Allen v. Choice Hotels Intern.

942 So. 2d 817, 2006 WL 3361400
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedNovember 21, 2006
Docket2005-CA-00045-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 942 So. 2d 817 (Allen v. Choice Hotels Intern.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. Choice Hotels Intern., 942 So. 2d 817, 2006 WL 3361400 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

942 So.2d 817 (2006)

William D. ALLEN, Deceased, by and through Darlene W. Allen, his Widow, as his Personal Representative; and Darlene W. Allen, Individually, Appellants.
v.
CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, Appellee.

No. 2005-CA-00045-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

November 21, 2006.

*819 Mark D. Lumpkin, Biloxi, Jennifer P. Burkes, Gulfport, James R. Reeves, attorneys for appellants.

James E. Welch, William E. Whitfield, Gulfport, attorneys for appellee.

Before KING, C.J., SOUTHWICK and IRVING, JJ.

IRVING, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. This appeal arises out of an action filed by Darlene Allen, individually, and as the wrongful death heir of her husband, William Allen, for his death and her injuries *820 at a Gulfport Comfort Inn. The action was filed against R.C.P. Enterprises d/b/a Comfort Inn, the franchisee, and R.D. Patel, its managing partner, (collectively, the Comfort Inn) and against Choice Hotels International (Choice), the franchisor. This appeal is against Choice only. Darlene claims that Choice failed to provide reasonable security to protect guests at the hotel and, as a result, she and her husband were harmed by the criminal acts of an intruder. The trial court entered summary judgment on behalf of Choice, finding that the franchisor was not vicariously liable because it did not control or have the right to control the day-to-day operation of the hotel.

¶ 2. Darlene asserts five issues on appeal, all of which question the propriety of the grant of summary judgment. Therefore, we discuss them as subparts of the central issue.

¶ 3. Finding no error, we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 4. On October 25, 1996, the Allens, who were from Galveston County, Texas, finished visiting a Gulfport casino and returned to their room at the Comfort Inn. Unbeknownst to them, a trio of individuals from Montgomery, Alabama, was surveilling the casino parking lot looking for someone to rob. The three had decided to visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and rob a non-Mississippian at one of the casinos. Upon seeing a Texas tag on the Allens' van, the trio followed the Allens back to the Allens' hotel. Presumably by pretense, one robber got William to answer the door. After the door was opened, the robber and an accomplice pushed their way into the Allens' room and struggled with William over his wallet. During the struggle, William was fatally shot, and Darlene was injured.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 5. The law is well established with respect to the grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment. The appellate court applies a de novo standard of review concerning the propriety of a trial court's grant or denial of summary judgment. Montgomery v. Woolbright, 904 So.2d 1027, 1029(¶ 7) (Miss.2004). Summary judgment is proper "if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." M.R.C.P. 56(c). To survive a motion for summary judgment, the opposing party must establish that there is a genuine issue of material fact. Matthews v. Horseshoe Casino, 919 So.2d 278, 280(¶ 5) (Miss.Ct.App.2005) (citing Lowery v. Guaranty Bank & Trust Co., 592 So.2d 79, 81 (Miss.1991)). The adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations or denial of the pleadings, but instead, in its response, the party must set forth facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Miller v. Meeks, 762 So.2d 302, 304(¶ 3) (Miss.2000). The evidentiary matters are viewed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id. Following this examination, if there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, summary judgment is affirmed. Id.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES

Traditional Agency Analysis

¶ 6. The parties have provided us no Mississippi cases or authority on the liability of a franchisor to patrons of its franchisee who are harmed by the acts of a third party on the franchised premises, nor have we been able to find any authority *821 after diligent search and inquiry. However, there is extant Mississippi law regarding when a third party, such as Choice, can be held liable for acting as the master of another party. "Our cases in the field revolve around the idea of control. The right to control is as important as de facto control at the tortious moment, for the right to control the work of another `carries with it the correlative obligation to see to it that no torts shall be committed' by the other in the course of the work." Fruchter v. Lynch Oil Co., 522 So.2d 195, 199 (Miss.1988) (quoting White's Lumber & Supply Co. v. Collins, 186 Miss. 659, 672, 191 So. 105, 106 (1939)). Therefore, one who controls, or has the right to control, the work of another may be liable as the master of that party. However, the potential control does not create liability unless the alleged master had the right to control the means as well as the ends. "There is another fact premise sometimes pointing to non-liability: If the party . . . is concerned only with ultimate results and not the details of [the] work." Id.

¶ 7. In Kisner v. Jackson, 159 Miss. 424, 428-29, 132 So. 90, 91 (1931), the Mississippi Supreme Court expounded a non-exclusive list of factors that are to be used in determining whether a party is the master of another party:

(1) Whether the principal master has the power to terminate the contract at will;
(2) whether he has the power to fix the price in payment for the work, or vitally controls the manner and time of payment;
(3) whether he furnishes the means and appliances for the work;
(4) whether he has control of the premises;
(5) whether he furnishes the materials upon which the work is done and receives the output thereof, the contractor dealing with no other person in respect to the output;
(6) whether he has the right to prescribe and furnish the details of the kind and character of work to be done;
(7) whether he has the right to supervise and inspect the work during the course of the employment;
(8) whether he has the right to direct the details of the manner in which the work is to be done;
(9) whether he has the right to employ and discharge the subemployees and to fix their compensation; and
(10) whether he is obliged to pay the wages of said employees.

¶ 8. Applying these factors, we find that Choice did not act as a master to the Comfort Inn. Choice did not pay the hotel staff's wages, Choice did not have the right to hire or terminate "subemployees" or fix their wages, and Choice had no right to direct the details of the operation of the Comfort Inn. While the Rules and Regulations contained many specific requirements, Choice did not have the right to tell Comfort Inn how to conduct its day-to-day business, such as what hours employees would work or what hours the hotel should be open. Furthermore, Choice did not have the right to tell the Comfort Inn what rate to rent its rooms at, nor could Choice terminate the franchise agreement at will. While some of the other factors might support a finding that Choice acted as the master of the Comfort Inn, the factors as a whole indicate that the Comfort Inn was not Choice's servant.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Woodring v. Robinson
892 F. Supp. 2d 769 (S.D. Mississippi, 2012)
Parmenter v. J & B Enterprises, Inc.
99 So. 3d 207 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
942 So. 2d 817, 2006 WL 3361400, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-choice-hotels-intern-missctapp-2006.