Cordes v. Wooten

Plaintiff Richard Wooten,1 while riding a motorcycle on Cullman County Road 18, collided with a hay rake being pulled by a tractor owned by co-defendant Dewey Hutson and driven by co-defendant James Cordes.

The jury returned a verdict in favor of Wooten for $300,000. Both defendants appeal.

On appeal, they claim that they were entitled to a directed verdict, because:(1) There was no showing of negligence because the hay rake was exempt from the width requirements which otherwise apply to motor vehicles; and(2) The evidence showed plaintiff Wooten was contributorily negligent as a matter of law.

I…