Opinion

Jones v. Herrin

  • 252 Ark. 837
  • 481 S.W.2d 362
  • 1972 Ark. LEXIS 1687
Court
Supreme Court of Arkansas
Filed
Jun 12, 1972
Status
Published
Author
Smith
On the bench
Brown, Byrd, Smith
Cited by
4 cases
Authority
More cited than 1.5%

The opinion

George Rose Smith, Justice, concurring. This court is perhaps the only one in the United States which refuses to allow a plaintiff compensation for the loss of the use of a vehicle negligently damaged by a wrongdoer. See Casenote, 7 Ark. L. Rev. 397 (1953). Our rule is demonstrably unjust, especially when, as here, the plaintiff customarily uses the vehicle in his business. Such an award is essential if the injured person is to be made whole. Hence instead of merely saying, as the majority do, that there is some merit in the appellant’s position, I would give notice that we intend to re-examine our rule in the future. That has been our practice in similar situations in the past. Clubb v. State, 230 Ark. 688 , 326 S.W. 2d 816 (1959); Robinsin v. Means, 192 Ark. 816 , 95 S.W. 2d 98 (1936). Although the rule in question is not one of property, in the sense that a wrongdoer relies upon it in deciding to have a collision, it would nevertheless be fair to give notice of a possible change in the rule, so that casualty insurance companies may take that possibility into account in fixing their premiums.

Brown, J., joins in this concurring opinion.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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