Doherty v. Spano

■ The question for decision is whether the evidence, hereinafter summarized, warranted a finding of gross negligence.

At some time before midnight on February 27, 1955, Patricia Doherty, hereinafter called the plaintiff, aged seventeen, was in a restaurant in Revere. Leaving the restaurant around 12:15 a.m., she met the defendant who asked her if she would like a ride home in his automobile. The plaintiff, who knew the defendant and had ridden with him before, accepted the invitation and got into the automobile. The defendant “immediately started off and went around a circle.” “The wheels…