McWilliams v. Snap-Pac Corporation

476 S.W.2d 941
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 10, 1972
Docket15748
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 476 S.W.2d 941 (McWilliams v. Snap-Pac Corporation) 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
McWilliams v. Snap-Pac Corporation, 476 S.W.2d 941 (Tex. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinions

BELL, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment rendered against appellant McWilliams as plaintiff when appellee’s motion to withdraw the case from the jury and render judgment for appellee was sustained at the conclusion of McWilliams’ evidence. Also as appellants are Robertson Tank Lines, herein called Robertson, and Transport Insurance Company, herein called Transport. Transport and Robertson, through the same counsel, filed a pleading denominated “Intervention”. Transport sought recovery, by way of subrogation, of the amount it had paid McWilliams in workmen’s compensation benefits. Robertson sought to recover for damages caused to its tank truck. The court held Robertson’s cause not properly before the court as it was a separate cause of action; that no service had been obtained on appellee, and that ap-pellee had not entered its appearance as to Robertson’s cause.

McWilliams sued appellant for damages resulting to him when he was unloading some hydrocarbon substance from Robert[943]*943son’s tank truck into a storage tank of ap-pellee located on an oil and gas field operated by appellee which was located near a place in south Texas named Yancy. While the substance was being pumped a fire occurred resulting in burns to McWilliams and damage to the truck. The incident occurred April 23, 1964.

McWilliams sought recovery on the grounds that the substance that he was unloading was highly volatile, which he did not know, and he was never warned of the fact. Further, he asserted appellee breached its duty to furnish safe unloading equipment and facilities.

Appellee originally filed an answer con-' sisting of a general denial and pleas of contributory negligence and unavoidable accident. By trial amendment, filed at the conclusion of McWilliams’ evidence, appel-lee plead McWilliams voluntarily exposed himself to a risk known to him or that he was charged with knowledge, open and obvious danger, and further there was no duty on appellee to warn McWilliams because of his own knowledge of the danger or that his employer had knowledge and this was imputable to McWilliams.

Robertson is a large transportation company hauling all types of cargo including petroleum products. At all times material to this case a Mr. Elias was Assistant Terminal Manager and as such was in charge of all operations in the area with which we are concerned. Corpus Christi was its headquarters for the area. He would receive orders for products to be transported and dispatch trucks to transport the products.

Beginning in February 1964 Robertson had been transporting to appellee’s oil and gas fields near Yancy a product referred to at places in the record as “Residue B-5”. In other places it is referred to as B. S. and W., meaning bottom scum (or sediment) and water. This meant it was a substance taken from the bottom, of tanks. The designation “B-5 Residue” was an internal company designation by Celanese that conveyed no meaning to the ordinary person.

When sometime in February 1964 the first order for delivery was called in by Celanese it was received by Mr. Elias. He did not know what B-5 Residue meant. He called Celanese and made inquiry about the nature of the substance so he could determine if any special equipment was needed. The only equipment specially needed was a pressure type vehicle. The Celanese representative made the remark, “It would be just like handling gasoline”.

After the first delivery was made in February until the time of the injury to McWilliams, there were several other deliveries made by drivers other than Mc-Williams. Sometime during this intervening period Elias received reports from other drivers that “There were a lot of fumes in the air, and there were some pumping problems. They needed a better way of getting the stuff off of the trailers.” This information came from the drivers who made the first two deliveries, the drivers being Talley and Carroll.

After receiving the complaints, Elias called the Snap-Pac operating lease office at Hondo and Yancy and asked for Mr. Duncan. He understood that Duncan was “field foreman”. The bills of lading issued by Celanese and delivered to Robertson’s drivers on March 12, showed consignment to “Snap-Pac Corporation, c/o Rudolph Duncan, Gray Wilson Unit, 5 miles North of Yancy, Texas. In Case Driver Is Unable to Locate He Is to Call Yancy, Texas, Mr. Duncan 5672271, Or Unable to Locate Can Call Hondo, Texas. Plant Phone 6-3558.” The quoted information was also on the bill of lading of March 14. The bill of lading of April 17 showed consignment to “Snap-Pac Corporation, c/o Rudolph Duncan, Sharpe Lease, 4 Miles North of Yancy, Texas on Farm Road 462.” The one of April 20 gave the same information as that of April 17, as did the one of April 22. It was under the April 22 bill of lading that McWilliams made delivery. All [944]*944bills of lading in evidence show “Tank Truck Mixed Petroleum Hydro-Carbons (Residue B-5).” Mr. Elias testified that he also obtained information on how to contact the Snap-Pac lease by talking with someone at Celanese.

We here note that appellee objected to the testimony of any conversation allegedly had between Elias and Duncan who was allegedly the agent of Snap-Pac. The ground of the objection was that it was hearsay. The court, after first excluding it, later admitted it.

Elias testified that after the complaints from Talley and Carroll he called for Duncan at Hondo. When someone answered the telephone, Elias started relating the problem to him. The person talking to him stated, “You need to talk to Duncan; he is the field supervisor.” Duncan was not there so Elias called the number at Yancy that was given on the bill of lading. Someone answered and Elias asked for Duncan. Another person came to the telephone and said, “This is Duncan.” Elias identified himself and told Duncan about the problem of fumes that were there because of the receiving tank being uncovered, and asked Duncan to get a lid for the tank. Duncan told Elias that “he would take care of the thing.”

A Mr. Baker, former attorney for Mc-Williams, testified that in January 1965 he went to the lease to investigate the explosion. There he met a Mr. Duncan, who with others identified themselves as Snap-Pac employees.

The' evidence further shows that all shipments were received and paid for by Snap-Pac.

Appellee urges there was no admissible evidence showing it had any knowledge of the dangerous conditions, but that evidence does show that Robertson had superior knowledge as did McWilliams. It asserts it had no duty to warn because of this, and the dangerous condition was open and obvious and that McWilliams voluntarily assumed the risk. The evidence is material on these issues and on contributory negligence.

The basic rule is that to bind a corporation with an admission made by an alleged agent, or a promise made by him or by information imparted to him, such person must be shown to be the agent and acting within the scope of his authority. This proof may be supplied by circumstantial evidence.

We are of the view that the evidence recited above makes a prima facie case of agency and scope of authority on the part of Duncan. Celanese consigned the materials to Snap-Pac in care of Duncan on several occasions prior to the date of the fire. The materials were received and paid for by Snap-Pac. The bills of lading showed that if Robertson’s drivers had trouble locating the lease Duncan should be called. The telephone numbers where he could be reached were given. Elias called those numbers. He asked for Duncan.

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Bluebook (online)
476 S.W.2d 941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcwilliams-v-snap-pac-corporation-texapp-1972.