Kepler v. Transamerica Insurance Co.

430 S.W.2d 539, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2177
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 26, 1968
DocketNo. 14677
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 430 S.W.2d 539 (Kepler v. Transamerica Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kepler v. Transamerica Insurance Co., 430 S.W.2d 539, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2177 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

KLINGEMAN, Justice.

This is an appeal from a summary judgment rendered against George W. Kepler, appellant, in favor of Transamerica Insurance Company, appellee, in a workmen’s compensation case, which judgment recites that the court having considered Trans-america’s motion for summary judgment and Kepler’s motion for dismissal of such motion, the affidavits in connection therewith, the pleadings on file in said cause, and the deposition of George W. Kepler, finds that there is an absence of a genuine issue of any material fact and that judgment as a matter of law should be rendered on behalf of Transamerica Insurance Company, and decrees that Kepler take nothing of Transamerica. Appellant sued both Transamerica Insurance Company and Havana Materials, Inc., in said cause, but the trial court, prior to the entry of the judgment herein complained of, granted a summary judgment in favor of Havana Materials, Inc., from which no appeal is prosecuted.

George W. Kepler and his son, Clint Kepler, operated a partnership known as Kepler & Kepler, which was engaged in the business of hauling road materials to build and maintain roads and highways. They owned several trucks which were used to haul road materials, and a Ford pick-up which was sometimes used to haul necessary equipment to keep the trucks running. Kepler & Kepler had, over a period of years, furnished such trucks, with drivers, to various road contractors in connection with road construction work, and had done work for Havana Materials, Inc., on several occasions. They had agreed to furnish their trucks and drivers to Havana Materials, Inc., in connection with a road construction project near Mission, Texas, which work was scheduled to begin on Monday, June 29, 1964.

Kepler & Kepler were paid by Havana on a basis of the amount of load hauled, either by the yard or the ton. Kepler & Kepler hired their own drivers and such drivers were paid $1.25 per hour for their work, including driving done by either of the partners. By an agreement with Havana, checks to such drivers were issued by Havana Materials, Inc., on the basis of time slips furnished to Havana by Kepler & Kepler, and the amount paid such drivers was deducted from the total amount due Kepler & Kepler for road materials hauled. Such drivers were listed on the employee rolls of Havana, which, according to Havana’s president, was required by the State on road projects. It was the responsibility of Kepler & Kepler to maintain and repair their own trucks and they were supposed to keep them in good condition. Appellant was listed as a truck driver and did some work driving trucks, but his chief job was to maintain and repair the trucks. Appellant testified that he did not turn in time for his work in maintaining and repairing such trucks. Appellant had purchased a house trailer in Dallas, Texas, in 1964, which had been used by appellant and his wife as a place to live since that time. One of the bedrooms of such house trailer was used as a storage place for tools and parts for the trucks, and also as an office for the business records of Kepler & Kepler. The title of such trailer was in the name of appellant and his wife, although appellant contends that it was part of the part[541]*541nership equipment of Kepler & Kepler. Shortly prior to the beginning- of the job at Mission, Kepler & Kepler had worked on another job for Havana at New Braun-fels, Texas, and appellant stated that they were told by Havana to have their equipment ready for the Mission job by Monday, June 29th, and that they could leave such equipment in Mission. The trucks were moved from New Braunfels to Mission. The house trailer was located at Big Wells, Texas, where it had been for several months. On Saturday, June 27, 1964, appellant and Clint Kepler started from Mission towards Big Wells to pick up the house trailer and take it to Mission, using a truck owned by Kepler & Kepler. Appellant drove part of the time and his son drove part of the time. While traveling on a road near Cotulla, Texas, and while the truck was being driven by Clint Kepler, an accident occurred in which appellant received serious injuries. Appellant testified that he was not told by Havana to go to Big Wells to pick up such trailer and, so far as he knew, Havana knew nothing about it. Appellant testified however, that Clint Kepler turned in time for that portion of the time appellant drove on the way to Big Wells and that a check in the amount of $54.00 which included such driving time, was issued to appellant by Havana.

Even if such check was issued by Havana, it was paid for out of funds of Kepler & Kepler and not of Havana. In any event, it has been held that the mere gratuitous furnishing of transportation by the employer to the employee as an accommodation, and not as an integral part of the contract of employment, does not bring the employee, when injured in the course of traveling on streets and highways within the protection of the Workmen’s Compensation Act. American General Ins. Co. v. Coleman, 157 Tex. 377, 303 S.W.2d 370 (1957); Oefinger v. Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n, 243 S.W.2d 469 (Tex.Civ.App.—Fort Worth 1951, writ ref’d). Appellant testified that the tools and parts stored in the trailer were used in repairing the partnership trucks and were necessary to keep the trucks properly repaired and maintained. However, on the New Braunfels job the trailer was located in Big Wells and the pick-up was used to store the tools.

Appellant presents two points of error: (1) The sole issue for consideration in this appeal is whether or not there exists a genuine issue as to appellant’s having been acting within the course of his employment for Havana Materials, Inc., at the time he suffered these injuries made the basis of his complaint against appellee. Appellant’s position being that such an issue does in fact exist and that the court below had no evidence upon which to base its contrary ruling. (2) That the lower court possessed insufficient evidence upon which to base the summary judgment rendered against appellant.

In our opinion, appellant is precluded from recovery under the holdings of our Supreme Court in Texas General Indemnity Co. v. Bottom, 365 S.W.2d 350 (1963), and Agricultural Ins. Co. v. Dryden, 398 S.W.2d 745 (1965). The Bottom case is strikingly similar to the case before us. In the Bottom case the deceased employee for whom death benefits were claimed under the workmen’s compensation act, was employed as a truck driver by Safety Convoy Company which was engaged in delivering automobiles from the Ford assembly plant in Dallas to various points in Texas. Bottom owned the truck in which he was fatally injured and leased it to Safety. As compensation Bottom received sixty-five per cent of the gross freight billings which the truck hauled less driver’s pay. The deduction for driver’s pay was the same whether the truck was operated by the owner or by another employee. It was the responsibility of the truck owner to keep such truck repaired and maintained in a first-class operating condition. The driver was paid on a loaded mile basis. Bottom and his wife lived in Hillsboro, Texas, and he had bought the [542]*542truck in Hillsboro. It was his usual custom to have the truck repaired and serviced in Hillsboro.

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Bluebook (online)
430 S.W.2d 539, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kepler-v-transamerica-insurance-co-texapp-1968.