Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance v. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.

72 N.E.2d 388, 47 Ohio Law. Abs. 344, 1946 Ohio App. LEXIS 693
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 30, 1946
DocketNo. 20436
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 72 N.E.2d 388 (Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance v. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance v. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., 72 N.E.2d 388, 47 Ohio Law. Abs. 344, 1946 Ohio App. LEXIS 693 (Ohio Ct. App. 1946).

Opinion

OPINION

By MORGAN, J.

The only question presented on this appeal is, — Did the Common Pleas Court err in granting defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings and in entering judgment for the defendant?

The petition states that The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation is the owner of the Edgar Thompson plant at North Braddock, Pa., and that in 1938 it was enlarging its plant. The plaintiff was an insurer of the steel corporation against any claims for damages to person or property occurring during the execution of this work. On June 21, 1938, one Earnest Henzi, an employee of one of the sub-contractors fell into a [346]*346sump pit in the basement of the building then under construction and sustained serious and permanent injuries. The sump pit was “then and there left unlighted and unguarded by employees of sub-contractors of The Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company” the defendant herein.

Henzi brought an action to recover his damages against The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation in the United States District Court of Western Pennsylvania, alleging that his injuries were proximately caused by the negligence of the steel corporation in the following respects:

“1. The said open sump pit was negligently left unguarded and without a guard rail.
2. The said sump pit was negligently unlighted and there were no lights on the pit. The lights in the east end of the motor room basement were out.
3. There was no warning of any kind of the presence of the open pit aforesaid.”

Thereafter, Henzi recovered a judgment against the defendant steel corporation in the said action for $6824.00 and court costs. Demand was made on The Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Company, the plaintiff in this action, to pay the judgment and it “to comply with its contract then and there in full force and effect paid the judgment with interest and costs. That the said judgment should rightfully have been paid by the defendant, The Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company” and that by the payment of the judgment the plaintiff thereby became subrogated to all of the rights of The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation.

That the defendant, The Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, on November 18, 1937, entered into a contract with The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation for the completion of the installation of electric lights, fans, electric power and machinery in the machinery room of the basement, where the said sump pit was located, and where Henzi received his injuries, and generally to furnish all of the electrical equipment required in the construction, for a contract price exceeding $1,400,000.00.

That said contract further provided:

“That the said Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company would save the said Carnegie-Illinois. Steel Corporation harmless from and against all claims, demands or suits [347]*347which may be brought against the said Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation on account of any claim made under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania for injury to or death of any of the employees of the contractor and of the sub-contractors, if any.”
“The contractor shall also be responsible for all accidents and damages to persons or property directly or indirectly due to the erection of such equipment * * * .”
“The contractor shall hold the purchaser harmless from and against all claims, demands or suits which may be brought or made against the purchaser on account of any claim made under any of the terms or provisions of the laws of said State for injury to or death of any of the employees of the contractor, and of the sub-contractors of the contractor, if any.”

That “the defendant and its sub-contractors were guilty of committing all of the acts of negligence originally charged to the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation.”

That The Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., in the performance of its contract sublet the work of installing electric lights, switch boards, fans, motors and all heavy electric power machines in the motor room of the said basement where the said Ernest Henzi was injured, to. The Dingle-Clark Company and that the latter company employed The W. H. Pay Moving Company to unload and move in place certain heavy machinery specified in the contract.

The petition further alleges that on the day previous to the injury to Henzi, the defendant, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, and its sub-contractors “carelessly and negligently dismantled and removed the guard rail from around said sump pit which the said Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation had caused to be erected thereon for- the safety of employees and others about the plant * * * and said defendant and its sub-contractors failed to replace the barricade over the sump pit and carelessly and negligently failed, after removing the barricade, to place a light in, over or about said sump pit as a warning.”

“That on November i, 1939, the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation notified Westinghouse about the filing of the action against it in the United States District Court and called upon Westinghouse under the ‘save harmless’ provisions of said contract, to defend the suit, but that Westinghouse failed, neglected and refused to save The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation harmless as it had agreed to do. * * * that The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation performed all under its contract to be performed and was in no way guilty of the acts of negligence [348]*348resulting in injury to Ernest Henzi and prays judgment against defendant in the sum of $7142.30 and costs.”

To this petition the defendant Westinghouse filed its answer as follows:

After admitting certain formal allegations the defendant admitted the injury sustained by Henzi, the action brought by him against The Carnegie-illinois Steel Corporation to recover his damages; admitted that Henzi’s petition contained the allegations of negligence as set forth in the petition in the instant case and in addition the following:
“7. The fall of the plaintiff * ® » was caused solely through the negligence of the defendant, Carnegie-illinois Steel Corporation, its servants, agents and employees.”

That on December 7, 1939, Henzi recovered a judgment in the sum of $6824.00 against The Carnegie-illinois Steel Corporation, which the plaintiff later paid.

That on or about November 18, 1937, defendant entered into a contract with The Carnegie-illinois Steel Corporation as alleged in the petition. Then follows a general denial.

By way of a second defense the defendant again sets forth the injuries sustained by Henzi and the action brought by him in the United States District Court for Western Pennsylvania against The Carnegie-illinois Steel Corporation to recover his damages.

The second defense then sets forth that “on December 7, 1939, a jury was sworn therein and returned a general verdict by agreement of the parties and of The Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Company in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant in the sum of $6824.00. That thereafter the judgment was paid by the plaintiff in the instant case and satisfied of record.”

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72 N.E.2d 388, 47 Ohio Law. Abs. 344, 1946 Ohio App. LEXIS 693, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/massachusetts-bonding-insurance-v-westinghouse-electric-manufacturing-ohioctapp-1946.