McMinn v. C. Kern Brewing Co.

168 N.W. 542, 202 Mich. 414, 1918 Mich. LEXIS 504
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 18, 1918
DocketDocket No. 98
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 168 N.W. 542 (McMinn v. C. Kern Brewing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McMinn v. C. Kern Brewing Co., 168 N.W. 542, 202 Mich. 414, 1918 Mich. LEXIS 504 (Mich. 1918).

Opinion

Stone, J.

This case is here upon certiorari to the industrial accident board to review its order affirming the award of $10 per week for 300 weeks, made 'by the committee of arbitration to the claimant or plaintiff, as the widow of Wesley McMinn, deceased.

It is conceded that all parties were under the act. [416]*416The accident happened August 16, 1917, and resulted in the death of Mr. McMinn on the night of that day. On August 22, 1917, the respondents filed a report of the accident in which, among other things, it was stated that the occupation of the injured party was,

“Collector, solicitor and chauffeur. Department or branch of work. Collecting and soliciting. * * * How long so employed? Year and a half. * * * Date of accident. Aug. 16, 1917. Hour of accident. 8 p. m. * * * Wages or average earnings per day. $35 per week. Working hours per day. Different hours. Cause and manner of accident: Was driving a Ford touring car, struck a pile of brick and auto overturned. Nature and extent of injury. Death.”

After the claim was filed and on October 6,1917, the insurance company filed a denial of liability on the ground that there was no accident, and if there was one, it did not arise out of, nor in the course of, the deceased’s employment. Later, and on November 3, 1917, the insurance company advised the board in writing that it wished to deny liability upon the further ground, that the employee was guilty of wilful and intentional misconduct.

In their petition for the writ of certiorari the respondents allege errors in the findings and order of the board in the following particulars: .

“1. By holding, as matter of law, that Wesley McMinn, deceased, sustained an accident which arose out of and in the course of his employment by the C. Kern Brewing Company.
“2. By holding that there is any testimony in the • record to sustain a finding that Wesley McMinn, deceased, met his death in an accident which arose out of, and in the course of his employment by the C. Kern Brewing Company.
“3. By holding that the death of Wesley McMinn occurred while he was in the course of his employment by the C. Kern Brewing Company.
“4. By holding that the death of Wesley McMinn [417]*417arose out of his employment by the C. Kern Brewing Company.
“5. By holding that Wesley McMinn, deceased, was not injured by reason of his intentional and wilful misconduct.
“6. By holding that the accident which resulted in the death of Wesley McMinn was not due to the deceased’s wilful and intentional misconduct.
“7. By holding, as matter of law, that. Wesley McMinn, deceased, was not injured by reason of his intentional and wilful misconduct.
“8. By holding, as matter of law, that Gladys. E. McMinn is not prevented from recovering compensation from the defendants because Wesley McMinn was injured by reason of his intentional and wilful misconduct.”

We cannot better state the views and conclusions of the board, than to quote somewhat at length from its findings. They were in part as follows:

“The first question is: Did the accident arise out of and in the course of the employment of the deceased?
“As to that question, it appears that Mr. McMinn was in the employ of the respondent brewing company as a solicitor and collector. He had no stated hours of employment. He seems to have worked more ' or less every day, but he worked about when he pleased. He usually went to the office of the brewing company between eight and ten in the morning. He often worked evenings. His duties as solicitor and collector were to solicit business for the brewing company, to get purchasers for the brewing company’s beer, to sell all the beer he could, and to collect the money owing to the brewing company. It appears very clearly that in the solicitation of customers and in the placing of the product the respondent employer permitted Mr. McMinn to entertain prospective customers and to spend money in their places by way of treating persons present, etc. He often met the persons he was to do business with in the evening. It seems that he looked up prospective customers wher[418]*418ever he could find them, and he was also advised regarding any such prospective customers by the manager of the brewing company by telephone or otherwise.
“It appears that prior to August 16, 1917, the deceased met Mr. Marvin J. Perrigo, proprietor of the Riverview Hotel, which hotel was located at Ecorse. Mr. McMinn and Mr. Perrigo discussed the proposition of Mr. Perrigo beginning the purchase of beer from the respondent employer, but no definite agreement was reached. It appears that on August 16, 1917, a ball game was arranged for hear Ecorse by the members of some sort of a social organization at or near that place. Mr. McMinn and Mr. Perrigo both attended and took part in the ball game. Mr. Perrigo testified that he' spoke to Mr. McMinn at that time about purchasing beer from the respondent employer. He said:
“ ‘And on the day of this ball game we were talking about it, in fact I spoke to him about it, and he said, “Well, after the game” — this was before the game started — and he said “after the game, I think some of the boys and myself will be down for dinner.” And he says, “I will talk to you then about it.” ’
“At about eight o’clock that evening, Mr. McMinn left the ball grounds to go to Mr. Perrigo’s for the dinner, and to talk about Mr. Perrigo beginning the us© of the respondent employer’s beer. Mr. McMinn was driving an automobile belonging to the respondent brewing company. The machine was furnished him by his employer, and was kept in a garage at the home of Mr. McMinn. It appears that the work Mr. McMinn was doing required him to use the automobile, and the employer furnished it and permitted him to use it about as he saw fit. The nature of the work of the employee appears to have been such that he was left largely to his own judgment and devices as to how he did his work and when he did it, but he was -required to produce results and he evidently did produce them.
“It seems clear that his chief purpose in going to the Perrigo hotel was for the purpose of doing business for his employer with Mr. Perrigo. He seems to have been active and alert in the interests of his employer, and it does not appear to the board that [419]*419the fact that he took some friends with him to dinner at Perrigo’s is of any importance. It is quite possible that he believed that the taking of the friends to the dinner at the Perrigo hotel and the entertainment of them there might aid him in securing the business of Mr. Perrigo. He was, in oiir judgment, driving his employer’s automobile on his employer’s business at the time he met with the accident and was killed.
“When he got quite near to the Perrigo hotel he had occasion to drive past a point where the street upon which he was driving was torn up to some extent. There seems to have been some bricks piled in the street. The car evidently struck the bricks, tipped over and was badly damaged, and he was killed. He was not instantly killed, but died about six hours afterwards at the Ford hospital, to which he had been taken.

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Bluebook (online)
168 N.W. 542, 202 Mich. 414, 1918 Mich. LEXIS 504, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcminn-v-c-kern-brewing-co-mich-1918.