Hauth v. Iacoponelli

195 So. 2d 425, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5526
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 13, 1967
DocketNo. 2470
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 195 So. 2d 425 (Hauth v. Iacoponelli) 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
Hauth v. Iacoponelli, 195 So. 2d 425, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5526 (La. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

CHASEZ, Judge.

Louis J. Hauth, individually, and as administrator of the estate of the minor, Joseph Hauth, sued for damages for an injury which occurred to his son, Joseph Hauth. The lower Court awarded $826.00 to Louis J. Hauth and $10,000.00 for the injury to Joseph Hauth. The defendants, Schwegmann Bros. Giant Supermarket and its insurer, Highway Insurance Company, and Emile Iacoponelli and his insuror, Netherlands Insurance Company, were cast in judgment for these awards jointly and in solido. The defendants have appealed from the judgment.

The Hauth child received his injury from a coin-operated mechanical hobby horse such as is commonly seen at supermarkets, playgrounds and other places where children are likely to be found. The horse was located at the Schwegmann Bros. Supermarket on Veterans Highway, Jefferson Parish, and was owned by Emile Iacoponel-li. The Hauth family, consisting of the plaintiff, his wife, his son Joseph and two other children, aged and 4i/¿ years, had just completed their grocery shopping. Mr. Hauth took the oldest child and went into the shoe store of the Schwegmann complex. Mrs. Hauth waited a few feet away, near the horse, with the other two children and .the groceries. The 4j/¿ year-old wanted to ride the horse and the mother allowed him to do so. She and Joseph, who was the youngest at a little over three years, were standing close to the horse, and as the mother was watching her child ride, she heard Joseph scream. The boy had part of his right index finger and part of his thumb [427]*427crushed by placing his hand on the exposed shaft between the base and the horse. There was a sliding collar on the shaft which had come down to strike a protruding pin on the shaft, and the boy had placed his hand on the shaft between the collar and pin. Mr. Iacoponelli testified that the machine was defective in that the collar was not supposed to slide as far down as the pin. There was no protective shield or cover around the collar and shaft.

The defendants, Schwegmann Bros. Giant Supermarket and Highway Insurance Company, argue that, contrary to the trial Judge’s finding, the relationship of Schweg-mann Bros, and Mr. Iacoponelli was that of lease rather than joint venture. The record discloses that Mr. John Schwegmann, Jr., testified that he had an oral lease with Mr. Iacoponelli regarding this transaction; the testimony shows that Mr. John Schweg-mann, Jr. and Mr. Iacoponelli orally agreed that Iacoponelli was to place several mechanical devices for child amusement in the Supermarket for use during store hours; the gross revenues from these machines were to be divided between Schwegmann Bros, and Mr. Iacoponelli on the basis of 40% to the former and 60% to the latter.

Mr. Iacoponelli admits ownership of the machines and states that the licenses for their operation which had to be displayed at the store were procured in his name and for his account by Schwegmann Bros, but were purchased from the gross revenues produced by the operation of said machines before any payments were made to the principal parties; and though his evidence is somewhat vague, its tenor is that this was done by Schwegmann at his request.

Regarding the question of joint venture or lease, again Mr. Iacoponelli was vague in his evidence, but on cross examination did state:

“Q. And you went in there, and then on the basis of the rental he was to get forty per cent?
A. Right.
Q. And you were to keep the balance?
A. Sixty per cent.
Q. There was nothing else charged, any charges to you or to him or anything else, you maintained everything other than you went in on his lights, is that correct?
A. Pardon me, I didn’t understand you.
Q. Schwegmann never decided whether the horse needed to be painted, did he?
A. No sir.
Q. He would never decide the horse needed to be repaired, did he ?
A. Well, at times he would ask me.
Q. He would call you about it?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And ask you to do something about it?
A. That’s right.
O. But you were the one who would do it, or decide whether it should be done?
A. That’s right.
Q. You had the ultimate decision, Mr. Iacoponelli ?
A. That’s right.
Q. There were no other expenses that were charged that you had that were ever charged to Mr. Schwegmann for it?
A. Well, we paid our Federal license through the earnings of the kiddy rides jointly.
Q. Did you file a separate return for these horse operations?
A. I have.
Q. Did Mr. Schwegmann or anybody connected with Schwegmann’s Store [428]*428ever sign any kind of tax form with you for the operation?
A. Mr. Anthony Schwegmann used to send a money order to get the license.
Q. Did you ever file any returns with Schwegmann or anybody connected with Schwegmann? Did you ever file any kind of tax returns, state, city, federal yourself with Schweg-mann or anybody connected with Schwegmann for these horses?
A. When I made an income tax report I put on there Schwegmann Store No. 1, or whatever it was listed as.
Q. But you didn’t show it as a joint operation with Schwegmann, did you, that he was any partner of yours?
A. Well, I had placed it at his request. I had placed the kiddy ride in there.
Q. But when you filed returns with the various government bodies you never did put down in there that Schweg-mann or anybody connected with Schwegmann was a partner of yours in that operation, did you?
A. I don’t know just exactly how you word it.
Q. Did you ever ask anybody from Schwegmann to file a return with you involving these horses?
A. No, sir.
Q. You filed all of the returns, did you not, Mr. Iacoponelli?
A. I filed my own returns, that’s right.”

The electricity for the rides was provided by Schwegmann Bros, as part of the utility expense of running the store. All of the maintenance and repair work was done by Mr. Iacoponelli.

Mr. Iacoponelli and Schwegmann Bros, had mutually agreed where the machines were to be placed. On at least one occasion, personnel of Schwegmann Bros, had removed the machines without consulting Mr. Iacoponelli. Mr. Iacoponelli had the machines relocated to his satisfaction.

Mr. Iacoponelli testified that Mr. Schwegmann “begged” him to place the machines in the Schwegmann stores; this is emphatically denied by Mr. Schwegmann.

We do not believe the foregoing establishes a joint venture, but rather a lease. The only proven fact that suggests a joint venture is the percentage rate applied to the rental, instead of a stationary price.

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Related

Hauth v. Iacoponelli
204 So. 2d 767 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 So. 2d 425, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5526, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hauth-v-iacoponelli-lactapp-1967.