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Charles D. Williams, an employee of Bechtel Corporation, sued Union Carbide Corporation for personal injuries sustained when a sheet of grating collapsed at Union Carbide's plant. Williams alleged Union Carbide's negligence in failing to support and inspect the grating and warn of the dangerous condition. The jury found both Williams (64%) and Union Carbide (36%) negligent, assessing damages of $84,000 to Williams. However, due to Williams' higher percentage of negligence, the trial court entered a take-nothing judgment. The appellate court reversed, finding error in allowing an undisclosed expert witness's testimony and that this error was harmful. The court also addressed the admissibility of evidence regarding the employer's negligence in third-party workers' compensation cases, affirming its relevance to causation but noting Varela limits its impact on damages. The case was remanded for a new trial.
Williams v. Union Carbide Corp. is a workers' compensation case decided in Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Houston). This case addresses legal issues related to compensation claims, benefits, and court rulings.
It is commonly referenced in legal research involving workers' compensation laws in Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Houston).
Full Decision Text1 Pages
Charles D. Williams, an employee of Bechtel Corporation, sued Union Carbide Corporation for personal injuries sustained when a sheet of grating collapsed at Union Carbide's plant. Williams alleged Union Carbide's negligence in failing to support and inspect the grating and warn of the dangerous condition. The jury found both Williams (64%) and Union Carbide (36%) negligent, assessing damages of $84,000 to Williams. However, due to Williams' higher percentage of negligence, the trial court entered a take-nothing judgment. The appellate court reversed, finding error in allowing an undisclosed expert witness's testimony and that this error was harmful. The court also addressed the admissibility of evidence regarding the employer's negligence in third-party workers' compensation cases, affirming its relevance to causation but noting Varela limits its impact on damages. The case was remanded for a new trial.
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