Travelers Ins. Co. v. Crane

94 F. Supp. 44, 1950 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2053
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedNovember 29, 1950
DocketNo. 8166
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 94 F. Supp. 44 (Travelers Ins. Co. v. Crane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Travelers Ins. Co. v. Crane, 94 F. Supp. 44, 1950 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2053 (E.D. Mich. 1950).

Opinion

LEDERLE, Chief Judge.

Plaintiff insurance company here seeks a declaratory judgment that it has no liability by virtue of a public liability policy it issued to defendant David Crane as respects an accident which occurred in Dear-born, Michigan, on June 8, 1946, wherein defendant Frederick S. Smith was injured while working as a construction laborer upon a building being erected by, and on the [46]*46property of, defendant Crane, under the foremanship of defendant Leo Boguszewski. The policy in question expressly excludes coverage for bodily injuries to employees of the assured while engaged in assured’s business.

Defendant Smith has instituted an action in the Michigan state court claiming damages for these injuries against the assured Crane and defendant Leo Boguszewski. Therein defendant Smith claims alternatively as follows:

Count I: That he was an employee of the assured Crane;

Count II: That he was an employee of defendant Boguszewski;

Count III: That Boguszewski was an employee of the assured Crane;

Count IV: That Boguszewski was' an independent contractor operating under a contract with the assured, as landowner, and that he, Smith, was an employee of Boguszewski.

Plaintiff contends herein that at the time of injury the injured workman Smith was an employee of the assured Crane and engaged in Crane’s business, for which reason the express exclusion clause of the policy places Smith’s claim for damages and the insurer’s duty to defend outside the policy coverage.

The assured Crane 'contends that the injured workman Smith was not his, Crane’s, employee, but was an employee of defendant Boguszewski, who was an independent contractor, and, hence, the policy covers the accident and the defense of the state court action. Crane also contends that he contracted for all-inclusive insurance coverage for these premises during construction regardless of whether or not claimants might be his employees. This is disputed by plaintiff.

Defendant Boguszewski has filed no answer herein.

The assured and defendant Smith have answered and filed motions to dismiss. .

Plaintiff is a Connecticut corporation. Defendants are all Michigan citizens. The claim for damages and the policy limit far exceed $3000. There is an actual controversy between the parties, and, if plaintiff attempted the defense of either defendant in the state court action, it would be forced into inconsistent positions. All parties are before the court, and two issues only require determination here to adequately define the rights of all parties relative to insurance coverage and to free them from the jeopardy of acting at their peril in relation to the state court action, namely:

(1) Was the injured workman Smith an employee of the assured Crane, engaged in the latter’s business; and

(2) If the answer to question (1) is in the affirmative, did the insurer and the assured agree upon a policy which would cover liability of the assured resulting from injury to his employees.

This court has jurisdiction of this action because of diversity of citizenship and amount involved under 28 U.S.C.A. § 1332. There being an actual controversy within this court’s jurisdiction, determination of which by declaratory judgment will relieve the parties from -hereafter acting at their peril in relation thereto, it would be an abuse of discretion to dismiss the action. 28 U.S.C.A. § 2201; Rule 57, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A.; Maryland Casualty Co. v. Faulkner, 1942, 6 Cir., 126 F.2d 175, as approved by C.A. 6 on December 12, 1949, in Ohio Casualty Insurance Co. v. Farmers Bank of Clay, 178 F.2d 570. Accordingly, the motions to dismiss will be overruled.

Plaintiff has taken each defendant’s deposition, and defendant Crane has taken the deposition of the insurance agent who negotiated and wrote the policy in suit. These depositions are on file herein.

Plaintiff has moved for summary judgment under Rule 56, contending that the pleadings, depositions and admissions on file show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, and the plaintiff is entitled to the judgment it seeks as a matter of law. From the sources indicated, the facts hereinafter set forth stand undisputed.

[47]*47The assured Crane hired defendant Boguszewski, who has never been a licensed contractor, to work with and superintend laborers who excavated and constructed footings and erected thereon cement block walls for a building on property owned by Crane. Thereafter, these parties installed the steel framework for the ceiling and roof. All other parts of the construction work, pouring the cement floor, carpentery, roofing, plumbing and heating installation, glazing, etc., were performed by third parties under separate arrangements made by the assured Crane directly with the third parties. While a steel I beam was being installed by Smith and the rest of the crew working under the supervision of defend-ant Boguszewski, Smith was injured.

All arrangements between the assured Crane, Boguszewski and the laborers who worked with him were oral. During the first two weeks of wall work, Boguszewski’s pay was the difference between 15 cents per cement block installed and the hourly rate paid the laborers working under his supervision. At all other times, defendant Crane paid Boguszewski and those working under his supervision on an hourly basis for time worked, computed and paid weekly. Boguszewski received $1.75 per hour and the other laborers $1 or $1.25 per hour. Boguszewski acted as timekeeper and paymaster for defendant Crane. No time for completion of the building or any specific part was fixed. All materials were selected, purchased and paid for by defendant Crane. Except for a few small hand tools, all tools • and equipment were furnished by the assured Crane. Defendant Boguszewski at no time used his own money to pay any workman. Boguszewski, Smith and the other laborers working under Boguszewski looked to the assured Crane as their employer for the payment of their wages. The parts of the construction performed by Boguszewski and the laborers under him were done according to sketches furnished by the assured Crane, subject to such changes and directions as were made from time to time by the assured. Said assured operated a grocery store nearby, and inspected the building construction daily. The assured Crane had the right to determine which and how many laborers should be hired. Crane had the right to discharge Boguszewski or any other laborer at any time. The only actual discharge which occurred was done on instructions of the assured Crane. Neither Crane nor Boguszewski made any deductions for withholding tax or social security of either Boguszewski or any other laborer. Defendant Crane reserved and exercised complete control as to labor and material for the work performed by Boguszewski and the other laborers, how the work should be done, when the work should begin, how rapidly it should progress, and as to stopping the work at any stage if he chose to do so.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 F. Supp. 44, 1950 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2053, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/travelers-ins-co-v-crane-mied-1950.