Irwin v. Porter
Irwin v. Porter
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The material question in this case has been quite fully answered in the opinion of Judge Ferguson in the court below as will be seen by a report of that opinion filed.
The Baldwin Locomotive Works planned to erect an electric truck shop. They entered into a general contract with the McClintic, Marshall Construction Company for the erection of the steel frame of the proposed shop, and into another general contract with the appellees for most of the other work necessary to the completion of the building. The appellees made a subcontract with the appellant for a part of the work. It was one of appellant’s employees that was killed and the compensation board allowed to the dependents of the employee a claim against the appellees. The question before the court below arose solely on the indemnity contract between the contractor and subcontractor upon which suit was brought. The court below directed judgment for want of a sufficient affidavit of defense.
The appellant urges that he is not liable because the language of the indemnifying contract contemplated only such loss as might arise through some fault of his in the performance of his work, or growing out of the execution of the work he had agreed to do; and that in no event could the language of the contract embrace a liability for the fault of some one not in any manner connected with the work and with whom he was in no way contractually related and who, to all intents and purposes, was a mere bystander. We cannot agree with the appellant’s contention. The McClintic, Marshall Construction Company’s relation to this work was of such nature that it imposed upon the appellant, Porter, the duty of so arranging his work that his employees were not unnecessarily placed in a position of danger. That
The judgment is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.