Trotter v. Ozarks Rural Electric Coop. Corporation

294 S.W.2d 498, 226 Ark. 722, 1956 Ark. LEXIS 555
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 1, 1956
Docket5-972
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 294 S.W.2d 498 (Trotter v. Ozarks Rural Electric Coop. Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trotter v. Ozarks Rural Electric Coop. Corporation, 294 S.W.2d 498, 226 Ark. 722, 1956 Ark. LEXIS 555 (Ark. 1956).

Opinion

J. SeaborN Holt, Associate Justice.

By this appeal appellant, Marjorie Trotter, Admx., challenges the judgment of the trial court sustaining appellee’s demurrer to her complaint, and dismissing her complaint, upon her refusal to plead further. In testing the complaint on demurrer, we must treat all allegations that are well pleaded to be true.

Appellant’s allegations in her complaint here were, in effect, that she is the widow of Earl Trotter and at the time of his death both were residents of Benton County, Arkansas; that appellee, Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, is an Arkansas corporation with its principal office in Fayetteville, Arkansas; that Earl Trotter, while employed by the Killoren Company, — in the course of his employment, — was negligently Hlled near Stilwell, Oklahoma; that Killoren Company of Appleton, Wisconsin, entered into a contract with appellee (Ozarks Rural Electric Coop. Corp.) whereby they agreed to build a transmission line between Evansville, Arkansas and Stilwell, Oklahoma; and that appellee was at “the time and place” selling electric service to its customers along said proposed transmission line. It appears that appellant conceded to be true the following1 facts, (Admission of Fact under Act 335 of the 1953 Legislature) upon which her complaint was based, and the trial court considered them as allegations in the complaint. “1. That plaintiff, Marjorie Trotter, is the duly appointed Administratrix of the Estate of Earl E. Trotter, deceased, and that she was so appointed by the Benton County Probate Court. 2. That the defendant, Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, is a cooperative, organized under the laws of the State of Arkansas, with its principal place of business at Fayette-ville, Arkansas. 3. That Killoren Company is a construction company, maintaining its principal place of business at Appleton, Wisconsin, and that at the time of the accident more specifically referred to in plaintiff’s complaint, and which occurred on July 29, 1954, Killoren Company was engaged in the construction and erection of electric transmission lines between Stilwell, Oklahoma, and Evansville, Arkansas, said lines being constructed for and on behalf of defendant, Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation. 4. That Construction Contract No. 23X, dated April 16, 1953, between Killoren Company and Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, together with Amendments Numbered 1, 2, and 3, are the written contracts between Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation and Killoren Company and were the contracts under which Killoren Company and its employees were working on July 29th, 1954. 5. That said contract above referred to specifically required Killoren Company to carry Workmen’s Compensation Insurance for the protection of its employees and for the protection of the Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation; that said contract above referred to further provided that Killoren Company would hold Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation harmless from any and all claims, losses, or damages which might arise by reason of the performance of the terms and provisions of said contract; and that a photostatic copy of the pertinent provisions of said contract above referred to, are attached hereto and made a part of this Request for Admission of Facts as though set forth, herein word for word. 6. That pursuant to the foregoing Contracts, Killoren Company did proceed with the work called for thereunder, which said work in itself, was of an extrahazardous nature. 7. That in the performance of the Contract, Killoren Company did employ Earl Trotter, deceased, and said Earl Trotter at the time of his death on July 29, 1954, was an employee, acting in the course and scope of his employment with Killoren Company and that he lost his life when he came in contact with an energized line, which line Killoren Company was erecting for Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation. 8. That before entering into the performance of said Contract, Killoren Company, pursuant to the terms thereof, did obtain standard form of Workmen’s Compensation Insurance through Maryland Casualty Company, which said company was and is qualified to do business in the State of Oklahoma. 9. That the accident in question occurred at or near Stilwell, Oklahoma, and immediately thereafter, that plaintiff Marjorie Trotter, as widow of the said Earl E. Trotter, Deceased, and as Guardian for Jo Ann Trotter, minor child of the said Earl E. Trotter, deceased, being the surviving widow and sole surviving heir at law of the said Earl E. Trotter, deceased, did apply for, collect and receive the maximum amount being paid by Maryland Casualty Company, Workmen’s Compensation carrier for Killo-ren Company. 10. That the amount collected by the said Marjorie Trotter, as widow of the said Earl E. Trotter, Deceased, and as guardian for Jo Ann Trotter, minor child of the said Earl E. Trotter, deceased, amounted to the total sum of Thirteen Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($13,500.00). 11. That the foregoing amount so collected resulted from the death of the said Earl E. Trotter on July 29, 1954, which is one and the same accident as that referred to in plaintiff’s complaint.” Ap-pellee’s demurrer alleged that the complaint failed to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action for the reason that plaintiff’s (appellant) exclusive remedy was under the Oklahoma Workmen’s Compensation Act.

We have concluded that the demurrer was properly sustained and that the judgment of the trial court was correct and should be affirmed. Appellant relies on two points: “1. The law of Arkansas allows this action, and the trial court erred in sustaining appellee’s demurrer. 2. Assuming for the purposes of argument that Oklahoma law applies, still said law permits this action and the trial court erred in sustaining appellee’s demurrer.” Here it is conceded that the death of appellant’s intestate occurred in Oklahoma, therefore, any right to recover and the measure of damages must be tested by the laws of that state, American Railway Express Co. v. Davis, 152 Ark. 258, 238 S. W. 50; Magnolia Petroleum Co. v. Turner, 188 Ark. 177, 65 S. W. 2d 1. It is also undisputed that the Killoren Company, in accordance with its contract with Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, secured the payment of compensation benefits that might accrue to a workman employed by Killoren Company and who might suffer accidental injury or death arising out of and in the course of his employment, and also secured and kept in force a workmen’s compensation insurance policy. Section 11 — (1&2) of 85 Oklahoma Statutes 1951 provides: “1. In the absence of provisions to the contrary in any contract with an independent contractor, such independent contractor shall be conclusively presumed to have agreed, as a part of the terms of the contract, that he will comply with the Workmen’s Compensation Laws of this State, and in case of a failure to do so, the person procuring such work to be done by independent contractors may declare such failure a substantial violation of the contract, and terminate the same at his or their option. All unpaid balances due under such contract, or so much thereof as may be reasonably necessary, may be retained as indemnity against compensation claims under the Workmen’s Compensation Act of this State. The independent contractor shall, at all times, be liable for compensation due to his direct employees, or the employees of any subcontractor of such independent contractor, and the principal employer shall also be liable in the manner hereinafter specified for compensation due all such employees.

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Bluebook (online)
294 S.W.2d 498, 226 Ark. 722, 1956 Ark. LEXIS 555, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trotter-v-ozarks-rural-electric-coop-corporation-ark-1956.