Baker v. TL James & Co., Inc.

398 So. 2d 1223
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 5, 1981
Docket11306
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 398 So. 2d 1223 (Baker v. TL James & Co., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baker v. TL James & Co., Inc., 398 So. 2d 1223 (La. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

398 So.2d 1223 (1981)

Leslie A. BAKER a/k/a Richard C. Mayo
v.
T. L. JAMES & CO., INC., Atlas Construction Co., Inc., Augie Adams, Tom Sellers, Tom Sutherland, John T. James and F. Ben James.

No. 11306.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

May 5, 1981.

*1224 Gross & Abramson, Tony C. Tillman, LaPlace, for Leslie A. Baker, a/k/a Richard C. Mayo, plaintiff-appellant.

Gerard M. Dillon, Dillon & Cambre, New Orleans, for T. L. James & Co., Inc. and Atlas Const. Co., Inc., defendants-appellees.

Dawkins, Coyle & Carter, Ruston, for Augie Adams, Tom Sellers, F. Ben James, Jr. and John T. James, defendants-appellees.

Before BOUTALL, SCHOTT and CHEHARDY, JJ.

BOUTALL, Judge.

This appeal arises from a judgment of the trial court sustaining exceptions of no cause of action and motions for summary judgment in connection with a claim for tort damages for personal injuries sustained by the plaintiff during the course of his employment.

On or about December 27, 1977, the plaintiff, Leslie A. Baker, also known as Richard C. Mayo, was performing general labor duties atop a column at the construction site of the new Mississippi River Bridge in Destrehan, La. when he fell approximately 40 feet to the ground, thereby sustaining personal injuries. The plaintiff brought an action in tort for damages against T. L. James & Co., Inc. and Atlas Construction Company, Inc., (hereinafter referred to as T. L. James and Atlas, respectively,) and several individuals including Augie Adams, Tom Sellers, Tom Sutherland,[1] John T. James and F. Ben James for their alleged negligence in causing the accident. In response to this claim, both the named corporations and the individual defendants filed exceptions of no cause of action and motions for summary judgment.

Upon a hearing of the exceptions and of the motions for summary judgment filed by the defendants, the trial court maintained the exceptions of no cause of action and granted the motions for summary judgment, thereby dismissing the plaintiff's suit as to all defendants except Tom Sutherland. From this judgment the plaintiff has appealed devolutively.

For the sake of understanding and clarity the validity of the motions and the exceptions will be considered with respect to the *1225 two corporate defendants, followed by the named individuals.

T. L. JAMES and ATLAS.

The Louisiana Jurisprudence and statutory law make it clear that a motion for summary judgment should be granted if, and only if, the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, together with the affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. LSA-C.C.P. Article 966; Chaisson v. Domingue, 372 So.2d 1225 (La. 1979); Employers' Surplus Line Insurance Company v. City of Baton Rouge, 362 So.2d 561 (La.1978). Equally well known is the rule that when a motion for summary judgment is made and is supported by affidavits or other sworn supported documents, an adverse party may not rely solely on the allegations contained in his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or otherwise, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue. Failure to respond, may, if appropriate, result in a summary judgment being rendered against the adverse party. LSA-C.C.P. Article 967; Badeaux v. East Jefferson General Hospital, 364 So.2d 1348 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1978); Welch v. Daigrepont, 378 So.2d 607 (La. App. 3d Cir. 1979).

In the case before us, Atlas contends that it is the employer of the plaintiff and therefore, under the exclusive provision of R.S. 23:1032, (as amended in 1976), the plaintiff's remedy is limited to workmen's compensation benefits only. This statute provides in pertinent part.

"The rights and remedies herein granted to an employee or his dependents on account of injury ... for which he is entitled to compensation under this chapter, shall be exclusive of all other rights and remedies of such employee ... against his employer, or any principal ... for said injury, or compensable sickness or disease ...
"Nothing in this chapter shall affect the liability of the employer ... or principal to a fine or penalty under any other statute or the liability, civil or criminal resulting from an intentional act."

To support its contention Atlas offers the affidavits of its payroll supervisor and shift foreman which state that the plaintiff was employed by Atlas. The plaintiff offers no response to these documents and apparently relies only upon his original pleadings which indicate that he may have been in the employment of T. L. James and not in the employment of Atlas. In accordance with the principle cited above we have no choice but to find that Atlas is entitled to a summary judgment as a matter of law.

Based on the foregoing the judgment of the trial court maintaining the summary judgment as to Atlas is affirmed.

Regarding the liability of T. L. James for its alleged negligent acts, the basic issue for consideration is whether this defendant was a statutory employer of the plaintiff. R.S. 23:1061 of the Workmen's Compensation Act establishes the concept of statutory employer. It states:

"Where any person (in this section referred to as principal) undertakes to execute any work, which is a part of his trade, business or occupation or which he had contracted to perform, and contracts with any person (in this section referred to as contractor) for the execution by or under the contractor of the whole or any part of the work undertaken by the principal, the principal shall be liable to pay to any employee employed in the execution of the work or to his dependent, any compensation under this Chapter which he would have been liable to pay if the employee had been immediately employed by him." (Emphasis added.)

By virtue of this concept the principal or statutory employer owes compensation benefits to an injured employee. On the other hand, R.S. 23:1032 (as cited above) provides that the remedy of an injured employee against the principal or statutory employer is limited to compensation benefits, unless the latter has committed an intentional tort. Therefore, the statutory employer or principal can be liable to an injured workman in general only for compensation benefits.

*1226 Recent La. Jurisprudence has interpreted these statutes to require that four essential elements are necessary for an application of the statutory employer concept. Vincent v. Ryder Enterprises, Inc., 352 So.2d 1061 (La. App. 3d Cir. 1977) the court stated:

"There are four essential elements which must be present in order for R.S. 23:1061 to be applicable:
"(1) The relationship of principal-contractor (as distinguished from another type of relationship, i. e., vendor-vendee) must exist.
"(2) There must be a contract between the principal and contractor for the execution by the contractor of the whole or any part of the work being undertaken by the principal.
"(3) The `work' which is the subject of the contract must be part of the principal's trade, business or occupation.
"(4) The injured employee must be engaged in the execution of the `work' as described above."

T. L. James contends that it is the statutory employer of the plaintiff, and therefore, its liability to him is limited to compensation benefits as per R.S.

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