and rationality in jury charge submissions in Texas. —Hon. Hyattye O. Simmons, Chair , 2021–Present Committee Member since 2013

xxvi

Praise for the Texas Pattern Jury Charges

Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts & Workers’ Compensation (also known as the “Green Book”) is an incredible asset to any litigator practicing in this area as well as any judge hearing such cases: this publication (revised and updated every two years by a dedicated committee consisting of trial attor neys, appellate practitioners, members of the judiciary, and legal scholars from around the state) provides jury charges, instructions, and comments consistent with current Texas law and that clarify issues and terms relevant to a charge or instruction, thereby providing guidance to practitioners and judges alike.

—Paula Knippa, Chair , 2020–2021

The Texas Pattern Jury Charges series (PJCs) is a vital tool for litigators. Each new publication provides the latest case law and statutory developments impacting jury charge submission. Moreover, updated publications often expand into new topic areas, which may incorporate legal theories and defenses not appearing in previous publica tions. So litigators on both sides of the docket need subscribe to the PJCs to stay current on the latest developments affecting jury charge submission.

—Daniel B. Linebaugh, Chair , 2017–2020

The Texas Pattern Jury Charges series is the result of a true conspiracy of excellence. Each year, among the brightest legal minds in the state combine to dedicate countless hours for one goal—the delivery of a volume to help the practitioner “get it right.” The excellence which is the result of these efforts is achieved year after year, making the product one for which we can and should be proud and, most important, upon which we can rely. Three cheers for the conspirators!

—Brock C. Akers, Chair , 2007–2017

xxvii

PREFACE TO THE 2020 EDITION The Pattern Jury Charges Committee on General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts & Workers’ Compensation proudly presents its 2020 edition. As many of you know, the objective of our Committee is to review and revise this volume to ensure that it accurately reflects Texas law. Consequently, an essential part of the Committee’s work is to monitor Texas case law developments as well as the enactment, amendment, or abrogation of statutes that implicate or affect topics addressed in the most recent edition of what many refer to as “the Green Book” and then update its contents accordingly. Sometimes this work even results in the incorpo ration of a new topic or issue altogether. The Committee also annually reviews each and every chapter of the Green Book to determine whether the authority cited in any given chapter remains good law or should be updated to reflect new, clarifying, or superseding authority. Of note, this edition incorporates a new instruction that, for the first time, addresses the issue of the “eggshell plaintiff” and advises the practitioner and jurist on how to present this unique circumstance to the jury. Also included is a significant update to the attorney’s fees section of the chapter addressing the Texas Theft Liability Act to conform to the Texas Supreme Court’s holding in Rohrmoos Venture v. UTSW DVA Healthcare, LLP , 578 S.W.3d 469 (Tex. 2019), as well as clarifying comments on who may recover attorney’s fees by the court in Agar Corp. v. Electro Circuits International , 580 S.W.3d 136 (Tex. 2019). Our Committee, which consists of trial attorneys, appellate practitioners, members of the judiciary, and legal scholars, strives to provide pattern questions and instruc tions that will aid both bench and bar in preparing the correct jury charge. We hope that this edition achieves that objective. —Paula Knippa, Chair

xxix

CHANGES IN THE 2024 EDITION The 2024 edition of Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts & Workers’ Compensation includes the following changes from the 2022 edition:

1. Admonitory Instructions—

a. Added instruction on deposition testimony (1.14)

b. Added instruction on multilingual jurors (1.15)

2. Workers’ Compensation—Lifetime Income Benefits

a. Updated accrual date question (25.3)

b. Added ending date questions (25.4), and renumbered following PJCs (25.4–25.7, to 25.5–25.8)

c. Updated skull/traumatic brain injury questions (25.7)

d. Updated burns to the body question (25.8)

e. Added question for other serious bodily injury of first responder (25.9)

3. Personal Injury Damages—

a. Revised commentary for exemplary damages (28.3–28.5)

b. Added commentary regarding separate submission of physical pain and mental anguish (28.3)

c. Added commentary regarding disfigurement (28.3)

d. Added commentary regarding insufficient evidence (28.5)

4. Preservation of Charge Error—Added caveat noting that the current discus sion does not reflect Horton v. Kansas City Southern Railway Co. , 692 S.W.3d 112 (Tex. 2024) (33.2)

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INTRODUCTION

1. P URPOSE OF P UBLICATION The purpose of this volume, like those of the others in this series, is to assist the bench and bar in preparing the court’s charge in jury cases. It provides definitions, instructions, and questions needed to submit jury charges in actions arising from general negligence, intentional personal torts, and workers’ compensation. The pattern charges are sugges tions and guides to be used by a trial court if they are applicable and proper in a specific case. Of course, the exercise of professional judgment by the attorneys and the judge is necessary to resolve disputes in individual cases. The Committee hopes that this publica tion will prove as worthy a contribution as have the earlier Texas Pattern Jury Charges volumes. 2. S COPE OF P ATTERN C HARGES It is impossible to prepare pattern charges for every factual setting that could arise in the areas covered herein. The Committee has tried to prepare charges that will serve as guides in the usual types of litigation that might confront an attorney in a general negli gence or intentional personal torts case. However, a charge should conform to the plead ings and evidence of the particular case, and occasions will arise for the use of questions and instructions not specifically addressed here. 3. U SE OF A CCEPTED P RECEDENTS The Committee has avoided recommending changes in the law and has based this material on what it perceives the present law to be. It has attempted to foresee theories and objections that might be made in a variety of circumstances but not to favor or disfa vor a particular position. In unsettled areas, the Committee generally has not taken a position on the exact form of a charge. It has provided guidelines, however, in some areas in which there is no definitive authority. Of course, trial judges and practitioners should recognize that the Committee may have erred in its perceptions and that its rec ommendations may be affected by future appellate decisions and statutory changes. 4. P RINCIPLES OF S TYLE a. Broad form to be used when feasible. Rule 277 of the Texas Rules of Civil Pro cedure provides that “the court shall, whenever feasible, submit the cause upon broad form questions.” Accordingly, the basic questions are designed to be accompanied by one or more instructions. See Tex. R. Civ. P. 277–78. For further discussion, see PJC 33.2 regarding broad-form issues and the Casteel doctrine. b. Simplicity. The Committee has sought to follow the court’s admonition that “a workable jury system demands strict adherence to simplicity in jury charges.” Lemos v.

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