Faul v. Trahan

718 So. 2d 1081, 1998 WL 690830
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 7, 1998
Docket98-488
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 718 So. 2d 1081 (Faul v. Trahan) 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
Faul v. Trahan, 718 So. 2d 1081, 1998 WL 690830 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

718 So.2d 1081 (1998)

Demetrius A. FAUL, Individually, and as Administrator and Natural Tutor of his minor child, Colbi Nicole Faul, and Michelle H. Faul, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
Andrew TRAHAN, et al., Defendant-Appellee.

No. 98-488.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

October 7, 1998.

*1082 T. Robert Shelton, Thomas H. Morrow, Lafayette, for Plaintiff-Appellant Demitrius A. Faul, et al.

Leslie J. Schiff, Opelousas, for Defendant-Appellee Andrew Trahan, et al.

Before DOUCET, C.J., and GREMILLION and PICKETT, JJ.

DOUCET, Chief Judge.

The Appellants, Demetrius Faul, his wife and child, appeal the trial court's dismissal of their claims in this personal injury suit.

Faul alleges that he sustained injuries when a horse, Passem All, "flipped" onto him as he was about to begin exercising it. The matter was tried by a judge. After hearing the evidence, the trial judge rendered judgment in favor of the Defendants, finding in written reasons that:

1.) La.R.S. 9:2795.1, the Equine Immunity Statute, is constitutional and applies.

2.) Faul was an employee of Louisiana Stallions Inc., a division of Franks Farms, Inc. (Franks Farms).

3.) None of the Defendants was guilty of wilful or wanton negligence so as to establish liability under La.R.S. 9:2795.1.

4.) Faul was not injured as the result of an intentional tort which would constitute an exception to the exclusive remedy rule of the Louisiana Workers' Compensation statute.

The Plaintiffs appeal.

IS WORKERS' COMPENSATION FAUL'S EXCLUSIVE REMEDY?

1.) Was Faul an independent contractor?

Faul argues that the trial court erred in finding that he was an employee of Franks Farms. Faul asserts that he was an independent contractor, and thus excluded from the coverage of the workers' compensation law. We find no need to decide whether or not Faul is an independent contractor. Even if he is, he falls under the provisions of La.R.S. 23:1021(6), which states that:

As used in this Chapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following terms shall be given the meaning ascribed to them in this Section:
....
(6) "Independent contractor" means any person who renders service, other than manual labor, for a specified recompense for a specified result either as a unit or as a whole, under the control of his principal as to results of his work only, and not as to the means by which such result is accomplished, and are expressly excluded from the provisions of this Chapter unless a substantial part of the work time of an independent contractor is spent in manual labor by him in carrying out the terms of the contract, in which case the independent contractor is expressly covered by the provisions of this Chapter.

The Louisiana Supreme Court in Lushute v. Diesi, 354 So.2d 179 (La.1977), found that under La.R.S. 23:1021(6), an independent contractor's exclusive remedy is nonetheless in workers' compensation where a substantial part of his work time is spent in manual labor carrying out his contract with the principal and the work he performs is part of the trade, business or occupation of the principal.

In this case, the evidence supports the conclusion that a substantial part of Faul's work time was spent in manual labor. Faul himself testified that he was hired to feed, water and groom horses. Briley also testified that these tasks constituted the majority of Faul's job. The evidence supports the *1083 conclusion that the work he performed is part of the trade, business or occupation of Frank Farms. Accordingly, even if Faul was an independent contractor, his remedy, in this case, is in workers' compensation.

2.) Has Faul shown that Franks Farms committed an intentional tort?

Faul further argues that even if he is found to be subject to the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Law, the acts or omissions of Franks Farms constitute an intentional tort, thus allowing him to claim tort damages pursuant to the intentional tort exception to the exclusive remedy rule of the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Statute.

The use of the intentional tort exception to the exclusive remedy rule of the workers' compensation law is well settled:

In White v. Monsanto Co., 585 So.2d 1205, 1208 (La.1991), the court set forth the law concerning "intentional acts" in the workers' compensation context, as follows:
LSA-R.S. 23:1032 makes worker's compensation an employee's exclusive remedy for a work-related injury caused by a coemployee, except for a suit based on an intentional act. The words "intentional act" mean the same as "intentional tort." The legislative aim was to make use of the well-established division between intentional torts and negligence in common law. The meaning of intent is that the person who acts either (1) consciously desires the physical result of his act, whatever the likelihood of that result happening from his conduct; or (2) knows that that result is substantially certain to follow from his conduct, whatever his desire may be as to that result. Thus, intent has reference to the consequences of an act rather than to the act itself. Only where the actor entertained a desire to bring about the consequences that followed or where the actor believed that the result was substantially certain to follow has an act been characterized as intentional. Bazley v. Tortorich, 397 So.2d 475 (La.1981).
We further note that the "substantially certain" language has reference to what a reasonable man in a defendant's position would believe. W. Prosser, Law of Torts, § 8 (4th ed. 1971).

Guarino v. Kaiser Aluminum & Chem, 97-926, p. 5 (La.App. 5 Cir. 5/13/98); 712 So.2d 989, 991. See also Callaway v. Anco Insulation, Inc., 98-0397 (La.App. 4 Cir. 3/25/98), 714 So.2d 730; Miller v. Couvillion, 96-136 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/5/96); 676 So.2d 668; writ denied, 96-1781 (La. 10/11/96); 680 So.2d 641.

To recover against his employer under the intentional tort exception to the exclusive remedy rule of the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Statute, Faul had to show that Franks Farms, through its representatives, desired the physical result of its acts or omissions or that it knew that the result was substantially certain to follow. The trial court's determination in this regard is factual in nature and, therefore, should not be disturbed in the absence of manifest error. See Taylor v. Metropolitan Erection Co., 496 So.2d 1184 (La.App. 5 Cir.), writ denied, 497 So.2d 1388 (La.1986).

Lonnie Briley was the manager of the Opelousas location of Franks Farms. Faul argues that the trial testimony shows that Briley knew that Passem All was a dangerous horse and he should have warned potential riders about its tendencies. However, we find a substantial conflict in the testimony with regard to what Briley knew about the characteristics of Passem All, as well as with regard to other facts surrounding the accident.

Briley testified that the main business of the Opelousas facility is breeding and training its own horses. In addition, they rent stalls to parties needing to stable horses. The stalls were leased at a rate of $2.00 per day. The fee provided only stall rental and no additional services. Briley stated that his wife, who acted as office manger for the facility, took the stall rental. There were no formal requirements for stall rental until after Faul's accident. No investigation was made as to the qualifications of those renting stalls.

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718 So. 2d 1081, 1998 WL 690830, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/faul-v-trahan-lactapp-1998.