Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n v. Kelly

56 S.W.2d 1108
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 19, 1932
DocketNo. 12732
StatusPublished

This text of 56 S.W.2d 1108 (Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n v. Kelly) 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
Texas Employers' Ins. Ass'n v. Kelly, 56 S.W.2d 1108 (Tex. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

LATTIMORE, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment in favor of Mrs. Kelly against appellant for workmen’s compensation for the death of her husband, James E. Kelly,, as an employee of the Texas Worth Tool Company, a corporation.

G. W. Mennis was president, general manager, and sales manager of the Texas Worth Tool Company. He also had in his individual right considerable oil properties and an airplane. When this airplane was used in the corporation’s business, it paid for such use. Some three months before the accident, Mennis made an arrangement with deceased, Kelly, that he, Kelly, would pilot Mennis’ airplane, as and when needed, for- $10 a day and expenses, and he actually so worked on an average of three days a week. Each time Mennis reported his expenses of such trips, he included as such the $10 a day and expenses to Kelly, and the corporation paid same. On this occasion, Mennis, piloted by Kelly, went from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City on company business, by way of Wichita Falls, where he had personal business. Returning from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, bringing a prospective company employee to show him the Texas Worth Tool Company establishment at Fort Worth, the plane crashed in Wise county, and Mennis and Kelly were killed.

The Texas Worth Tool Company carried workmen’s compensation insurance with appellant company. Kelly’s pay was not included in the pay roll of the company, on which premiums for the policy sued on were computed. " \

On special issues the jury found that Kelly was an employee of the Texas Worth Tool Company, was in the course of his employment, was not in the employ of Mennis, that $70 a week was an average. weekly wage, fair and just- to all parties, and that Mennis was not an independent contractor on this trip, nor was deceased, Kelly.

It has been a pleasure to study the well-ordered brief of counsel for appellant, who contend the undisputed evidence shows Kelly was an-independent contractor, or, to put it where the burden of proof lies, that the evidence does not show Kelly to have been the company’s employee, and propound five elements of the six set out in Shannon v. Western Indemnity Co. (Tex. Com. App.) 257 S. W. 522, by which an- independent contractorship is tested:

[1109]*1109(1) Is a person under obligation to work exclusively for tbe person claimed to be bis employer?

(2) Tbe manner in wbicb tbe person is to be compensated.

(3) Does tbe claimed employer furnish tbe materials and appliances for tbe work?

(4) Is tbe work generally and distinctly recognized as employment?

(5) Wbo bas tbe right to hire and fire? Security Union Ins. Co. v. McLeod (Tex. Com. App.) 36 S.W.(2d) 449.

(6) Wbo bas tbe right to exercise tbe ultimate control over tbe details of tbe work? As evidentiary of tbe issue set out in No. 6, wbo exercised such control? Southern Surety Co. v. Shoemake (Tex. Com. App.) 24 S.W.(2d) 7.

We agree that each of tbe above are proper instruments to be used in measuring tbe case, though the first five are assistant to No. 6, wbicb generally must be satisfied to reach a conclusion. Also, generally, each case must stand on its own legs, looking at all tbe facts and circumstances.

In this case tbe fact that Kelly was free to follow other employment at other times is not entitled to much weight. It was not a type of work which required bis constant attendance on bis employer to accomplish that portion of the company’s business which was in tbe line of work done by Kelly. Tbe compensation of $10 a day and expenses, without regard to bow much or bow little work was done, was indicative of tbe relation of master and servant. As far as Kelly was concerned, tbe Texas Worth Tool Company was supplying tbe materials and appliances for bis work, i. e., be was not supplying them, and the person wbo did furnish them had the right to stand in loco the company, and, according to tbe belief of the jury, under circumstances justifying their belief; did so.

