Eaves v. Hillyer-Edwards-Fuller, Inc.

139 So. 510
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 16, 1932
DocketNo. 4091
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 139 So. 510 (Eaves v. Hillyer-Edwards-Fuller, 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
Eaves v. Hillyer-Edwards-Fuller, Inc., 139 So. 510 (La. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

CULPEPPER, J.

This case is before the court on rehearing from an opinion handed down in July,-of last year, wherein the judgment of the lower court, rejecting plaintiff’s demands, was reversed and judgment rendered for plaintiff as prayed for.

It is a suit brought under the Employers’ Liability Apt, No. 20 of 1914, as amended, by plaintiff, Mrs. Lola Johnson Eaves, individually and for the use and benefit of her three minor children, widow and heirs of Ivy Eaves, who died September 25, 1930, of injuries received September 5, 1930, while engaged in hauling logs for Mitchell Johnson in the parish of Rapides.

It is alleged that the deceased was in the employ of Hillyer-Edwards-Fuller, Inc., made defendant herein, at the time he received said injuries, in the capacity of operating or driving a motortruck in hauling logs fot defendant company, and was earning $3.50 per day as wages; that (quoting):

“Through some kind of contract between the said corporation and one Mitchell Johnson, the said Johnson was superintending the hauling of the said logs and the operation of the truck the deceased was driving; but the said logs were cut and being hauled for sawing and manufacture into lumber at and by the sawmill of the said corporation at or near Glenmora, Louisiana, and had been made from timber belonging to the said corporation ; that said corporation paid said Johnson for said hauling and the said Johnson paid the said deceased for his said work.

“That the nature of the relations existing between the said corporation, the said Mitchell Johnson and the deceased was such that the said corporation is liable to petitioner.”

Plaintiff makes demand for $15.60 per week for a period of 300 weeks and for $150 additional to cover for burial and other incidental expenses.

Defendant, answering, denies that either the deceased or Mitchell Johnson was, at the time (quoting), “in any manner, or sense, employee of the respondent company, but that the said Ivy Eaves * * * was working for Mitchell Johnson, who was conducting an independent logging business, and from whom your respondent was purchasing logs at an agreed rate per thousand feet log measure delivered at an agreed point on respondent’s railroad track.”

In our former opinion we held that the relationship between Mitchell Johnson and defendant at the time Ivy Eaves was injured was such as to constitute Johnson as an independent contractor, which entitled plaintiff to recover under the provisions of section 6 of the act, as amended by Act 85 of 1926. The court did not believe the testimony warranted the holding that Johnson was a bona fide purchaser of the timber and seller of the logs cut from same to the defendant, as was contended by defendant.

However, upon a consideration of the application for a rehearing, the 'court, thinking there was possibly an error in its opinion, • agreed to review the ease.

We have again gone over and examined the testimony and have carefully studied same .together with the argument of counsel and briefs filed.

■ That Mitchell Johnson employed Ivy Eaves . and that Eaves was working for him under said employment at the time of the accident, ail parties fully agree. It is equally clear that Eaves was engaged at the time as truck driver for Johnson, hauling logs for Johnson from timber Johnson had bought from the B. E. Smith Lumber Company through Mr. B. E. Smith, and delivering the logs to defendant company at a point on its railroad tracks, at which point defendant scaled or measured the logs, then accepted them and conveyed them to' its sawmill at Glenmora, where they were manufactured into lumber.

The testimony shows that Johnson carried on all of the negotiations with Smith in his purchase of the timber from Smith. There is no evidence going to show that Johnson consulted with defendant about buying the timber before seeing Smith in an effort to buy, but apparently conceived the idea himself after he had been laid off by defendant from operations under the contract which he previously had with defendant to cut logs from defendant’s own timber held by it in fee. Johnson owned his own logging outfit, and when his contract terminated he was without work. He set about to find employment and went apparently of his own volition to Mr. B. E. Smith to purchase timber, in all probability having in mind to cut the timber and sell it if he could get a market for same. Mr. Smith made him a stumpage price of $3 per thousand for his black gum and $4 for all other hardwood. Johnson then went to defendant, and whs offered, through Mr. King, manager for defendant company’s hardwood mill at Glen-mora, $12 per thousand feet for black gum logs and $14 for all other kinds, delivered on the company’s log road. Johnson then saw Smith, purchased the timber, and started his operations of cutting and delivering the logs as cut. Ivy Eaves was engaged as driver of one of his trucks and had been working about a week when the accident occurred. It was agreed between Johnson and Smith that the timber should be paid for as cut, and Smith required that the money should be deducted out of the money Johnson was to receive for the logs from defendant, and should be held at the company’s office for Smith when he called for it. Smith saw Mr. King and instructed that the money be so held. Other than this communication between Smith and King, no conversation or understandings are shown to have taken place between Smith, the [512]*512seller of tlie timber, and defendant the buyer of the logs from Johnson. This conversation was had after Smith had sold the timber to Johnson and formed no part of the negotiations had leading up to or at the time of the sale. Smith called - at the company’s office about once a month thereafter, and collected his money.

Mitchell Johnson testified that he bought the timber from Mr. Smith; that he was the owner of same and of the logs which he manufactured from it; had full control over same; could have sold them to any one he pleased, either as a whole or a part. He contracted to sell them to defendant for an agreed price payable at defendant’s office as delivered, which he had a right to do under his agreement with Smith from whom he had bought the timber.

Prom our examination of the testimony as a whole, we have reached the conclusion that we were in error in holding formerly that' Mitchell Johnson was an independent contractor under defendant, such as to entitle plaintiff to recover under the section of the act referred to, and we now conclude that Johnson was a bona fide purchaser of the timber from the B. E. Smith Lumber Company, and that he sold the logs which he manufactured from the timber to defendant. Smith testifies positively that he sold the timber to Johnson. King, who negotiated with Johnson for defendant company, testified that he bought the logs from Johnson, and Johnson, as previously stated, testified he bought the timber from Smith and sold the manufactured logs to defendant through King, its manager. This testimony is direct, positive, and not contradicted.

Plaintiff’s counsel urges that there are circumstances connected with the transaction which show to the contrary, one being that Johnson turned into defendant’s office his pay rolls and that his employees received their pay from Mr. Phillips, the company cashier. Another was that Mr. Smith’s stumpage price was also paid to him at defendant’s office as the logs were delivered.

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Bluebook (online)
139 So. 510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eaves-v-hillyer-edwards-fuller-inc-lactapp-1932.