Coml. Cas. Ins. Co. v. Ind. Acc. Com.

254 P.2d 954, 116 Cal. App. 2d 901
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 1953
Docket19242
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 254 P.2d 954 (Coml. Cas. Ins. Co. v. Ind. Acc. Com.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coml. Cas. Ins. Co. v. Ind. Acc. Com., 254 P.2d 954, 116 Cal. App. 2d 901 (Cal. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

116 Cal.App.2d 901 (1953)
254 P.2d 954

COMMERCIAL CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY et al., Petitioners,
v.
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT COMMISSION and JOSEPH R. CRAWFORD, Respondents.

Docket No. 19242.

Court of Appeals of California, Second District, Division Three.

March 25, 1953.

*902 Tipton, Weingand & Tipton for Petitioners.

Edmund J. Thomas, Jr., and T. Groezinger for Respondents.

WOOD (Parker), J.

Petition to review an award of the Industrial Accident Commission. Bechtel International Corporation, a corporation, whose main office is in San Francisco, California, had entered into a written agreement with International Bechtel, Inc., a corporation, to engage persons in the United States to work for International Bechtel in Saudi Arabia. The corporation first above mentioned will be referred to as Bechtel, and the other one will be referred to as International. It was stipulated at the hearing before the referee that the applicant, Joseph R. Crawford, was employed by one or both of said corporations and that both corporations were insured by the Commercial Casualty Insurance Company. The insurance company and said two corporations are petitioners herein.

[1a] Petitioners contend that the Industrial Accident Commission did not have jurisdiction to make the award. Their argument is that applicant has not been a resident of California and that the contract of employment was not made in California. Section 5305 of the Labor Code provides that the Industrial Accident Commission "has jurisdiction over all controversies arising out of injuries suffered without the territorial limits of this State in those cases where the injured employee is a resident of this State at the time of the injury and the contract of hire was made in this State." The provision in said section requiring that the employee be a resident of this state has been held to be unconstitutional. (Quong Ham Wah Co. v. Industrial Acc. Com., 184 Cal. 26, 38 [192 P. 1021, 1026-1027, 12 A.L.R. 1190]; Commercial Cas. Ins. Co. v. Industrial Acc. Com., 110 Cal. App.2d 83, 89 [242 P.2d 13, 17].) The question remaining with respect to jurisdiction, is whether the contract was made in California.

On November 7, 1947, the applicant, Mr. Crawford, who then resided in Oklahoma, wrote to the office of Bechtel at Houston, Texas, stating: "I am returning application which I have completed for your consideration.... May I state my reason for requesting Foreign Service...." He enclosed *903 in that letter an application for employment which consisted of four pages of a filled-in, completed, and signed printed form of application at the top of which were the words: "Employment Application Bechtel International Corporation." A question on said form was, "Are you available for Foreign Service?" His answer thereto was "Yes." The application also contained a detailed statement of his employment record from 1923 to the date of the application, November 7, 1947.

On December 16, 1947, Bechtel, in San Francisco, wrote a letter to Mr. Crawford stating: "Your application for assignment as a Clerk on one of our foreign projects has been forwarded to this Department. Since you are being considered for possible assignment we wish to determine whether or not you will be available at such time as a requisition for your classification may be received from the jobsite. Will you therefore kindly fill in the questions appearing below and return this letter at your earliest convenience. Upon receipt of confirmation regarding your availability, we will initiate our verification procedure...." The "questions" referred to, as appearing below, were: "I am available for future assignment" and "I have certified proof of citizenship in my possession." On December 26, 1947, Mr. Crawford wrote the word "Yes" as an answer to each of those questions and affixed his signature thereto, and mailed the document to Bechtel at San Francisco.

On January 6, 1948, Bechtel, from San Francisco, sent a telegram to Mr. Crawford in Oklahoma, as follows: "Please advise collect wire within 24 hours if you are eligible and available possible assignment as section supervisor time and payroll at $500 month no overtime plus board, lodging, medical care.... Also advise if birth certificate or proof of citizenship in your possession."

On January 8, 1948, Mr. Crawford, from Oklahoma, sent a telegram to Bechtel at San Francisco, as follows: "Eligible and available for assignment. Birth certificate in my possession."

On January 9, 1948, Mr. Crawford, in Oklahoma, received a telegram sent by Bechtel from Houston asking him to telephone to Bechtel at Houston. He telephoned as requested and was informed by Bechtel that all processing documents had been sent from the Houston office of Bechtel to Mr. Crawford in Oklahoma. Thereafter and before January 16th, *904 Bechtel, at Houston, mailed to Mr. Crawford in Oklahoma a document entitled "General Instructions for Processing." Sixteen other documents were enclosed with those instructions. The instructions stated in part, at the beginning thereof: "We acknowledge receipt of notice of your availability and intent to prepare yourself to go forward to Saudi Arabia as Sec Supv Time & Payroll at $500.00 per month plus extras. We are enclosing documents which must be completed, dated, and signed...." At the end of those instructions it was stated: "No DEFINITE DEPARTURE TIME WILL BE GIVEN UNTIL ALL PAPERS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE."

One of the documents enclosed with the instructions was a printed blank form (Exhibit H herein) entitled "Bechtel International Corporation. Memorandum of Agreement." On January 17, 1948, Mr. Crawford, in Oklahoma, signed the memorandum of agreement and mailed it to Bechtel at San Francisco. Also on said date, he filled in the blanks on several of the other documents which were enclosed with the instructions, and he signed, and mailed those documents to Bechtel at San Francisco. Those additional documents pertained to his travel expenses, his fingerprints, his understanding that he would live in temporary quarters at the jobsite, and his possession of an Oklahoma license to drive a motor vehicle.

About February 2, 1948, he signed and mailed to Bechtel at San Francisco a form, furnished by Bechtel, wherein he directed that certain of his earnings be sent to a bank in Oklahoma.

On February 17, 1948, he signed and mailed to Bechtel at San Francisco a printed form entitled "Baggage Statement."

On February 20, 1948, Bechtel at San Francisco telegraphed him at Oklahoma as follows: "You scheduled embark New York February 27. You scheduled depart Tulsa via American Airlines Flight No. 6 at 5:40 p m February 24 arriving New York at 1:25. Ticket paid for this end. Please pickup at Tulsa AAL Office Soonest. Necessary you wire collect when ticket obtained. Upon arrival New York contact Harry Heap.... He will have passport, processing documents and foreign transportation...."

On February 21, 1948, Mr. Crawford, from Oklahoma, telegraphed Bechtel at San Francisco: "Flight reservation ticket picked up today Depart 24th."

On February 24th, he left by airplane from Oklahoma and *905 arrived in New York City on February 25th. On the date of his arrival there, he contacted Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
254 P.2d 954, 116 Cal. App. 2d 901, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coml-cas-ins-co-v-ind-acc-com-calctapp-1953.