Title: Duetsch v. EL Murphy Trucking Co.

State: minnesota

Issuer: Minnesota Supreme Court

Document:

239 N.W.2d 462 (1976) Edna C. DUETSCH, Widow of George H. Duetsch, Relator, v. E. L. MURPHY TRUCKING COMPANY, et al., Respondents. No. 45410. Supreme Court of Minnesota. February 20, 1976. *463 Gislason Alsop Dosland & Hunter and Robert M. Halvorson, New Ulm, for relator. Van Eps Gilmore & Chantry, and Curtis C. Gilmore, Minneapolis, for respondents. Heard before SHERAN, C. J., and ROGOSHESKE and SCOTT, JJ., and considered and decided by the court en banc. SCOTT, Justice. This case is before us on a writ of certiorari sought by the widow of George Duetsch. The Workers' Compensation Board affirmed the decision of the compensation judge denying compensation for injuries sustained by her husband which subsequently caused his death. George Duetsch and E. L. Murphy Trucking Company entered into a lease agreement on February 10, 1972. Duetsch agreed to lease one tractor and one trailer to Murphy for a year. On April 24, 1972, while repairing the tractor, Duetsch suffered severe burns which subsequently caused his death. The contract provided in paragraph 1: Paragraph 4 provided: Paragraph 6 provided in part: And paragraph 9 provided in part: On the Friday prior to the accident, Duetsch sent Roger Ockwig with the tractor-trailer unit to Hamel, Minnesota, to pick up a load pursuant to instructions from Murphy. Duetsch had hired Ockwig with Murphy's approval to help him in driving the truck for Murphy. Ockwig left the trailer at the Hamel site when informed that the load could not be completed that day. Ockwig returned the tractor to Duetsch's garage in New Ulm, where Duetsch had facilities for maintenance and repair of his own equipment and from which location he operated his own trucking business. Upon learning that the Hamel load would not be ready until Tuesday, Duetsch began to repair the tractor's spring system. Ockwig helped him in this project. Duetsch was grinding a bolt for the spring when a spark fell into a pail of solvent and ignited it. When Duetsch took the pail outside his garage, he was burned. The only issue involved is whether Duetsch's injuries and subsequent death arose out of and in the course of employment within the meaning of the Workers' Compensation Act, or whether he was acting as an independent contractor at the time. In Tretter v. Dart Transit Co., 271 Minn. 131, 135 N.W.2d 484 (1965), the criteria for determining whether an individual is an employee or an independent contractor were stated by this court. Usually, the factors to be considered are: The most important of these factors is the right of the employer to control the mode and manner of performance. Hammes v. Suk, 291 Minn. 233, 190 N.W.2d 478 (1971). Relator argues that paragraphs 1 and 4 of the contract gave Murphy the right to control details of the work performed under the lease agreement. Relator argues also that certain work rules and procedures issued to Duetsch by Murphy further eliminated any discretion by Duetsch in the manner of his performance. Those rules relate to the purchase of repair items for company-owned trailers, maintenance requirements, and operating procedures. Neither the contract clauses cited nor the work rules controlled the manner in which Duetsch was to repair his tractor-trailer, however. Duetsch contracted to assume all operating and maintenance costs. Murphy did not furnish either tools or premises for the repair. Murphy did not pay Duetsch for repairing the truck. The insurance liability assumed by Murphy in the contract with Duetsch specifically excluded maintenance and repair. The facts of Tretter v. Dart Transit Co. supra, are similar to the instant situation in several respects. In Tretter, decedent was the owner and operator of a tractor that was leased to Dart Transit Company. Decedent contracted to pay for all repairs and was paid on a percentage-of-revenue basis. Decedent was killed while pulling a Dart trailer with a leased tractor. He had been free to drive the tractor himself or to furnish other drivers. This court found that plaintiff was an independent contractor without the protection of workers' compensation. We noted: The Tretter case is distinguishable in that Dart Transit did not withhold income and social security taxes and did not have the right to fire drivers of the leased truck. While these factors are relevant, they are not determinative of the question of independent contractor status. In the present case the parties plainly have contracted to make repairs the responsibility of Duetsch. The only control that Murphy had over the maintenance was the right to monthly inspections. The cases cited by the petitioner are inapposite. Snyder v. General Paper Corp., 277 Minn. 376, 152 N.W.2d 743 (1967), involved an employee who choked to death at a business dinner. Epp v. Midwestern Machinery Co., 296 Minn. 231, 208 N.W.2d 87 (1973), involved an employee truckdriver who was killed while crossing a street during a required layover on route. Sandmeyer v. City of Bemidji, 281 Minn. 217, 161 N.W.2d 318 (1968), involved an off-duty policeman who was killed while target shooting. None of these cases involved the distinction between employee and independent contractor. The repair work in which Duetsch was engaged was not an incident of an employment contract, but rather a responsibility of Duetsch as lessor. While Murphy may have received some benefit from Duetsch's repairs, this is not the test where the lessor has agreed to be responsible for maintenance.[1] It is immaterial what relationship might have been present had the accident happened while Duetsch was out on the road. The question is whether he was in the course of employment at the time of this accident. It is clear, under all the facts and circumstances of this case, that his injuries arose out of his acts as an independent contractor. We hold that the board's findings were correct. Affirmed. [1] The Wisconsin case cited by appellant for the benefits test involved a different workers' compensation statute. Employers Mutual Lia. Ins. Co. v. Dept. of Industry, Labor & Human Relations, 52 Wis.2d 515, 190 N.W.2d 907 (1971). In Wisconsin an independent contractor can still be considered an employee unless he maintains a separate business, holds himself out to and renders services to the public, or is himself an employer subject to the Wisconsin Compensation Act. Wis.Stat.1973, § 102.07(8).