Zeringue v. Maxon Premix Burner Co.

232 So. 2d 861, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5767
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 9, 1970
DocketNo. 3727
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 232 So. 2d 861 (Zeringue v. Maxon Premix Burner Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zeringue v. Maxon Premix Burner Co., 232 So. 2d 861, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5767 (La. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

LeSUEUR, Judge.

Maxon Premix Burner Company, Inc. and Camden Fire Insurance Association have appealed from the following judgment rendered after a three week jury trial requested by Maxon and Camden:

<C * * *
“There is judgment herein in favor of Eliza Zeringue, for and on behalf of Maurice Oubre, and against Maxon Premix Burner Co., Inc., and Camden Fire Insurance Association, to the limit of its policy, jointly and in solido, in the amount of $450,000.00 for the pain and suffering of Maurice Oubre, and in the amount of $120,000.00 for the loss of future earnings by Maurice Oubre, and in the amount of $18,000.00 for medical expenses incurred by Maurice Oubre, together with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid, and all costs.
[863]*863«* * *
“Further, there is judgment herein in favor of Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Co., and against Maxon Premix Burner Co., Inc., and Camden Fire Insurance Association, to the limit of its policy, jointly and in solido, in the amount of $80,000.00 for property damage, and in the amount of $13,000.00 for loss of earnings, together with legal interest thereon from date of judicial demand until paid and all costs.
“Further, there is judgment herein in favor of Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Co., and against Maurice Oubre, through Eliza Zeringue, his curatrix, for workman’s compensation and medical expenses actually paid, not to exceed statutory limits, in the event such sums are recovered herein by Maurice Oubre.
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All other demands were dismissed.

The judgment was amended by the trial judge who reduced plaintiff’s judgment for pain and suffering from $450,000.00 to $250,000.00 by remittitur and fixed the fees of all experts at $150.00 each for each day the expert testified. In all other respects the judgment was maintained.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation (Kaiser), a Delaware corporation authorized to do business in Louisiana, contracted with J. T. Thorpe Company (Thorpe), a Texas corporation, for the construction of a hydrogen fluoride generator to be installed at Kaiser’s plant in Gremercy, Louisiana, as per plans and specifications drafted by Kaiser’s engineers. One of the specifications was the installation of a calibrated air/gas ratio valve manufactured by the Maxon Premix Burner Company (Maxon), an Indiana corporation, the brand name of the valve being the “Maxon Micro-Ratio Valve”. The required valve was purchased by Thorpe and installed in the generator constructed by S & R Tool & Supply Company (S & R), a Texas corporation, Thorpe’s subcontractor. The completed generator was installed by Plant Service Construction Company (Plant), a division of Barnard & Burk Industrial Corporation.

A hydrogen fluoride generator is a self-contained system which feeds air and natural gas through an apportioning valve, in this case the Maxon Micro-Ratio Valve, that controls the air to gas ratio necessary to attain and maintain combustion in the furnace burner. Temperatures within this furnace reach approximately 1600° F. The furnace-heated air is routed by combustion and recirculating air blowers through a heating jacket surrounding a large rotating drum within which the raw material, flúor spar, is tumbled, creating the hydrogen fluoride gas. The cooled air is then drawn out of the heating jacket by a return system of ducts to be reheated and recirculated. Before the furnace is lit for normal operations, the blowers in the system are started and an outside vent is opened circulating fresh air through the system and “purging” trapped air and gas in an attempt to preclude the accumulation of a combustible mixture remaining from previous operations. After the purge cycle is completed, a separate gas supply to the burner pilot is opened and the pilot is lit. The pilot light flame is detected by an ultraviolet flame detector, manufactured by the Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Company, called in the trade a “Purple Peeper”, part of the safety circuit used to prevent the introduction of combustible quantities of air and gas before the pilot is lit. After the purple peeper detects the burner pilot light, the Maxon Safety Valve is automatically opened, allowing air and gas to flow through the Micro-Ratio Valve into the furnace burner.

On September 1, 1965, Hydrogen Fluoride Generator #3 (HF #3), with which we are concerned in this lawsuit (Kaiser had two units in operation approximately four years at this time), was installed and Kaiser accepted it. Initial “light up” procedures were commenced — the pilot and furnace burners were lit and the heat in the furnace raised slowly to allow the fur[864]*864nace insulation bricks to set properly. On September 8, 1965, Hurricane Betsy forced the shutdown of the unit. After inspection, the unit was put back into operation a few days later. On September 19th a “puff out” or small explosion caused minor damage to the unit and necessitated the repair of the furnace ducts. Difficulty in maintaining a burner flame necessitated another shutdown and the replacement of the pilot tip.

On September 20, 1965, Kaiser again attempted to put HF #3 into operation. The burner was' lit, the Maxon Safety Valve opened, air and gas flowed into the furnace through the Micro-Ratio Valve, which at that time outwardly indicated the minimum open position. Mr. Oubre, plaintiff herein, then ran three Orsatt tests to determine the chemical analysis of the combustion gases and the percentages of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen contained therein. Immediately after Mr. Oubre finished his third Orsatt reading, the HF #3 operator, Mr. Johnson, moved the Micro-Ratio Valve to the mid-position and, as he turned toward the control board, an explosion occurred, which caused extensive physical and mental injuries to Mr. Oubre. As a result of these injuries and his subsequently being found incompetent to manage his personal affairs, Mr. Oubre has been unable to return to his job and his wife has been appointed his curatrix.

Suit was filed by Mrs. Oubre on behalf of herself and her husband against the Maxon Premix Burner Company, Inc., the General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation, Ltd. and The XYZ Contracting Company of Louisiana. The Camden Fire Insurance Association (Camden) was later substituted for General Accident and Thorpe and its insurer, St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company, for The XYZ Contracting Company of Louisiana.

Maxon filed an exception to jurisdiction based on a lack of minimum contacts. After its exception to jurisdiction was dismissed, Maxon answered plaintiff’s petition, reserving all rights under the exception. Camden had filed a general answer and numerous third party claims against Kaiser, Thorpe, S & R, Plant, all of Max-on’s suppliers of various valve component parts and their respective insurers. Kaiser intervened to recover the sums paid plaintiff under the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, for damages sustained to the plant, and for loss of income due to the purchase of HF gas while their #3 generator was repaired.

Due to the number of parties, many actions and counteractions were filed, the majority of which will be disposed of without discussion because the parties have been dismissed subsequent to trial and prior to this appeal.

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Bluebook (online)
232 So. 2d 861, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5767, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zeringue-v-maxon-premix-burner-co-lactapp-1970.