United States Fidelity C. Co. v. Stubbs

28 S.E.2d 168, 70 Ga. App. 284, 1943 Ga. App. LEXIS 299
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedDecember 4, 1943
Docket30254.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 28 S.E.2d 168 (United States Fidelity C. Co. v. Stubbs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Fidelity C. Co. v. Stubbs, 28 S.E.2d 168, 70 Ga. App. 284, 1943 Ga. App. LEXIS 299 (Ga. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

Under the provisions of the insurance policies involved, and under the facts of the case, the Industrial Board (now State Board of Workmen's Compensation) erred in finding that the accidental injury suffered by the employee was covered by the policy of insurance issued by the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company and not by the one issued by the Continental Casualty Company; and the judge of the superior court erred in affirming the award.

DECIDED DECEMBER 4, 1943.
Cornell-Young Company engaged in several businesses at several locations. Its workmen's compensation insurance for one business and location was covered by a policy issued by the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company, and for another business and location by a policy issued by the Continental Casualty Company. One of its employees, George A. Stubbs, suffered an injury arising out of and in the course of his employment and a hearing was had for the purpose of determining whether the injury arose out of the business and location covered by the United States Fidelity Guaranty policy or that covered by the Continental policy. The board found that the employee was not injured by an accident arising out of employment covered by the Continental policy, and that he was injured by an accident arising out of the employment covered by the United States Fidelity Guaranty policy, to which finding and award the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company excepted upon the ground that the finding that the accident arose out of employment covered by its policy was unauthorized. The superior court affirmed the board's findings and the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company excepted.

The case was tried on the following agreed statement of facts:

"Mr. George A. Stubbs received an accidental injury on May 1, 1942, when he was an employee of Cornell-Young Company for which he is entitled to receive compensation from Cornell-Young Company. On or about August 10th he was sufficiently recovered to return to work, but his physician reports that he cannot yet determine whether Mr. Stubbs will have a permanent handicap and if so the percentage of handicap. The only purpose of the present hearing is to determine whether either or both of the policies of insurance issued by the two companies above named cover the injuries sustained by Mr. Stubbs. *Page 285

"Mr. W. A. Young is president and Mr. G. P. Jones is vice president of Cornell-Young Company, and together they have charge of all the operations of the company. From time to time each or both give personal supervision to first one job or business enterprise of the company, and then to another, but as a general rule the particular jobs and enterprises conducted by the company are directly supervised by superintendents or other persons on the ground who are selected and put there by Cornell-Young Company.

"On May 1, 1942, the date on which Mr. George A. Stubbs was injured, Cornell-Young Company was engaged in several different jobs or enterprises. On that date they were engaged in a permanent operation which they designated `The Ready Mix Plant,' which was located on West Express Alley and 5th Streets in Macon, Georgia. This is the location which was described in the policy of insurance written by the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company as `5th Street, Macon, Georgia.' On that date they also had in operation a job or enterprise which was being performed under contract with the Reynolds Corporation, which corporation operates the Naval Ordnance Plant located five or six miles south of Macon, Georgia, on the Houston Road. This was the location which was described in the policy issued by the Continental Casualty Company as `Reynolds Corporation Fuse Loading Plant, Macon, Georgia,' the only location described in the Continental Casualty Company policy. From time to time Cornell-Young Company has other contract jobs or enterprises in progress both within and outside the State of Georgia, and on May 1st had other contract jobs in States other than Georgia.

"On May 1, 1942, there was in effect a policy of insurance issued by the Continental Casualty Company which named as the location of work places `Reynolds Corporation Fuse Loading Plant, Macon, Georgia.' The job at the Fuse Plant was commenced about March 5, 1942, and was expected to last and did last approximately three months.

"There was also in effect at that time a policy of insurance issued on May 8, 1941, by the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company, which named as the location of the work places, `Smithsonia, near Macon, Georgia, and Mulberry Street, Macon, Georgia, and 5th Street, Macon, Georgia.' The jobs or enterprises which had been undertaken at Smithsonia, Georgia, and Mulberry Street, Macon, *Page 286 Georgia, had terminated some time before May 1, 1942, and the only location of work places named in the policy of the Fidelity Guaranty Company which was being operated at that time was the one at 5th Street, Macon, Georgia. At the location named in the policy `5th Street, Macon, Georgia,' was being operated the enterprise known as the Ready Mix plant, and this enterprise had been in continuous operation for about three years. Although the operation of the Ready Mix plant was of secondary importance to the main business of contracting in was intended by the company as a permanent location and enterprise. The classification named in the policy issued by the United States Fidelity Guaranty Company, `sand and gravel diggings,' and the subheads thereunder, apply to jobs or enterprises other than the Ready Mix Plant, all of which had been completed prior to May 1st, 1942. The pertinent portions of both of said policies of insurance will be attached to this stipulation or put in evidence by a separate stipulation.

"Cornell-young Company kept a separate payroll on the employees for each separate job or enterprise, though they kept only one set of books at their main offices in the First National Bank Building. On these books there was a separate ledger account showing the payroll and other receipts and disbursements for the enterprise at the Fuse Plant, and another separate ledger account showing similar items for the enterprise at the Ready Mix Plant. Similar separate records were kept with reference to other special jobs and enterprises in which the company engaged from time to time.

"In addition to the locations already mentioned, and other special contract locations, Cornell-Young Company rented and used a storage yard with some storage sheds or buildings thereon which was located on Forsyth Street just beyond Monroe Street in the City of Macon about two miles distant from the Ready Mix Plant and five or six miles distant from the Fuse Plant outside the city. In this storage yard Cornell-young Company would keep at various times its road machinery, scrapers, concrete mixers, cranes, tools of various kind, and in short any other equipment owned by them, which was then at or near Macon, Georgia, and not actively engaged in use in connection with any of its operations. Cornell Young Company had no compensation policy of insurance which specifically named this storage yard as one of the work places, although *Page 287 the code or manual for determining rates and classifications for workmen's compensation policies, which is approved and in general use in the State of Georgia, provides under Code No. 8227 a classification known as `Contractors permanent yard — for maintenance of equipment or storage of materials.' The Cornell-Young Company did not employ any person or persons to work regularly at the storage yard, and kept no separate ledger account for the storage yard.

"Mr. George A.

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Bluebook (online)
28 S.E.2d 168, 70 Ga. App. 284, 1943 Ga. App. LEXIS 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-fidelity-c-co-v-stubbs-gactapp-1943.