Arrow Electronics v. Adecco Employment Services, Inc.

195 S.W.3d 646, 2005 Tenn. App. LEXIS 657, 2005 WL 2666926
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedOctober 20, 2005
DocketW2004-02595-COA-R3-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 195 S.W.3d 646 (Arrow Electronics v. Adecco Employment Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arrow Electronics v. Adecco Employment Services, Inc., 195 S.W.3d 646, 2005 Tenn. App. LEXIS 657, 2005 WL 2666926 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

W. FRANK CRAWFORD, P.J., W.S.,

delivered the opinion of the court,

in which ALAN E. HIGHERS, J. and HOLLY M. KIRBY, J., joined.

PlaintiffiAppellant, a computer distribution company, sued Defendant/Appellee, a temporary employment service, for damages resulting from a temporary employee’s allegedly negligent act. The trial court found in favor of the Defendant/Ap-pellee on the grounds that PlaintiffiAppel-lant had not met its burden of proof to show negligence. We affirm on the grounds that the temporary employee was the loaned servant of the Plaintiff/Appellant and, as such, Defendant/Appellee is not liable for the negligent act of the temporary employee.

Arrow Electronics (“Arrow,” “Plaintiff,” or “Appellant”) is a computer distribution company. Arrow is located in a warehouse with several departments including a technical side (where computers are assembled) and a shipping and receiving department. Adecco Employment Services (“Adecco,” “Defendant,” or “Appellee”) is a temporary employment staffing agency that provides temporary employees to other businesses. On May 1, 2001, Adecco entered into a “Temporary Staffing Services Agreement” (the “Agreement”) with Arrow whereby Adecco would provide temporary employees as required by Arrow to work in Arrow’s warehouse. Pursuant to the Agreement, in November 2001, Arrow requested that Adecco provide them with forklift operators and Adecco assigned Kenneth McCurdy (“McCurdy”) to Arrow.

McCurdy was assigned to Arrow’s receiving department. In December of 2001, Arrow had approximately 300 employees. Reggie Hoyle (“Hoyle”) was an Arrow “team lead,” with approximately 10 to 15 people under his direct supervision, including McCurdy. On January 4, 2002, McCurdy was working in the receiving department at Arrow operating a forklift and Hoyle was his immediate supervisor. At approximately 3:30 p.m., Hoyle instructed McCurdy to begin cleaning up as it was close to quitting time. While McCurdy was sweeping and cleaning up, Hoyle was moving a computer system with a forklift. Hoyle testified that he heard a “boom” and knew that something had been dropped. Hoyle went to the area where he had heard the noise and saw McCurdy on a forklift and one of the computer units was lying on the ground. McCurdy advised Hoyle that he had picked up the computer unit so that he could clean and sweep the area. The dropped computer was a two-unit set with one unit taller than the other. At the time of the incident, the forks of the forklift were approximately 8 inches off the ground. The computers were very heavy and had a tendency to tip over easily.

On January 7, 2002, Adecco received a request from Arrow that Adecco reassign McCurdy because he had had too many small accidents at Arrow. McCurdy was subsequently reassigned by Adecco.

On April 21, 2003, Arrow filed a “Complaint for Property Damage” (the “Complaint”) against Adecco. The Complaint reads, in pertinent part, as follows:

2) Kenneth McCurdy was an employee of the Defendant Adecco on or about January 4, 2002, the date of the incident that is the subject of this lawsuit.
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5) On or about January 4, 2002, Kenneth McCurdy, in the context of the work he was performing for the Plain *649 tiff, was specifically instructed by personnel working for the Plaintiff not to attempt to move a certain IBM computer.
6) On or about January 4, 2002, the Defendant McCurdy, negligently, and in direct contradiction of previous instructions by the Plaintiff, attempted to move an IBM computer with a forklift, and said computer fell to the ground causing extensive property damage.
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8) Any acts of negligence committed by Kenneth McCurdy are directly attributable to the Defendant Adecco per the doctrine of respondeat superior.

On November 21, 2003, Adecco filed its Answer, in which it denied liability for the damaged computer.

On December 15, 2003, Arrow filed “Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment” asserting that it was entitled to summary judgment on the issue of liability. On May 26, 2004, Adecco filed a “Motion for Summary Judgment,” in which it asserted that Adecco “cannot be held liable for the acts of Kenneth McCurdy under the doctrine of respondeat superior.” The “Motion for Summary Judgment” was supported by a Statement of Undisputed Facts, a Memorandum of Law, depositions and the Affidavit of Melissa Willie, Area Vice President for Adecco. On June 15, 2004, Arrow filed “Plaintiffs Response to Defendant’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts” and “Plaintiffs Reply to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment.”

The case was heard by the trial court, sitting without a jury, on July 6, 2004. At the beginning of the hearing, the trial court heard oral arguments regarding the respeetive motions for summary judgment. The trial court subsequently denied both motions by separate Orders both entered on September 13, 2004. At the close of the parties’ proof on July 6, 2004, the trial court held that Adecco was the employer for purposes of respondeat superior but denied liability based upon the trial court’s finding that Arrow had not met its burden of proof as to negligence. Following its ruling from the bench, the trial court entered its “Order on Trial Verdict” (the “Final Order”) on September 13, 2004.

On July 9, 2004, Arrow filed “Plaintiffs Motion to Alter or Amend Judgment,” which was supplemented on July 12, 2004. The trial court denied Arrow’s motion by Order of September 13, 2004. On October 11, 2004, Arrow filed its “Notice of Appeal,” in which it appeals from the trial court’s denial of its motion to alter or amend and from the Final Order. Arrow raises the following issues for review as stated in its brief:

I. As to the Appellant’s burden of proof, did the trial court err by applying a standard greater than “a preponderance of the evidence”?
II. Did the trial court err in its findings regarding Kenneth McCurdy’s negligence and the resulting damage to Arrow’s property?
III. Did the trial court err in denying Appellant’s motion to alter or amend judgment? 1

On October 12, 2004, Adecco also filed a “Notice of Appeal,” in which it appeals from the September 13, 2004 Order denying its motion for summary judgment. Adecco raises the additional issue of whether the trial court erred in denying *650 Adecco’s motion for summary judgment as there were no material facts in dispute. We note, however, that when the trial court’s denial of a motion for summary judgment is predicated upon the existence of a genuine issue as to a material fact, the overruling of that motion is not reviewable on appeal when subsequently there has been a judgment rendered after a trial on the merits. Hobson v. First State Bank, 777 S.W.2d 24, 32 (Tenn.Ct.App.1989); Mullins v. Precision Rubber Products,

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Bluebook (online)
195 S.W.3d 646, 2005 Tenn. App. LEXIS 657, 2005 WL 2666926, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arrow-electronics-v-adecco-employment-services-inc-tennctapp-2005.