Forrester v. Scott
Forrester v. Scott
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. "Ordinarily, when one lends his servant to another for a particular employment, the servant will be dealt with as a servant of the person to whom he is lent, although he remains the general servant of the person who lent him. Travelers Ins. Co. v. Clark, 58 Ga. App. 115, 122 (197 SE 650); Blakely v. U. S. Fidelity &c. Co., 67 Ga. App. 795, 797 (21 SE2d 339). In Fulghum Industries, Inc. v. Pollard, 106 Ga. App. 49, 52 (126 SE2d 432), it was announced by this court that the test to be applied in ascertaining if one is a loaned servant is composed of three elements: '(1) that the special master must have complete control and direction of the servant for the occasion; (2) that the general master must have no such control; (3) that the special master must have the exclusive right to dis
Under the authority of the general rules set out above, before a summary judgment can be legally granted in this case, holding that the .loaned servant was. at the time of his death not the servant of his original employer, but the servant of the special master to whom he was loaned, three questions must be answered in the affirmative, to wit: 1. Did the special master have complete control and direction of the servant for the occasion? 2. Did the general master have no control or direction over the servant for the occasion? 3. Did the special master have the exclusive right to discharge the servant,, to put another in his place, or put the servant to other work?
The evidence submitted here of the loan- of a servant who was "borrowed” fails to show that no genuine issue as to. any material fact remained for jury determination. The affiant states that the servant was subject to his. orders and control (under his supervision and direction) and that he had the right to discharge him from this particular employment either upon completion- of the work or for his failure
It is my opinion that the lower court erred in granting summary judgment for the movant, and I therefore dissent.
I am authorized to state that Judge Quillian concurs in this dissent.
Opinion of the Court
This is a wrongful death case in which the mother of the deceased sued a subcontractor (a partnership) for damages resulting from the negligence of the defendants when her son was killed while employed by a general contractor. The deceased was alleged to be engaged in the performance of his duties at the bottom of a sewer excavation when the sides fell in on him and killed him. His death was allegedly caused solely by reason of the defective and unsafe condition of the construction of the excavation by the defendants, said partnership being a subcontractor of the general contractor. The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment contending that there is now pending before. the State Board of Workmen’s Compensation a claim by the plaintiff against the general contractor for the death of the deceased; and that the defendants, as subcontractors, are not such third persons against whom a common law action will lie. Attached to the motion for summary judgment is an affidavit of one of the defendants stating
The mother filed her affidavit to be considered on the motion for summary judgment in which she contends that her son was the employee of the general contractor at the time of his death which was caused by the "reckless disregard for the safety of her son,” constituting a wilful tort by the defendants who had negligently constructed said ditch and were negligent in the laying of said sewer lines. The lower court sustained the motion for summary judgment. Held:
1. Affirmed. Under this statement of facts it is clear that the deceased employee though a general employee of Wise, the general contractor, was a "borrowed employee” of the defendants at the time of his death; that the rela
In Bli Constr. Co. v. Knowles, 123 Ga. App. 588 (181 SE2d 879), we held that an employee of a subcontractor can maintain a common law action against the principal contractor based on negligence of the principal contractor. However, we do not have that situation in this case as the injury arose out of and in the course of the employment while claimant’s deceased was employed as a special employee of the subcontractor, thus bringing the facts of this case under Scott v. Savannah Elec. &c. Co., 84 Ga. App. 553, 556 (66 SE2d 179) which held as follows: "While the plaintiff was loaned to the defendant he was as to that company in doing the work, subject to their control, and occupied the position of a special employee, and as such he could recover for an accidental injury sustained by him .arising out of and during the course of his employment only under the compensation law, and he could recover from either employer or from both, as the facts might justify, and in this connection see generally U. S. Fidelity &c. Co. v. Stapleton, 37 Ga. App. 707 (141 SE 506). The plaintiff, having elected to proceed against his general employer,, the Savannah Machine & Foundry Company, and having recovered compensation from that employer, is now precluded from bringing any common law action against his special employer, the defendant, based upon any alleged negligence of that employer. The injury sustained was one arising out of and during the course of. plaintiff’s employment and as a result thereof and is therefore compensable. Where the injury sustained is one compensable under the compensation act and both the employer and employee are subject thereto and have not rejected its provisions, a common law suit on account of such injury is not maintainable by the employee against his employer, ei
The opposing affidavit to the effect that the deceased was "the employee of the general contractor” in no way conflicts with defendant’s evidence that indeed he was a "general employee” of the general contractor, but at the time of his injury he was a "loaned” or special employee of the subcontractor, by whose negligence he was allegedly injured.
The trial court was correct in granting the defendant’s motion for summary judgment.
Judgment affirmed.
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