Whitlock v. Smith

Darrell Hickman, Justice.

This is a simple battery case. The parties were both truck drivers for Arkansas Best Freight, and during a layover in Dallas, Texas, they had an altercation in a bar. Actually, only one blow was struck; Whitlock hit Smith in the face with his fist. The blow fractured Smith’s cheekbone, requiring two surgeries. Smith lost twelve or thirteen weeks of work as a result of the injuries and resulting complications.

Whitlock did not deny striking Smith, but he contended that the blow was struck in self-defense. Another truck driver, Larry Bradbury, was an eyewitness, and his…