Greater Houston Transp. Co. v. Zrubeck

In Greater Houston Transp. Co. v. Zrubeck, 850 S.W.2d 579 (Tex. App.--Corpus Christi 1993, writ denied), the trial court bifurcated the exemplary damages part of a personal injury case. See Zrubeck, 850 S.W.2d at 581. Eleven jurors found the defendant negligent and awarded actual damages. See Zrubeck, 850 S.W.2d at 584. In the second part of the trial, ten jurors, including the one who voted against liability in the first phase, found exemplary damages. See Zrubeck, 850 S.W.2d at 581. The court of appeals held that the defendant failed to preserve error on that issue. See Zrubeck, 850 S.W.2d at 581. In dicta, the court commented that because this was a "separate" trial, the same ten jurors did not have to agree on liability and damages. See Zrubeck, 850 S.W.2d at 581.