Camp v. Hall

39 Fla. 535
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJune 15, 1897
StatusPublished
Cited by54 cases

This text of 39 Fla. 535 (Camp v. Hall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Camp v. Hall, 39 Fla. 535 (Fla. 1897).

Opinion

Carter, J.:

After a thorough re-examination of this case, aided by the elaborate oral arguments and briefs of the parties appellant and appellee, we are all of opinion that the conclusions reached upon the former disposition •of the case were correct, and that the judgment of the ■court below should be affirmed.

I. It is contended by the first assignment of error that the court below erred in overruling the demurrer of the defendants to the plaintiff’s amended declaration. And it was very earnestly and confidently argued before us that the demurrer, particularly the second, third and fourth grounds thereof, was well taken, but we entertain a different view, and in discussing this assignment of error we will consider each point of law endorsed on the margin of the demurrer, in consecutive order.

A. It was unnecessary for the declaration to show that Williams had exclusive control and authority ■over plaintiff at the time of the alleged accident. It was entirely sufficient that Williams had at ■the time authority to command plaintiff to do the act resulting in the injury. The law does not confine the master’s liability to those cases only, where his servant is invested with exclusive authority to do a particular act, or to exercise a particular control, because [562]*562the master may appoint as many agents as he pleases to execute or superintend a particular work, and the acts of each, within the scope of his authority, will be-binding upon the principal, unless the authority be a joint one only. Mechem on Agency, secs. 76, 77; Wood on Master and Servant, sec. 448. This ground of demurrer did not question the sufficiency of the allegations of the declaration showing that Williams had at the time authority to command plaintiff to do' the act which it was claimed resulted in his injury. It was, therefore, properly overruled.

B. The second ground of demurrer contended that it was shown by the allegations of the declaration that plaintiff’s injuries were received in consequence of the negligence of a fellow servant, and hot by reason of the negligence of the defendants. The rule is well settled in this State, as well as in the United States and England, that in the absence of statute a master is not liable to his servant for personal injuries received in the course of his employment, through the negligence of a fellow servant, when engaged In the same undertaking or common work. Parrish vs. Pensacola & Atlantic Railroad Co., 28 Fla. 251, 9 South. Rep. 696; South Florida Railroad Co. vs. Price, 32 Fla. 46, 13 South. Rep. 638; South Florida Railroad Co. vs. Weese, 32 Fla. 212, 13 South. Rep. 436; Duval, Receiver, vs. Hunt, 34 Fla. 85, 15 South. Rep. 876. From this general proposition there is no dissent; but when we undertake to analyze it, and attempt to define what, is meant by the terms “fellow servant,” and “same undertaking or common work,” we find the courts and text writers very inharmonious. There are, however,, certain duties required of a master to his servant,, which if left unperformed, or negligently performed f [563]*563and personal injury results therefrom to such servant, without his fault, will entitle the latter to recover damages; and among such duties are those requiring the master to furnish reasonably safe machinery and other appliances, and a reasonably safe place to work; and instructions and warnings against special dangers attending hazardous duties, to all servants who, from youth, inexperience or imbecility, are ignorant of such special dangers. Bishop on Non-Contract Law, secs. 644, 648, 651; 1 Lawson’s Rights, Remedies and Practice, sec. 309; Beach on Contributory Negligence, secs. 346, 362; Thompson on Negligence, p. 972, sec. 3, p. 978, sec. 8; Shearman & Redfield on Negligence, secs. 194, 203, 219; McKinney on Fellow Servants, sec. 24; Wood on Master and Servant, secs. 329, 349, 350. And it is generally held, and we hold, that these, among other duties, are of a personal nature, and if the master delegates them to another servant, no matter what his title may be, nor what his grade or rank in the master’s service, the master will be responsible for their non-performance, or for their negligent performance, notwithstanding the master has exercised due oare in the selection of the agent to whom these duties •are intrusted. Bishop on Non-Contract Law, secs. 665, 667; Beach on Contributory Negligence, sec. 356; Shearman & Redfield on Negligence, sec. 204; McKinney on Fellow Servants, secs. 23, 24, 42; Wood’s Master and Servant, sec. 438; 3 Wood on Railroads, secs. 377, 380, 399 a. Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Co. vs. Henthorne, 19 C. C. A. 623, 73 Fed. Rep. 634, 43 U. S. App. 113. If these principles be applied to the present declaration it will be found that this ground of demurrer was not well taken, because even if Williams was a co-servant with the plaintiff, yet as he was in[564]*564trusted by the master with certain personal duties due-from the master to plaintiff as his servant, the master is, nevertheless, liable for their non-performance, or-negligent performance. Plaintiff, a boy less than fourteen years of age, employed only for the special purpose of making and putting together fruit and vegetable crates at defendants’ saw mill, an employment-light, simple and capable of being performed by a child without risk of injury from the dangerous machinery employed in the mill,' was placed by defendants under-the direction, control and orders of Williams, the-foreman and agent of the defendants in their said saw mill. The relations of Williams to defendants and to-plaintiff being as thus stated, he was representing the defendants when he gave instructions to plaintiff to-discontinue the harmless employment of making vegetable and fruit boxes, for which he was employed,, and to engage in the dangerous employment of pushing lumber cars on a side-track, for which he was not employed, and it devolved upon him to perform that personal duty of the defendants which required them to furnish plaintiff a reasonably safe place to work- and the plaintiff being an inexperienced youth, “not capable of appreciating the risk to Ms person from the-dangerous work he was ordered to perform,” and not knowing or apprehending any danger as alleged, was also entitled to instructions, information and warnings of the special dangers of such work, before being instructed to perform it. The instructions of Williams-to engage in such work, and his failure to warn of the dangers attending it, were, under these circumstances, instructions and failures on the part of the defendants, though proceeding from a co-servant of the plaintiff^ Wood on Master and Servant, sec. 448.

[565]*565C. The third and fourth grounds of the demurrer are properly considered together. There is no general specification that the declaration is ‘ ‘vague, indefinite and uncertain,” although much of appellants’ argument was based upon such a specification. The third ground of demurrer insisted only that the declaration was vague, indefinite and uncertain, in that it failed to allege the name of the railroad owning, controlling or operating the railroad or the cars mentioned in the declaration, and failed to allege that defendant controlled, owned or operated, or had authority to operate said railroad or cars, and the fourth ground insisted that the parties operating and controlling the railroad would be liable for plaintiffs injuries, and not the defendants.

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Bluebook (online)
39 Fla. 535, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/camp-v-hall-fla-1897.