Title: CAMPBELL SIXTY-SIX EXPRESS v. Adventure Line Mfg. Co.

State: kansas

Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court

Document:

209 Kan. 357 (1972)
496 P.2d 1351
CAMPBELL SIXTY-SIX EXPRESS, INC., Appellant,
v.
ADVENTURE LINE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., Appellee.
No. 46,338

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed May 6, 1972.
Nelson E. Toburen, of Keller, Wilbert, Palmer & Lassman, of Pittsburg, argued the cause and was on the brief for the appellant.
Glenn Jones, of Parsons, argued the cause, and Richard C. Dearth and Jack L. Goodrich, also of Parsons, were with him on the brief for the appellee.
*358 The opinion of the court was delivered by
OWSLEY, J.:
This is an action to recover for loss of a semitrailer by fire. Plaintiff appeals from a jury verdict in favor of the defendant. On December 9, 1968, a fire occurred at the defendant's place of business in Parsons, Kansas. As a result of the fire defendant's place of business was totally destroyed, as well as plaintiff's 1967 Utility Van semitrailer which was parked for loading at the defendant's plant.
The defendant was engaged in manufacturing antipersonnel bombs under contract with the federal government for use by the Kansas Ordnance Plant at Parsons, Kansas. The plaintiff is a common carrier and also had a contract with the federal government to transfer the bombs from defendant's plant to the Kansas Ordnance Plant.
Several amendments were made to the plaintiff's petition as a result of pretrial proceedings, but at the time the case was tried the petition alleged specific acts of negligence in Count I, and alleged facts in support of the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur in Count II. The petition also alleged plaintiff was a business invitee on defendant's premises requiring defendant to exercise due care over plaintiff's property. The defendant in his answer denied that plaintiff was an invitee on its premises and alleged that defendant was a gratuitous bailee, which bailment was for the exclusive benefit of the bailor. The answer also alleged that plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence.
Pursuant to K.S.A. 60-236 (a), plaintiff filed a Request for Admissions in the following form:
"B. That each of the following statements is true.
The Request for Admissions was partly framed from a transcript of the record in Arnold v. Western Casualty & Surety Co., 209 Kan. 80, 495 P.2d 1007, involving the same fire. The defendant failed within the period designated by the plaintiff to file a sworn statement or written objections to the requests; thus, the admissions became binding. The defendant also made oral statements before the court admitting the truth of the statements expressed in the requests.
The record discloses that the plaintiff, after the admissions were made, sought summary judgment. Plaintiff claimed the status of its property on defendant's premises was that of a business invitee and the court should so rule as a matter of law. Plaintiff also claimed defendant was negligent as a matter of law and that plaintiff was free from contributory negligence as a matter law. After *360 denial of plaintiffs' motion, the plaintiff sought a partial summary judgment, again on the basis of admissions, eliminating the issue of contributory negligence. This motion was also denied. At the close of all the evidence plaintiff moved for a directed verdict, pointing out that each issue in the case could be and should be determined as a question of law rather than as a question of fact.
On appeal plaintiff presents several specifications of error. We will consider only those specifications we deem determinative of the issues in this controversy.
We refer first to specification of error No. 2, which reads as follows:
Plaintiff argues that under the admitted and undisputed facts of this case a question of law was presented regarding the relationship of the parties and the duty of care required. Plaintiff argues the court should have determined as a matter of law whether the status of the plaintiff on the defendant's premises was (1) a bailment, gratuitous, or for mutual benefit, (2) a licensee, or (3) a business visitor-invitee.
C.C. John, owner of the defendant company, testified as follows:
"Q. Whose convenience did it serve?
"A. It served theirs, strictly theirs.
"Q. Did it serve any convenience of yours?
"A. No.
This testimony, coupled with the admissions, discloses that plaintiff's trailer was parked on its premises with defendant's permission, consent, approval, and invitation.
We defined a business invitee in Weil v. Smith, 205 Kan. 339, 469 P.2d 428, as follows:
Express invitation to plaintiff is supplied by the undisputed evidence that defendant called plaintiff to furnish a trailer for loading. Implied invitation is supplied by the manner in which the business was conducted. The defendant could not fulfill its contract with the government unless truckers such as plaintiff were permitted to place their trailers in a loading position at the defendant's dock; thus, the benefit to the defendant was supplied. We are unable to glean from the record any undisputed facts bearing on the status of plaintiff when the trailer was placed at defendant's plant.
