Case Name: Herman FISHER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CASH GROCERY AND SALES et al., Defendants-Appellees
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1975-07-30
Citations: 316 So. 2d 872
Docket Number: No. 5074
Parties: Herman FISHER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CASH GROCERY AND SALES et al., Defendants-Appellees.
Judges: Before HOOD, CULPEPPER and WATSON, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 316
Pages: 872–876

Head Matter:
Herman FISHER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CASH GROCERY AND SALES et al., Defendants-Appellees.
No. 5074.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.
July 30, 1975.
Rehearing Denied Aug. 28, 1975.
C. O. Brown, Alexandria, for plaintiff-appellant.
Gold, Hall, Hammill & Little by John F. Simon, Alexandria, for defendants-appel-lees.
Before HOOD, CULPEPPER and WATSON, JJ.

Opinion:
WATSON, Judge.
Herman Fisher, plaintiff, filed this suit for workmen's compensation benefits against Cash Grocery and Sales, Dewey Gremillion and Symond Corporation. From a judgment of the trial court, sustaining a motion for summary judgment on behalf of Cash Grocery (properly identified as Consolidated Companies, Inc. d/b/a Cash Grocery and Sales Company), plaintiff now appeals. Under the provisions of LSA-C.C.P. art. 966, the only issues to be considered are: (1) whether there is a genuine issue as to a material fact; and (2) if not, whether mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
The only pertinent factual data is found in plaintiff's petition and the affida vits filed by Cash Grocery in support of the motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff testified at the hearing on the motion which is a procedure not provided for by statute. His testimony does not reflect the existence of factual issues, and in any event, we would be inclined to disregard such testimony. Summary judgment is to be considered on pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file and affidavits — not on testimony at a hearing. LSA-C.C.P. art. 966.
Plaintiff's petition alleges that he was employed by Dewey Gremillion, one of the defendants, as a carpenter's helper on March 4, 1974, when the accident and resulting injury are alleged to have occurred. Plaintiff further alleges that Gremillion was employed at the time by Cash Grocery for carpentry and roofing work on its store.
The affidavits filed in support of the motion for summary judgment reflect that Dewey Gremillion was working under a contract with Cash Grocery to build a canopy on the building occupied by Cash Grocery; whom he employed was solely in his control and discretion. The affidavits also state that Cash Grocery was not at the time of the accident engaged in the business of constructing canopies or any other type of building or structure and that plaintiff was not employed by Cash Grocery.
From the affidavits and plaintiff's petition is it undisputed that plaintiff was working for Dewey Gremillion and not for Cash Grocery. Likewise it is undisputed that the work which Gremillion and plaintiff were doing was not part of Cash Grocery's business.
The inquiry now turns to the second issue, whether Cash Grocery is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. The Louisiana Workmen's Compensation Act contemplates chiefly the claim of an employee against his employer. LSA-R.S. 23:1031.
The only possible theory under which plaintiff could proceed (and this is not actually alleged) is that he was what is sometimes referred to as a "statutory employee". The law as concerns employees of contractors and sub-contractors, and the responsibilities of those who engage the contractors and sub-contractors, is provided by LSA-R.S. 23:1061 which reads as follows:
"Where any person (in this section referred to as principal) undertakes to execute any work, which is a part of his trade, business, or occupation or which he had contracted to perform, and contracts with any person (in this section referred to as contractor) for the execution by or under the contractor of the whole or any part of the work undertaken by the principal, the principal shall be liable to pay to any employee employed in the execution of the work or to his dependent, any compensation under this Chapter which he would have been liable to pay if the employee had been immediately employed by him; and where compensation is claimed from, or proceedings are taken against, the principal, then, in the application of this Chapter reference to the principal shall be substituted for reference to the employer, except that the amount of compensation shall be calculated with reference to the earnings of the employee under the employer by whom he is immediately employed.
Where the principal is liable to pay compensation under this Section, he shall be entitled to indemnity from any person who independently of this Section would have been liable to pay compensation to the employee or his dependent, and shall have a cause of action therefore."
To qualify for compensation benefits from Cash Grocery under this provision as a "statutory employee", plaintiff would be required to establish that the work that Dewey Gremillion was doing for Cash Grocery was part of the trade, business or occupation of Cash Grocery. This point is specifically attacked and denied by the affidavits filed by the manager of Cash Grocery and the senior vice-president of the parent company of Cash Grocery. The point is made by the affidavits that Cash Grocery is simply not in the business of building canopies or anything else. Plaintiff's petition does not allege to the contrary and no showing made by plaintiff in the record demonstrates an issue as to this fact. As a matter of law we conclude that Cash Grocery is entitled to summary judgment.
Therefore, the judgment is affirmed and costs are taxed against appellant.
Affirmed.
HOOD, J., concurs in the result and assigns written reasons.
. Symond Corporation, a foreign corporation, is identified in plaintiff's petition as the builder of the scaffold which collapsed and caused his fall; this defendant is not involved in the instant appeal.