Selid Construction Co. v. Guarantee Insurance Co.

355 P.2d 389, 1960 Alas. LEXIS 53
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 8, 1960
Docket27
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 355 P.2d 389 (Selid Construction Co. v. Guarantee Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Selid Construction Co. v. Guarantee Insurance Co., 355 P.2d 389, 1960 Alas. LEXIS 53 (Ala. 1960).

Opinion

NESBETT, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from an order and judgment of the District Court for the Territory of Alaska at Fairbanks, which set aside certain findings of the Alaska Industrial Board and ordered the entry of findings that appellant was the employer of claimant, Paul B. McCracken, at the time of his injury rather than Anchorage Pavers, Inc., as had been found by the Board. The action of the District Court was based on its conclusion that the findings of the Board as to the identity of claimant’s employer and its conclusions of law based on the undisputed facts were erroneous.

The main question to be resolved here is whether the facts found by the Board were supported by the evidence and whether they had the legal effect of terminating an existing employer-employee relationship between claimant and Selid Construction Co., Inc. and creating such a relationship with Anchorage Pavers, Inc. for compensation purposes.

This court is of the opinion that the undisputed facts before the Board do not support its findings, that its conclusions of law were erroneous and that the District Court was correct in its order.

Claimant was hired by Selid Construction Co., Inc. in July of 1955 as an oiler and was carried on that corporation’s payroll through September 17, 1955. On September 17, 1955, claimant was advised by Selid Construction’s foreman that he was to report for work on the hot plant at Anchorage Pavers, Inc. for a week or ten days, after which time he would return to work on the rock crusher for Selid Construction. One Ove Selid was the sole shareholder in and president of both corporations, which were operating in the area of Fairbanks, Alaska. Approximately 30 days prior to September 17, 1955, Selid Construction had leased the hot plant also commonly know as the batch plant to Anchorage Pavers. Claimant had, on two previous occasions, been sent by Selid Construction to oil the batch plant machinery and had been paid by Selid- Construction for the work performed. When claimant was advised by his foreman that he was to work on the batch plant for a temporary period, his understanding was not that he was being transferred to Anchorage Pavers’ payroll. Nothing was mentioned on this subject. He was told that he was relieving an absent employee temporarily and that he would soon be back on the rock crusher with Sélid Construction. Claimant testified that he did not agree to a transfer to Anchorage Pavers’ payroll, that he would not *391 have agreed to such a transfer as he had asthma and the work on the hot asphalt plant was undesirable for that reason. He also testified that he had no knowledge that he would ever be transferred to Anchorage Pavers’ payroll. In response to a series of highly leading questions put to him by a Board member claimant did admit that it made no difference to him then who paid him as long as he got paid, or now, as long as he got compensation.

At about 5:30 p. m. September 17th, after completing his work on the rock crusher for Selid Construction, claimant went to the batch plant and worked something over forty-five minutes oiling the machinery. He returned to the batch plant at about 3:15 a. m. September 18th to complete this work. While he was oiling the bucket conveyor another employee activated the machinery and claimant was severly injured. Claimant was paid by Selid Construction for all work performed by him through September 17th, including work on the batch plant performed after 5:30 p. m. on that date. A check dated September 29, 1955, drawn on Anchorage Pavers in claimant’s favor for $6.59, was deposited to his bank account by someone other than himself, 'presumably an office employee of Anchorage Pavers. This check was in payment for one hour’s work performed by him on September 18th. A daily time card on a Selid Construction form indicated however that claimant performed one hour’s work for Selid Construction on September 18th at the hot plant and is signed by' “B. Me” on behalf of Selid Construction. ■ A written statement to the Board by J. R. Miller, an accountant for Selid Construction, dated November 9, 1955, states that claimant was switched from Selid Construction’s payroll to that of Anchorage Pavers on September 18, 1955.

Ove Selid testified that claimant had been working for Anchorage Pavers for about a week before he was injured but hadn’t been transferred on the payroll. In response to other questions put to him at the hearing, he stated emphatically that claimant had actually been transferred a week before the accident, but had been paid by. Selid Construction for all work performed 1 prior to the morning of the accident. He admitted that he had not discussed a transfer with claimant and that claimant’s testimony that no one had discussed the matter with him was probably correct. He disagreed with the statement of his accountant J. R. Miller when it was read to him. In response to other questions he declared that he was unable to answer because he no longer had access to the knowledge and information of accountant Miller, nor could he locate certain records kept by that employee. His testimony on this point was vague, confused and directly at variance with clearly established facts.

No party to the appeal questions the ex-' tent of claimant’s injuries. Nor is it ques-' tioned that he is entitled to compensation. He has been paid only $300, however, as Selid Construction contends he was actually an employee of Anchorage Pavers. Guarantee Insurance Co., insurance carrier for Anchorage Pavers, contends that he was employed by Selid Construction, but that if he was an employee of Anchorage Pavers, he is not covered by their insurance because that corporation at the time of claimant’s injury was engaged in performing a defense contract for the United States Government, and that claimant would have to be compensated under the provisions of the Defense Base Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 1651 et seq., over which the Alaska Industrial Board would have no jurisdiction.

Ove Selid had placed insurance• for the two corporations .through separate agents, but in the belief, that both policies covered all of • the activities of both corporations.. The agent of Guarantee Insurance Co. testified that the policy it had issued' to Anchorage Pavers did not cover Defense Base Act work.

• The court history of this case is fairly in-: volved. A full Board review and hearing was held on July 26, 1956, which resulted’ in a Board award dated November 26, 1956, finding claimant to have been the employee of Anchorage Pavers and awarding compensation. A review of that award *392 by the District Court for the Territory d.f Alaska in cause No. 9370 resulted in an order dated May 15, 1957, which set aside the findings, gave instructions on the applicable law and ordered the Board to make specific findings as to the identity of claimant’s employer. The reconsidered decision of the Board dated November 19, 1957, found that claimant was the employee of Anchorage Pavers and awarded compensation. The attorney member of the Board dissented. Various motions were then made by appellees in cause No. 9370 to procure review by the District Court of the award of November 19, 1957, and a separate proceeding designated as cause No. 9840 was also filed to accomplish the same purpose. Cause No. 9840 was commenced by Guarantee Insurance Co. and in that action appellant was not named a party.

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Bluebook (online)
355 P.2d 389, 1960 Alas. LEXIS 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/selid-construction-co-v-guarantee-insurance-co-alaska-1960.