We are aware of the rule that courts should not encroach upon the province of a jury when the facts, though undisputed, are such that reasonable persons might draw differing inferences and arrive at opposite conclusions. (Weil v. Smith, supra.) Notwithstanding this cautionary rule, we are satisfied reasonable minds could not reach any conclusion other than plaintiff is a business invitee within the definition as above expressed.
Defendant cites Lobenstein v. Pritchett, 8 Kan. 213, Graham v. Loper Electric Co., 192 Kan. 558, 389 P.2d 750, and Weil v. Smith, supra, as being contrary to plaintiff's position. In each of these decisions there were issues of fact bearing on status of the parties. We have found no issues of fact here.
We conclude the plaintiff was a business invitee as a matter of law and the defendant is liable for plaintiff's loss if it resulted from defendant's failure to exercise reasonable and ordinary care.
Plaintiff's specification of error No. 5 reads:
We will consider the court's ruling on the motion for directed verdict at the close of the evidence. Since we have concluded as *362 a matter of law that plaintiff was a business invitee, we must now determine whether the defendant was guilty of failing to exercise reasonable and ordinary care as a matter of law.
Again, we examine the admissions. It was there stated that Frank Leslie Mitchell, while acting in the scope of his employment as an agent, servant and employee of the defendant, was spraying a flammable liquid onto the pot on die casting machine number six which resulted in a fire. It was stated to spray the liquid onto the machine in this manner was not a careful and safe manner of operation and was contrary to his instructions. It was also stated that when the fire started Mitchell did not lay the gun down, but tossed it onto the floor, which caused the base attached to the gun to separate and die cast liquid sprayed out under pressure resulting in spreading the fire over a large area of the plant.
C.C. John testified:
"A. That is correct.
"Q. And it ran down and started the fire?
"A. That is correct."
Robert B. Evans-Lombe, an employee of defendant, testified:
Wesley Frank, an employee of defendant, testified:
"Q. Is that contrary to good procedure?
"A. For that type of fluid it is.
"Q. Contrary to his instructions?
"A. Yes.
"Q. It got rid of the BB's quicker, is that right?
"A. It got rid of the BB's quicker.
Considering the admissions of defendant, together with the quoted testimony, we are satisfied that reasonable minds could reach only one conclusion that defendant through its employee was guilty of negligence which caused the fire and the loss of plaintiff's trailer. Defendant argues the fatal fire would not have occurred if Mitchell had not thrown the gun. Defendant points out there was no admission that Mitchell was negligent in dropping the gun and whether or not this act resulted in negligence was a question of fact for the jury.
Whether or not the act of Mitchell in dropping the gun was negligent is immaterial. The act of Mitchell in dropping the gun was a natural and continuous sequence of the employee's original act of negligence. The proximate cause of the fire was the original negligent act of Mitchell. The subsequent act of Mitchell in dropping the gun was not an efficient intervening cause of the loss. Proximate cause is defined in Shideler v. Habiger, 172 Kan. 718, 243 P.2d 211:
We have no difficulty in finding as a matter of law that defendant was guilty of negligence and that such negligence was the proximate cause of the fire and the loss.
One matter remains to be considered  contributory negligence. Defendant in its answer alleged the following:
Even if the facts alleged were supported by the evidence, we believe plaintiff was free from contributory negligence as a matter of law. Succinctly stated, defendant claims two acts of contributory negligence: (1) removing the tractor from the trailer after placing the trailer in a loading position on defendant's premises, and (2) failing to provide a means of contacting plaintiff.
The evidence was undisputed that it was usual procedure to remove the tractors during the loading process. No reasonable argument can be made that this act in itself constitutes contributory negligence. Nothing more appears in the record. In order to construe this act as contributory negligence we feel it was incumbent on defendant to show that plaintiff had some reason to believe his trailer was in some danger of being damaged.
*365 We see no merit in defendant's contention that plaintiff was contributorially negligent in failing to provide means of being contacted. In the absence of any evidence to alert plaintiff that he should be available for defendant's call, this argument fails.
An appellate review of plaintiff's other specifications of error is unnecessary in view of what we have said herein.
The judgment is reversed with directions to enter judgment for the plaintiff in the sum of $5,091.47, the stipulated loss herein.