Donald C. Martin v. Gulf States Utilities Company

McRAE, District Judge:

This personal injury action, based upon proper allegations conferring diversity jurisdiction, was submitted to a jury on special interrogatories pursuant to the provisions of Rule 49(a), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The jury found defendant, Gulf States Utilities Company (Gulf States), guilty of negligence, and plaintiff, Donald C. Martin (Martin), guilty of contributory negligence. Judgment was entered for Gulf States and Martin appealed.

Martin, an apprentice electrician, was injured by an electrical shock which he received when he attempted to move an uninsulated…