Taylor v. Payne

1994 OK CIV APP 40, 872 P.2d 953, 65 O.B.A.J. 1370, 1994 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 18
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 8, 1994
DocketNo. 76189
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1994 OK CIV APP 40 (Taylor v. Payne) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taylor v. Payne, 1994 OK CIV APP 40, 872 P.2d 953, 65 O.B.A.J. 1370, 1994 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 18 (Okla. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ADAMS, Judge:

Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, a public utility corporation, (OEC), appeals a trial court judgment based upon a jury verdict finding it 3.3% negligent for the wrongful death of Gary Lee Taylor. The trial court’s judgment also denied OEC’s claim against Appellees John Payne and McClain County. Because we conclude there was sufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict and find no reversible error in the instructions, we affirm the judgment against OEC in favor of Taylor. We affirm denial of indemnification by Payne, but we conclude OEC was entitled to indemnification by McClain County-

COURT PROCEEDINGS

Appellee, Tina Taylor, as Administratrix of the Estate of Gary Lee Taylor, deceased, (Taylor) sued OEC and John Payne, doing business as Payne Truck Salvage (Payne). Taylor alleged Payne negligently stored a boom crane in a position where it was foreseeable that the boom would come in contact with the electric power lines over Payne’s business premises. She also alleged OEC was negligent by its placement of electric power lines without insulation and by its failure to maintain the electric power lines at a sufficient height. Taylor claimed these acts caused the electrocution death' of her husband on April 15, 1986.

Both defendants denied the allegations and raised contributory negligence, assumption of the risk and unavoidable accident as affirmative defenses. OEC filed a cross-claim against Payne and a third party petition against the Board of County Commissioners of McClain County (McClain County) alleging that they had permitted operation of the crane within 6 feet of its electric power lines and had failed to notify OEC prior to the activities conducted by the crane, all in violation of 63 O.S.1981 § 981, et seq. (the “six foot rule”). OEC claimed it was either entitled to complete indemnification or, in the alternative, to contribution from Payne and McClain County for any OEC liability to Taylor.

At trial, the jury heard evidence that Gary Taylor was electrocuted when the boom on a crane being operated by Danny Taylor struck an OEC power line which ran parallel to property owned by Payne. According to the evidence, both Gary and Danny Taylor were employees of McClain County who were working on and testing a crane owned by Payne which McClain County was interested in purchasing. OEC demurred to Taylor’s evidence and moved for a directed verdict in its favor. The trial court denied both requests. The jury returned a verdict assessing Gary’s negligence at 30.4%, Danny’s at 40.8%, OEC’s at 3.3%, Payne’s at 10.8%, and McClain County’s at 14.7%.1 The jury also set total damages at $283,083. The trial court entered judgment against OEC for $9,506.74, plus interest and costs.

OEC moved for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, new trial and indemnification against Payne and McClain County. The trial court denied all three motions, and this appeal followed. For reversal of the judgment in favor of Taylor, OEC argues there was insufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict and that the trial court submitted improper instructions. On the indemnification claim, OEC argues it was entitled to indemnification by Payne and McClain County as a matter of law.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

In ruling on OEC’s demurrer to the evidence and directed verdict request, the trial court was required to consider as true [955]*955all evidence and all inferences reasonably drawn therefrom favorable to Taylor and to disregard any conflicting evidence favorable to OEC. In reviewing the trial court’s decision, we must examine the record and make a determination as to whether there is any evidence reasonably tending to support the judgment. Trett v. Oklahoma Gas & Elec. Co., 775 P.2d 275 (Okla.1989).

OEC argues Trett requires evidence of actual notice to OEC that the crane was going to be operated within six feet of the electrical lines before liability may be imposed because it established that the lines were in compliance with requirements by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) and the National Electric Safety Code (NESC). Although we agree that the record contains no evidence of actual notice, we do not interpret Trett as requiring actual notice.

In Trett, OG & E arid Dolese negotiated a contract in which OG & E agreed to commence work to relocate high voltage power lines over a Dolese worksite on a certain date. Five days before the agreed date, one of Dolese’s employees, while holding a steel reinforcing bar on a concrete panel being moved by a front end loader, was electrocuted when the front end loader backed into the electric power lines. When reviewing whether the evidence supported the jury verdict in favor of Trett, the Court held that:

The essence required to establish the existence of a duty is foreseeability of the consequences of the breach of the alleged duty. To establish liability on the part of O.G. & E. in the present case, Trett would necessarily have had to offer evidence to establish that it was foreseeable to O.G. & E. that Dolese would undertake construction activities in violation of state statutes and would also ignore the contractual provisions agreed to between O.G. & E. and Dolese in conformance with those same statutes. Trett failed to offer any evidence to establish this critical point. No evidence was offered to show that O.G. & E. had actual notice, which would have been in conflict with the contractual negotiations, that Dolese had actually begun construction activities in the area of O.G. & E.’s lines prior to the date of the accident.
We would find such notice essential to establish exceptional circumstances which would create a duty on the part of O.G. & E. to anticipate that compliance with state law and regulations would be insufficient to fulfill its duty to the public. (Emphasis added)

As we read Trett, the Oklahoma Supreme Court concluded that reasonable people could not consider it foreseeable that Dolese would commence construction in the area of OG & E’s power lines prior to the date agreed upon without informing OG & E. The Court required actual notice of a change in Dolese’s plans.

The facts of this case do not lead to the same conclusion. According to the testimony of OEC’s Loss Control Coordinator, James Horton, various OEC employees had gone on inspection and maintenance tours to inspect the power lines at Payne’s property and that those employees would “have seen that there are cranes and dump trucks and other in-strumentalities that can go up high enough to come in contact with those lines.” When asked if OEC had done anything to protect any of the people that might be operating cranes or dump trucks in that area, Horton said, “No, Sir.”

We cannot say that no reasonable person would conclude that OEC could not have reasonably foreseen that some person operating the machinery on Payne’s property would do so in a manner which violated the “six foot rule.” This evidence, combined with other evidence that if the lines had been higher this accident would not have occurred, is sufficient “exceptional circumstances” to allow the jury to find some OEC liability despite the Taylors’ violation of the “six foot rule.”

ALLEGED INSTRUCTION ERRORS

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Related

Springer v. Richardson Law Firm
2010 OK CIV APP 72 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2010)
Shelley v. Kiwash Electric Cooperative, Inc.
1996 OK 44 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1994 OK CIV APP 40, 872 P.2d 953, 65 O.B.A.J. 1370, 1994 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-payne-oklacivapp-1994.