Cormier v. Gulf Oil Corp.

665 F. Supp. 1226, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6642
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 9, 1987
DocketCiv. A. No. 85-525
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 665 F. Supp. 1226 (Cormier v. Gulf Oil Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cormier v. Gulf Oil Corp., 665 F. Supp. 1226, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6642 (E.D. La. 1987).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

MENTZ, District Judge.

Plaintiff, Sam J. Cormier, sued Gulf Oil Corporation (Gulf) to recover damages for injuries he sustained when he fell on a fueling dock at Gulfs Leeville, Louisiana Shorebase (Shorebase) on September 28, 1984. Gulf filed a third-party claim against Danos & Curóle Marine Contractors, Inc. (D & C) alleging that Gulf is entitled to indemnity from D & C. Gulf filed third-party complaints against U.S. Fire Insurance Company, North River Insurance Company and International Surplus Lines Insurance Company as liability insurors of D & C and Gulf. Gulf also filed a third-party complaint against Charles O’Quin d/b/a CAT Welding Service.1 D & C filed an intervention to assert its claim for reimbursement of benefits paid to Cormier under the Longshoremen’s and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 901-950.

The case was tried to the Court which found, at the conclusion of trial, that Cormier was not the borrowed servant of Gulf, that Gulf was negligent, that Cornier was forty percent at fault, and that Cormier was capable of returning to work at $4.50 an hour. The Court now submits its reasons in support of its ruling.

The Court first addresses the borrowed servant issue. D & C, an oilfield labor contractor, hired Cormier in 1979 at the D & C personnel office. D & C assigned him to work at Gulf’s Shorebase as a roustabout. During the entire time of Cormier’s employment with D & C, he worked at the Shorebase, which served as a location for the staging and support of Gulf’s coastal and offshore operations. By the time of his accident on September 28, 1984, Cormier had worked his way up to the position of fuel dispatcher. He was part of a dispatching crew comprising: Merlin Leonard, supervisor; Rory Griffin, material pick-up man and assistant supervisor; and two roustabouts, all of whom were D & C employees.

Every morning, Cormier was picked up at his home and driven to work in a D & C van driven by a D & C employee; every night, Cormier was taken home in the van. D & C provided this service to make sure their employees got to work on time and regularly. Gulf never provided the D & C employees transportation to and from work. When he arrived at work, Cormier reported to the D & C offices at the Shore-base. Although the D & C dispatching crew and Gulf employees worked together in the same building at the Shorebase, D & C’s office where it performed clerical work and bookkeeping was separate from Gulf’s offices. Gulf employees did not perform their duties in D & C’s offices; D & C employees did not perform their duties in Gulf’s offices.

Cormier’s primary duties as a fuel dispatcher were, inter alia, to operate the fuel dock, to receive incoming shipments of fuel, to disburse fuel as needed, to gauge fuel tanks on vessels, and to document all such transactions. Half of Cormier’s time was spent on the fuel dock and the other half was spent working in the D & C office filing papers and answering the telephone. He also performed roustabout work when needed. Cormier’s work at the fueling dock was not immediately supervised; however, he was generally supervised in his work by Merlin Leonard or Rory Griffin, both D & C employees. At the end of the day, Cormier turned in his paperwork to Leonard. Approximately every two [1229]*1229months, Leonard would rate the D & C employees’ performance.

Jacob Meyer, an employee of Gulf, was the overall Shorebase supervisor. Occasionally, Cormier would take orders from Meyer. In addition, at the end of each month, Cormier turned in his fuel reports to Meyer, who completed the paperwork. Cormier had no other regular dealings with Meyer. Cormier considered Leonard his boss and Meyer the “big boss”. As Cormier explained the situation, he wanted to do a good job and please everyone; therefore, if Meyer or anyone else gave him an order, he would follow it, but he put Leonard first because D & C was his employer.

Cormier did not take any tools with him to work. Gulf furnished any- necessary tools and equipment and the place of performance. He wore a hard hat and steel toed shoes which D & C required him to purchase when he was hired. Cormier did not wear a uniform, but those D & C employees who did, wore uniforms with the D & C logo.

Leonard kept track of the D & C employees’ time. D & C paid Cormier his wages and provided medical, hospitalization and other insurance. Cormier did not have to consult with Gulf regarding vacation time.

About once a week an operations man from D & C would visit the Shorebase to check on the employees’ and the customer’s needs. D & C also conducted safety meetings at the Shorebase for its employees and gave its employees, including Cormier, safety awards when merited.

Gulf had nothing to do with the hiring of D & C employees. When a D & C employee is first hired, the personnel department tells the employee when and where to report to work. Thereafter, the D & C supervisor at the job site instructs the employee as to his work schedule. Gulf had no power to fire a D & C employee. If Gulf told D & C that an employee was not satisfactory, D & C would either transfer the employee to another job or fire him.

Occasionally, a D & C employee left D & C to become a Gulf employee. That employee’s relationship with the D & C employees did not change; however, D & C would discontinue insurance coverage and take them off the payroll.

In determining whether a borrowed servant relationship existed, this Court referred to the multi-factored test set forth in Ruiz v. Shell Oil Co, 413 F.2d 310 (5th Cir.1969). In applying the Ruiz factors, the Court found as follows:

(1) Who had control over Cormier and the work he was performing beyond mere suggestion of details or cooperation? Day to day, immediate control over Cormier’s activities was exercised by D & C through its dispatch supervisor, Leonard. Gulf did not exercise any supervision over Cormier, other than his monthly fuel reports and occasional orders from Meyer. Any control Gulf exercised over Cormier was incidental to D & C’s control.

(2) Whose work is being performed? The D & C employees worked to advance Gulf’s oil exploration and production business.

(3) Was there an agreement between the original and borrowing employer? D & C and Gulf entered into a written contract “to furnish general oilfield labor, equipment, and boats, inshore and offshore ... to be performed ... as requested by ... Gulf.” Section 6 of the contract specifies that D & C is an independent contractor, “with the authority to control and direct the performance of the details of the work, Gulf being interested only in the results obtained” and shall “be subject to the general right of inspection herein provided to Gulf to secure the satisfactory completion thereof.” Other provisions require D & C to provide certain insurance coverage, and Section 11 states that in the event of conflict between this contract and any other agreement, whether written or oral, that this contract’s provisions shall control.

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Related

Roy v. Quality Catering, Inc.
829 F. Supp. 891 (S.D. Texas, 1993)
Cormier v. Gulf Oil Co
857 F.2d 789 (Fifth Circuit, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
665 F. Supp. 1226, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6642, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cormier-v-gulf-oil-corp-laed-1987.