Simoneaux v. Copolymer Rubber & Chemical Corp.

189 So. 2d 745, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 4699
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 8, 1966
DocketNo. 6714
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 189 So. 2d 745 (Simoneaux v. Copolymer Rubber & Chemical Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simoneaux v. Copolymer Rubber & Chemical Corp., 189 So. 2d 745, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 4699 (La. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinions

LOTTINGER, Judge.

This is a suit in tort filed by petitioner, Donald M. Simoneaux, Sr., against Copoly-mer Rubber and Chemical Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Copolymer), and its liability insurer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, for personal injuries to petitioner while he was on the property of Copolymer. Copolymer and its insurer filed a third party petition against Insurance Company of North America, then liability insurer of Stauffer Chemical Company for indemnification of any judgment rendered against third party petitioner, under a “hold harmless” agreement between Copolymer and Stauffer. A second third party petition was filed by Insurance Company of North America against Mid-State Service Corporation, alleging liability on the part of Mid-State and its liability insurer, Great American Insurance Company.

After trial on the merits, the Lower Court awarded judgment in favor of plaintiff and against Copolymer and its liability insurer in the sum of $5,000.00, with legal interest from date of judicial demand until paid and in favor of Copolymer and Liberty Mutual and against the Insurance Company of North America in a like amount, as well as in favor of Insurance Company of North America and against Mid-State Service Corporation and its liability insurer, Great American Insurance Company, in the same amount, under the third party petitions. Judgment was finally rendered in favor of Great American Insurance and against Copolymer, Liberty Mutual and petitioner in the sum of $1,669.00, representing reimbursement of workmen’s compensation benefits which had been paid petitioner by Great American. Appeals were taken by Copolymer and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Insurance Company of North America, Mid-State Service Corporation and Great American Insurance Company The petitioner answered the appeals asking for an increase in quantum.

The facts disclose that during the year 1948 a right of way, or servitude, was sold by Reconstruction Finance Corporation (hereinafter referred to as RFC) to Consolidated Chemical Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Consolidated) to construct [747]*747one or more pipe lines across the property of RFC. Subsequently the property of RFC was sold to Copolymer, in which sale the purchaser specifically took cognizance of all prior servitude grants by RFC. Subsequently, during the year 1957, a supplemental agreement was entered into between Copolymer and Consolidated under which Consolidated was granted the right to install a third pipe line across the servitude acquired during the year 1948.

In 1960 Consolidated merged with Stauf-fer Chemical Company (hereinafter referred to as Stauffer). In October of 1962 Stauffer undertook to repair the pipe lines along its servitude and entered into a contract with Mid-State Service Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Mid-State) for the performance of said work.

There was a contractual indemnity agreement between Copolymer and Stauffer wherein Stauffer agreed to hold Copolymer harmless from any liability arising out of the use, maintenance or operation of the servitude. There was also a “hold harmless” agreement between Stauffer and Mid-State, however, this agreement only required indemnity if the employees, agents or representatives of Mid-State were found guilty of negligent conduct.

The record discloses that the accident to Simoneaux, who was an employee of Mid-State doing work under the contract between Mid-State and Stauffer, occurred on the property owned by Copolymer. The employees of Mid-State on this project were advised not to smoke on certain locations on the property of Copolymer because of the heavy industrial nature of the plants thereon. They were assigned a site at which they could smoke along a trail situated between the railroad and Bayou Monte Sano. There was a path used in this area for the employees to go to and from the smoking site, and some of them used it in coming to and from work.

On October 23, 1962, while petitioner was walking along this path situated on the property of Copolymer, a wooden manhole cover collapsed under him and petitioner fell into the manhole, severely bruising certain portions of his body and particularly sustaining injuries to his left knee.

The testimony reveals that at the time of the accident petitioner was an obese man weighing 347 pounds. The manhole cover was made of one by six boards which were held together by two pieces of two by fours. Fellow workers of petitioner had walked along the path which passed over the manhole cover on numerous occasions prior to the accident, however, they did not see the manhole cover as it was not apparent because it was covered with dirt and debris. The officials of Copolymer had no knowledge of the manhole, although it had been in existence for some fifteen years and although Copolymer had in its possession a blueprint which indicated that the line continued past its fence toward Bayou Monte Sano.

Although none of the fellow employees of petitioner actually saw him fall into the manhole, they were in the near vicinity and, upon hearing petitioner scream they ran to him and found him in the manhole standing over the collapsed cover. The testimony of the fellow employees was that the cover was splintered and that it looked very rotten and termite eaten.

The Lower Court correctly held that petitioner was an invitee upon the property of Copolymer. In Alexander v. General Accident, Fire and Life Assurance Company, La.App., 98 So.2d 730, this Court defined “trespasser”, “licensee” and “invitee” as follows:

“Most broadly, the following are the conventionally accepted distinctions between these classifications and the duties owed by the owner or the occupant of the premises to each:
(1) A trespasser is one who enters the premises without the permission of the occupier or without a legal right to do so; and towards the trespasser no duty exists in most instances except' to re[748]*748frain from willfully or wantonly injuring him.
(2) A licensee is one who enters the premises with the occupier’s expressed or implied permission, hut only (according to the conventional description) for his own purposes which are unconnected with the occupant’s interests; and to him in addition to the duty owed to a trespasser, is owed the duty of warning the licensee of latent dangers of the premises if actually known by the occupier.
(3) An invitee is a person who goes on the premises with the express or implied invitation of the occupant on the business of the latter or for their mutual advantage; and to him, the duty owed is that of reasonable and ordinary care, which includes the prior discovery of reasonably discoverable conditions of the premises that may be unreasonably dangerous, and correction thereof or a warning to the invitee of the danger.
See: Mercer v. Tremont & G. Ry. Co., La.App. 2 Cir., 19 So.2d 270, certiorari denied; Mills v. Heidingsfield, La.App. 2 Cir., 192 So. 786; 65 C.J.S. Negligence §§ 23 and 24 (trespassers), §§ 32 and 35 (licensees), §§ 43 and 45 (invitees); 38 Am.Jur. “Negligence”, Section 96 (invitees), 104 (licensees), 109 (trespassers); 2 Harper & James, The Law of Torts (1956), Sections 27.3 (trespasser), 27.8 and 27.9 (licensee), 27.12 (invitee); Pros-ser, Torts (2d Ed. 1955), Sections 76 (trespassers), 77 (licensees), and 78 (invitees.)”

There is no question but that petitioner was on the property at the implied invitation of Copolymer.

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Bluebook (online)
189 So. 2d 745, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 4699, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simoneaux-v-copolymer-rubber-chemical-corp-lactapp-1966.