Hildebrand v. McDowell Furniture Co.

212 N.C. 100
CourtSupreme Court of North Carolina
DecidedOctober 13, 1937
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 212 N.C. 100 (Hildebrand v. McDowell Furniture Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hildebrand v. McDowell Furniture Co., 212 N.C. 100 (N.C. 1937).

Opinion

OlabksoN, J.

Tbe question involved: Is there any sufficient competent evidence to support tbe finding of tbe Industrial Commission that tbe death of claimant’s deceased, Wesley Williams, was caused by accident arising out of and in tbe course of bis employment? We think not.

In Conrad v. Foundry Co., 198 N. C., 723, it is written (at p. 725) : “Tbe Workmen’s Compensation Law prescribes conditions under which an employee may receive compensation for personal injury. Section 2 (f) declares that ‘injury and personal injury shall mean only injury by accident arising out of and in tbe course of tbe employment, and shall not include a disease in any form, except when it results naturally and unavoidably from accident.’ Tbe condition antecedent to compensation is tbe occurrence of an (1) injury by accident (2) arising out of and (3) in tbe course of tbe employment. . . . (p. 727) : An accident arising ‘in tbe course of’ tbe employment is one which occurs while ‘the employee is doing what a man so employed may reasonably do within a time during which be is employed and at a place where be may reasonably be during that time to do that thing;’ or one which ‘occurs in the course of the employment and as the result. of a risk involved in the employment, or incident to it, or to conditions under which it is required to be performed.’ Bryant v. Fissell, 84 N. J. L., 72, Anno. Cas., 1918 B, 764; Marchiatello v. Lynch Realty Company, 94 Conn., 260, 108 Atl., 799. One of the risks involved in the employment is the liability of injury inflicted by fellow servants. Anderson v. Security Bldg. Co., supra (40 A. L. R., 1119). So it has been stated as a general proposition that the phrase ‘out of and in the course of the employment’ embraces only those accidents which happen to a servant while he is engaged in the discharge of some function or duty which he is authorized to undertake and which is calculated to further, directly or indirectly, the master’s business. Annotation' — -Workmen’s Compensation, 1916 A, 41; Darleth v. Roach & Seeber Co., 36 A. L. R., 472.” The principles set forth in the above case have been approved by this Court in numerous decisions. „

It is said in Bellamy v. Mfg. Co., 200 N. C., 676 (678) : (Under the Workmen’s Compensation Act) “It is the well settled rule of practice in this jurisdiction, in eases of nonsuit and cases of this kind, that the evidence which makes for the plaintiff’s claim and which tends to support her cause of action, whether offered by the plaintiff or elicited from the defendant’s witnesses, will be taken and considered in its most favorable light for the plaintiff, and she is entitled to the benefit of every reasonable intendment upon the evidence, and every reasonable inference to be draivn therefrom.”

[110]*110In Southern v. Cotton Mills Co., 200 N. C., 165 (169), we find: “In Johnson v. Hosiery Co., 199 N. C., at p. 40, it is said: ‘See. 2 (b) undertakes to define tbe word employment and specifically excludes from the operation of the act “persons whose employment is both casual and not in the course of the trade, business, profession, or occupation of his employer,” etc. . . . It is further provided in section 60 that the award of the Commission “shall be conclusive and binding as to all questions of fact.” However, errors of law are reviewable. It is generally held by the courts that the various compensation acts of the Union should be liberally construed to the end that the benefits thereof should not be denied upon technical, narrow, and strict interpretation.’ Rice v. Panel Co., 199 N. C., at p. 157.”

In Dependents of Poole v. Sigmon, 202 N. C., 172 (173), we find: “The findings of fact made by the North Carolina Industrial Commission, in a proceeding pending before the said Commission, are conclusive, on an appeal from said Commission to the Superior Court, only when there was evidence before the Commission tending to show that the facts are as found by the Commission. Otherwise, the findings are not conclusive, and the Superior Court, on an appeal from the award of the Commission, has jurisdiction to review all the evidence for the purpose of determining whether as a matter of law there was any evidence tending to support the finding by the Commission. West v. Fertilizer Co., 201 N. C., 556.”

The following question and answer were excepted to and assigned as error: “I know that Bolick was with the company. I saw the men in the McDowell space Sunday morning somewhere around 10 or 11 o’clock. I saw Mr. Bolick. I think it was around 11 o’clock when he left the building. Q. I believe, Mr. Casey, that these gentlemen from the McDowell Furniture Company had you to employ a couple of men to assist them there, is that so? Objection; overruled; exception. Ans.: Yes, sir, his representatives. Mr. Bolick asked for men and they were sent to the space.” This objection was assigned as error on appeal and overruled. We think this evidence incompetent, and it should have been excluded.

It is said in Hunsucker v. Corbitt; 187 N. C., 496 (503), citing a wealth of authorities: “ ‘Admissions by agents, made while doing acts within the scope of the agency, and relating to the business in hand, are admissible against the principal when such admissions may be deemed a part of the res gestos, but such admissions are not admissible to prove the agency; the agency must be shown aliunde before the agent’s admissions will be received.’ Lockhart’s Handbook on Evidence, sec. 154.” Jackson v. Tel. Co., 139 N. C., 347 (351).

[111]*111Of course the answer exculpated all but Bolick, so the matter became immaterial. Much of the evidence objected to by defendant and for which assignments of error are made, we think not germane and immaterial.

On the whole evidence, we do not think that the death of Wesley Williams was such as set forth in the statute “arising out of and in the course of the employment.”

In Smith v. Sink, 211 N. C., 725 (727), Stacy, C. J., speaking to the subject for the Court, says: “When all the evidence, taken in its most favorable light for the plaintiff, fails to show any actionable negligence on the part of the defendant (citing numerous authorities). £It all comes to this, that there must be legal evidence of the fact in issue and not merely such as raises a suspicion or conjecture in regard to it.’ Walker, J., in S. v. Prince, 182 N. C., 788.”

In Ridout v. Rose’s Stores, Inc., 205 N. C., 423 (425), it is said: “It is obvious that from Saturday night until Monday morning the relation of employer and employee was suspended, and that there was no causal relation between the employment and the accident. Canter v. Board of Education, 201 N. C., 836; Dependents of Phifer v. Dairy, 200 N. C., 65. It follows that the death of the employees did not arise out of and in the course of their employment.”

In Jones v. Trust Co., 206 N. C., 214 (219), we find: “The facts found by the hearing Commissioner and approved by the Full Commission: ‘The plaintiff, on 29 October, 1931, while regularly employed by the defendant Planters National Bank and Trust Company, sustained an injury by accident as a result of an automobile wreck which occurred while he was en route to attend a meeting of the cotton committee for the purpose of procuring financial information for the use of the bank. The accident arose out of and in the course of the plaintiff’s employment.’ . . . (p.

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212 N.C. 100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hildebrand-v-mcdowell-furniture-co-nc-1937.