Citizen v. Theodore Daigle & Brother

392 So. 2d 741, 1980 La. App. LEXIS 4862
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 17, 1980
Docket7935
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 392 So. 2d 741 (Citizen v. Theodore Daigle & Brother) 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
Citizen v. Theodore Daigle & Brother, 392 So. 2d 741, 1980 La. App. LEXIS 4862 (La. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

392 So.2d 741 (1980)

George CITIZEN, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
THEODORE DAIGLE & BROTHER et al., Defendants-Appellees.

No. 7935.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 17, 1980.

*742 Shelton & Legendre, Aubrey E. Denton, Lafayette, for plaintiff-appellant.

Cooper & Sonnier, John E. Ortego, Abbeville, Edwards, Stefanski & Brousse, Homer E. Barousse, Jr., Crowley, for defendants-appellees.

Before CULPEPPER, DOMENGEAUX, and SWIFT, JJ.

DOMENGEAUX, Judge.

Plaintiff, George Citizen, sued his former co-employee, James Cormier, and Cormier's personal homeowner's liability insurer, Travelers Insurance Company, for injuries sustained as a result of a shooting accident which occurred on the morning of February 2, 1978, at their employer's place of business.

Plaintiff originally filed suit against his employer, Theodore Daigle & Brother, Inc., and Daigle's workmen's compensation insurer, Sentry Insurance Company, for workmen's compensation benefits. His petition averred in the alternative, and only in the event the court determined that plaintiff was not entitled to compensation benefits, that his injuries were caused by the intentional acts of Cormier, although he further alleged that the injuries he received were unforeseeable and were not intended by Cormier. The trial against all defendants was conducted January 30, 1980. Prior to a decision by the court, plaintiff settled his workmen's compensation claim for $25,000.00 and released Daigle and Sentry. This release was approved by Judge Fontenot on March 26, 1980.[1] Thereafter, on *743 March 27, 1980, Judge Ware assigned reasons for judgment wherein he held that plaintiff's only remedy was for workmen's compensation. A judgment to that effect, in favor of Cormier and Travelers, was signed on April 8, 1980. From that adverse judgment, plaintiff has appealed.

FACTS

All important facts are undisputed. On the morning of the accident, defendant Cormier was preparing a Benjamin pellet rifle for shipment back to the manufacturer. The rifle had been returned to George Duplechain, another Daigle employee, a day or two earlier by a customer who claimed the gun was defective because pellets would get lodged in the barrel. Duplechain test-fired the rifle several times but no pellets were discharged. Later, Duplechain told Cormier only that when he test-fired the gun no pellets were discharged. Cormier then testfired the rifle with the same results. The record establishes that neither man loaded the gun prior to test-firing so they were unaware that any pellet was actually lodged in the barrel. Furthermore, the record does not indicate that Cormier knew the nature of the defect prior to the accident. Duplechain knew, but the testimony does not establish that Cormier was told that the gun had been returned because pellets became lodged in the barrel.

Shortly before the accident Cormier was standing at a table near the back of the store, recording pertinent information about the gun onto a merchandise return sheet, when plaintiff entered the room from the back door. As he neared the table at which the defendant was standing, he began conversing with him. The gun lay on the table. Cormier indicated to Duplechain, who witnessed the entire incident, that he wanted to scare the plaintiff. To accomplish that goal, defendant picked up the gun, pumped it three times, and from waist level he pointed it in plaintiff's direction and fired when plaintiff was approximately four feet away from the defendant. To defendant's great surprise, a pellet was discharged from the gun and struck plaintiff in the left upper thigh region. Plaintiff received serious injuries to his left leg as a result of the shooting accident.

It is uncontested that Cormier did not intend to inflict injury or pain upon Citizen. He desired only to scare plaintiff. Plaintiff's petition acknowledges that defendant did not intend to injure plaintiff. The petition, in fact, avers that the injuries were unforeseen and occurred only because the pellet rifle was defective.

Following a trial on plaintiff's tort suit against Cormier, the trial court, relying upon Bourque v. Duplechin, 331 So.2d 40 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1976), held in favor of defendants because the injury to plaintiff was neither expected nor intended. The court believed that Cormier's action constituted "horseplay" and was therefore within the course and scope of his employment. The court concluded that plaintiff's only claim was for workmen's compensation benefits as provided in La.R.S. 23:1032. We affirm.

ISSUES ON APPEAL

With respect to the rights and remedies available to an injured employee, under the Workmen's Compensation Act La.R.S. 23:1032 provides:

"The rights and remedies herein granted to an employee or his dependent on account of an injury, or compensable sickness or disease for which he is entitled to compensation under this Chapter, shall be exclusive of all other rights and remedies of such employee, his personal representatives, dependents, or relations, against his employer, or any principal or any officer, director, stockholder, partner or employee of such employer or principal, for said injury, or compensable sickness or disease. For purposes of this Section, the word `principal' shall be defined as any person who undertakes to execute any work which is a part of his trade, business or occupation in which he was engaged at the time of the injury, or which he had contracted to perform and contracts with any person for the execution thereof.
*744 Nothing in this Chapter shall affect the liability of the employer, or any officer, director, stockholder, partner or employee of such employer or principal to a fine or penalty under any other statute or the liability, civil or criminal, resulting from an intentional act.
The immunity from civil liability provided by this Section shall not extend to: 1) any officer, director, stockholder, partner or employee or such employer or principal who is not engaged at the time of the injury in the normal course and scope of his employment; and 2) to the liability of any partner in a partnership which has been formed for the purpose of evading any of the provisions of this Section." (Emphasis added).

According to paragraph 1 of Section 1032, an employee who suffers an accidental injury arising out of and in the course of his employment is generally limited to his workmen's compensation claim against his employer, even if his injury was occasioned by a fellow employee. Paragraph 2 excepts from this general rule any injury which results from an intentional act on the part of a fellow employee. Paragraph 3 further provides that a fellow employee who is not engaged in the normal course and scope of his employment when the injury occurs is not immune from suit by his injured fellow worker. Therefore, Cormier will be responsible for the injury he caused to plaintiff if his act was an "intentional act" under Section 1032, or if he was not in the normal course and scope of his employment when the injury occurred. Thus, the following issues are raised by this appeal: (1) Did defendant Cormier's act constitute an "intentional act" within the meaning of La. R.S. 23:1032? and (2) Whether or not his act was an "intentional act", was defendant Cormier engaged in the normal course and scope of his employment at the time of the injury to the plaintiff, George Citizen?

INTENTIONAL ACT In the very recent case of

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Related

Citizen v. Theodore Daigle and Bro., Inc.
418 So. 2d 598 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1982)
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392 So. 2d 741, 1980 La. App. LEXIS 4862, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/citizen-v-theodore-daigle-brother-lactapp-1980.