Smith v. Brockamp

77 N.E.2d 727, 81 Ohio App. 381, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 577, 37 Ohio Op. 218, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 595
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 3, 1947
Docket6845
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 77 N.E.2d 727 (Smith v. Brockamp) 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
Smith v. Brockamp, 77 N.E.2d 727, 81 Ohio App. 381, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 577, 37 Ohio Op. 218, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 595 (Ohio Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

*578 OPINION

By ROSS, J.

This is an appeal on questions of law from a judgment of the Common Pleas Court of-Hamilton County awarding the •plaintiff compensation from the Ohio Industrial Compensation Fund.

The plaintiff was for some time a casual patron of the tavern and cafe operated'by the defendant Engelbert Broc-kamp, who employed the wife of plaintiff to attend bar and clean the premises. The mother of this defendant operated a kitchen in connection with the cafe and was the owner of the real estate upon which the cafe was located. She was made a co-defendant with Engelbert Brockamp, but was dismissed during the receipt of plaintiff’s evidence, and the plaintiff has taken no appeal from this action of the Court.

The plaintiff at various times voluntarily and without compensation from the defendant aided his wife in .her several tasks about the cafe.

The defendant decided upon an addition to his tavern and cafe and talked to the plaintiff about design and cost; The plaintiff drew up a sketch or plan of what he considered appropriate.

The plaintiff for some six years prior to this time had been a carpenter’s helper.

'Later, the defendant consulted an acquaintance, Melville Zaeh, whom he had known for thirty years, and who was engaged in the business of “excavating, grading, sodding, and concrete work.”

The result of these conferences was that the defendant employed Zaeh and the plaintiff to proceed with the work. Other employees from time to time assisted in the work of building the addition to-the cafe.

There can be no question but that the defendant employed the plaintiff directly and that more than three persons were regularly employed by defendant in the work until its com-' pletion.

The plaintiff was injured during the course of such employment and as a direct result thereof.

The plaintiff at first asserted a claim against Zaeh as his employer. This claim was allowed by the Industrial Commission and Zaeh was sued in order to recover the award from the Industrial Commission. This action was brought by the State on the relation of the Attorney General and resulted in ..a verdict in favor of Za.eh. Thereupon, the instant claim was *579 filed and rejected by the Industrial Commission, upon which an appeal was duly taken to the Common Pleas Court of Hamilton County, resulting in a verdict of award in favor of the plaintiff, upon which judgment was accordingly rendered. The instant appeal upon questions of law is from this judgment.

Only one assignment of error requires bomment here. That is the one predicated upon the contention of the defendant that the plaintiff was a “person whose employment is but casual and not in the usual course of trade, business, profession, or occupation of” the defendant.

The plaintiff was employed to assist in the erection of this addition to the defendant’s tavern and cafe, the operation of' which being the defendant’s business. The plaintiff had not been employed by defendant before in any capacity and there is no indication that either the plaintiff or Zaeh or any of their co-workers would ever be employed again by the defendant after the completion of the addition.

The addition to the cafe was to be used as a “beer hall”' and would result in the expansion of the premises .used by the defendant as a “tavern and cafe.” Previously, the ground on which the addition was erected had been used as a “garden”' in which the patrons of defendant sat and partook of refreshments. It was at first intended merely to enclose' this space, but later, defendant, upon consulting with the plaintiff and. Zaeh decided upon a permanent structure in which cement block was used. The result of the erection of this addition was to enclose the space in which the business of defendant was conducted and to make 'the premises more attractive to patrons.

The defendant states:

“* * * I got figuring out on enclosing the garden, just make a shelter over it — like other years, if I had a garden full of people and rain caire up why I would be shot for the evening.

“Q. And where was that garden?

“A. In the rear of 5908.

“Q. In the rear of your tavern? A. That’s right.”

And again the defendant states:

“Q. And you had used that space in the rear as a beer garden before putting this building up?

“A. That’s right.

“Q. And you considered at one time putting a roof on it for a beer garden?

*580 “A. That’s right.

“Q. And then you enclosed the building, and why did you do that?

“A. Because the contractor, he told me, he says, ‘If you make a substantial building it could be used all the year-around.’

“Q. Then you carried out his suggestion?

“A. Carried out his suggestion, yes.”

In State, ex rel. v Christen, 128 Oh St 56, it is stated in the syllabus:

“1. Secs. 1465-60 and 1465-61 GC, are in pari materia and must be construed together.

“2. Workmen are regular employees, within the purview of §§1465-60 and 1465-61 GC, so long as they are hired to do work in the usual course of the trade, business, profession or occupation of the employer.

“3. In order that a person’s employment shall be deemed to be in the usual course of the trade, business, profession or occupation of the employer, it must be’ employment for work of the kind required in the business of the employer and it must be in conformity to the established scheme or system of the business. Such scheme or systém comprehends the nature of the enterprise, its organization, its personal requirements and its methods of operation. The time for which such employment has continued is not controlling.”

Paragraph 2 of §1465-61 GC, provides:

“Every person in the service of any person, firm or private corporation, including any public service corporation, employing three or more workmen or operatives regularly in the same business, or in or about the same establishment under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, including aliens and minors, but not including any person whose employment is but casual and not in the usual course of trade, business, profession or occupation of his employer.”

Sec. 1465-60 GC, provides in part:

“The following shall constitute employers subject to the provisions of this act:

“Every person, firm and private corporation, including any public service corporation, that has in service three or more *581 workmen or operatives regularly in the same business, or in or about the same establishment under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written. * * *”

The defendant Brockamp did not consider himself included within the purview of this act and consequently did not comply with the requirements applicable to employers described therein.

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129 N.E.2d 856 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
77 N.E.2d 727, 81 Ohio App. 381, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 577, 37 Ohio Op. 218, 1947 Ohio App. LEXIS 595, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-brockamp-ohioctapp-1947.