The fourth element is by the development of our industrial and social fabric becoming of lesser importance. Attendance upon tbe needs of tbe human race has become more and more specialized — the gardener of yesterday is tbe horticulturist of to-day, with his assistants, the tree surgeon, the soil analyst, tbe landscape artist, and their apprentices. Bach brings to tbe task learning not had by bis employer — so also tbe growth of “Big Business,” tbe increasing co-ordination of service in not only various communities, but also tbe nations under one • executive bead, until now it is not uncommon for one corporation to guide tbe distribution of that service on opposite sides of tbe globe. Such gigantic organizing makes necessary tbe employment of tbe scientific learning of individuals which may be peculiar to them alone. Our huge department stores employ social service workers practicing a highly specialized profession; our railroads hire engineers who must stand a scientific examination ; and' doctors, chemists, and geologists find themselves hired to serve alone tbe will of a corporation, although such service requires tbe application of methods known only through long study and experiment, wbicb application tbe employer may have a right to direct, but wbicb be dare not, lest bis unscientific interference wreck the very thing tbe employee is hired to do. Coming to tbe peculiar matter of flying an airplane, recent years have seen tremendous development of commercial flying service with corporations capitalized to the millions of dollars, hiring all their pilots as wage-earners, with tbe undoubted relation of master and servant. Tbe courts have not found it difficult to apply the law to tbe situation, declaring pilots employees where tbe facts justified it. Hinds v. Dept. of Labor & Industries, 150 Wash. 230, 272 P. 734, 62 A. L. R. 225; Famous Players Lasky Corp. v. Industrial Accident Comm. of California, 194 Cal. 134, 228 P. 5, 34 A. L. R. 765; Stites v. Universal Film Mfg. Co., 2 Cal. Ind. Acc. Comm. 653; Constitution Indemnity Co. v. Shytles (C. C. A.) 47 F.(2d) 441; Schonberg v. Zinsmaster Baking Co., 173 Minn. 414, 217 N. W. 491.

From what bas been said it is apparent that tbe test of ultimate right to control tbe details of tbe work is not to be confused with tbe ability to do so wisely. Tbe president of a railroad probably has tbe contractual right to tell an engineer what steam to carry in his boiler, but leaves this to tbe trained mind of tbe engineer, realizing that probably be would, if he interfered, be

“Right, right, right as he rolled along But just as dead as if be were wrong.”

, Kelly came and went as Mennis directed; that Mennis did not tell him when to kick out bis rudder bar, or when to “gun” tbe ship, carries no contradiction of tbe duty of Kelly to obey his employer. It merely recognized tbe specialized nature of Kelly’s employment. This principle is best illustrated by tbe Famous Players Lasky Corp. Case, s.upra, where tbe pilot was told to fly at a named height; be at first declined, then obeyed, and was killed. This record is wholly void of any evidence that Kelly exercised or claimed any control over bis work and exercised none except such of those details that were beyond tbe ability of bis employer ; i. e., tbe flying of tbe airplane. He went when, where, and by that route and carried those people and that baggage as his employer told him to do.

Tbe right to hire and fire Kelly was in Mennis, whether Kelly was working for Men-nis or for tbe Texas Worth Tool Company.

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Related

Constitution Indemnity Co. v. Shytles
47 F.2d 441 (Fifth Circuit, 1931)
Famous Players Lasky Corp. v. Industrial Accident Commission
228 P. 5 (California Supreme Court, 1924)
Schonberg v. Zinsmaster Baking Co.
217 N.W. 491 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1928)
Bankers' Lloyd's v. Chamness
31 S.W.2d 1108 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1930)
Hinds v. Department of Labor & Industries
272 P. 734 (Washington Supreme Court, 1928)
Shannon v. Western Indemnity Co.
257 S.W. 522 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1924)
Southern Surety Co. v. Shoemake
24 S.W.2d 7 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1930)
Security Union Ins. Co. v. McLeod
36 S.W.2d 449 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1931)
Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Strawn
44 S.W.2d 805 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1931)

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56 S.W.2d 1108, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-ins-assn-v-kelly-texapp-1932.