Case Name: SEEDKEM SOUTH, INC. a/k/a Tenatek, Inc. v. Gary G. LEE
Court: Mississippi Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 1980-12-10
Citations: 391 So. 2d 990
Docket Number: No. 51841
Parties: SEEDKEM SOUTH, INC. a/k/a Tenatek, Inc. v. Gary G. LEE.
Judges: Before SMITH, BROOM and COFER, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 391
Pages: 990–1000

Head Matter:
SEEDKEM SOUTH, INC. a/k/a Tenatek, Inc. v. Gary G. LEE.
No. 51841.
Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Dec. 10, 1980.
Frank W. Hunger, Lake, Tindall, Hunger & Thackston, Greenville, for appellant.
Wayne 0. Lee, Gaines S. Dyer, Dyer, Dyer & Dyer, Greenville, for appellee.
Before SMITH, BROOM and COFER, JJ.

Opinion:
SMITH, Presiding Justice,
for the Court:
Seedkem South, Inc. appeals from a judgment in favor of Gary G. Lee for $2,934.52 rendered against it by the County Court, and affirmed by the Circuit Court, of Washington County. Lee's suit was brought originally against Seedkem and one Sanchez, an employee, and was for the recovery of damages to Lee's automobile alleged to have resulted from a collision between Lee's car, driven by him, and a bob truck leased by Seedkem and being driven by Sanchez. It was alleged that the collision and resulting damages were the results of negligence upon the part of Sanchez in the operation of the truck and that Seedkem was liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior.
Before the trial began plaintiff effected a settlement with Sanchez and he went out of the case as a party.
By agreement, the case was heard before the county court judge without the intervention of a jury. At the conclusion of the evidence, the trial judge applied the comparative negligence statute, holding that both Sanchez and Lee had been guilty of negligence which proximately contributed to the collision; that Sanchez was, at the time, acting within the scope of his employment by Seedkem and was about the business of Seedkem and that Seedkem, therefore, was liable to Lee.
There was no substantial conflict in the evidence with respect to the material issues.
Plaintiff Lee, in addition to his own eyewitness testimony, offered these witnesses on the issue of liability: Mississippi Highway Patrolman Williams, Greenville Police Officer Wages and Sanchez. Sanchez testified for the plaintiff, Lee, (the record shows an an "adverse" witness). In substance, Sanchez said that he had delivered the truck to National Car Rentals in Greenville, from whom Seedkem had leased it, for servicing in keeping with instructions from Seedkem, that he had waited until the truck had been serviced. The servicing of the truck was completed at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Sanchez then called Seedkem, whose place of business was near Lake Providence, Louisiana, and talked to a fellow employee. He instructed this employee to have him checked out at 4:30 p. m. and told him that afterward he would not return immediately to Louisiana but would visit with relatives in Greenville.
On cross-examination, Sanchez admitted that his statement that he was going to visit relatives in Greenville was "a complete fabrication and falsehood." He testified that in reality what he intended to do was to go and have some drinks. He said that he left National Car Rentals at about 3:00 in the afternoon and drove the truck to a place known as the Riverdale Club where he stayed about three hours drinking beer and shooting pool. From there he drove to another similar establishment known as "B's" where he stayed until about midnight and continued his beer drinking.
Sanchez testified that the reason he made a false report to Seedkem by telephone was that he knew that Seedkem had a "strict policy against drinking on the job." He said that his instructions had been that when he returned to his home at Lake Providence to take the vehicle to his home and keep it there until he reported for work on Monday morning. There is no testimony that he had permission to use the truck for personal business or pleasure.
The account of the collision itself given by Sanchez was to the effect that, at about midnight, after some nine hours of beer drinking and pool playing, he decided to leave B's and started back toward Louisiana on Highway 82. After going two or three miles, he had developed a headache (not surprisingly) and said that he intended to return to B's, the place he had just left, in order to get an aspirin. On leaving B's, he had proceeded only two or three miles in a westerly direction on Highway 82. Highway 82 is a four-lane highway and Sanchez turned south across the median for the purpose of entering the east bound lane of the highway. In order to return to B's it was necessary that he proceed east to the next interchange and turn north and then west. He stated that he "was going to make a left turn at the median there," and said that it was then that the collision occurred. He said that prior thereto he saw no vehicles to his rear and insisted that only one car was involved in the collision. He said he was slowing down to make a left turn, that he was on the inside lane next to the median.
On cross-examination, Sanchez admitted, as he had testified on a previous occasion, that his instructions had been that he was to have the truck serviced, go back home and park it there at his house. He admitted that he understood from his instructions that after the truck was serviced he was to bring it "right back" to his house in Louisiana and that he understood his instructions were to take the truck right on back to his house in Louisiana after it was serviced in Greenville.
The collision occurred at the intersection of Highway 82 and Cypress Lane Road, at the City of Greenville. It was investigated by Mississippi Highway Patrolman Williams. Williams testified for plaintiff. He said that two other vehicles had been involved in the collision with the vehicle driven by Sanchez. Although the evidence is incontrovertible that this was true, Sanchez denied it throughout his testimony. He stated that the damage to the truck had been to the left front tire, bumper and fender. Patrolman Williams said that Sanchez was drunk, (Sanchez had said that he didn't "think" that he was). Patrolman Williams said that his conclusion was based upon the fact that "He (Sanchez) was unsteady on his feet, from the way he was talking, he was blushed around the face, his eyes were red and I could also smell alcohol-not only on him but on his clothes also." He testified that plaintiff Lee told him at the scene that as he approached "travelling east toward Greenville" that he had seen the Sanchez truck "on the right shoulder of the road . . . headed east toward Green-ville." As he (plaintiff Lee), approached Sanchez's vehicle it began to pull to its left, out on the road, and he, plaintiff Lee, switched lanes. As he switched lanes Sanchez's vehicle hit him. The other truck involved, was being driven by one McGee. Patrolman Williams said "-I talked to him (McGee) and he said he saw the first accident and was going to try to go around and that is when the other truck hit him-where the bob truck hit him."
Patrolman Williams testified, without objection, that in his investigation that he had learned that just prior to the accident the bob truck had been parked off the right hand side of the road, facing Greenville and that the two pickups which collided with it, were also headed toward Greenville. He testified that plaintiff Lee had told him that as he (Lee) approached it (Sanchez truck) pulled out into the highway and as it did he (Lee) switched to the left lane, and in the process of switching to the left lane it was at that point in which the vehicles collided. Patrolman Williams said that when he arrived at the scene, none of the vehicles had been moved, the front of the bob truck was headed east.
Patrolman Williams testified "There were three vehicles involved, one vehicle being a bob truck (Sanchez) belonging to National Car Rentals and two pickup trucks involved. One of the pickup trucks was off in a barpit on the right side of the road which would be the east bound lane and was overturned." Patrolman Williams took photographs of the scene which appear to support his testimony. These photographs indicated that the first vehicle and the bob truck collided in the right hand east bound lane and the second at about the center line of the east bound lane, the bob truck (Sanchez) coming to rest in the median.
Greenville City Police Officer Dyer also went to the scene and testified for plaintiff. He said that "The man (Sanchez) was unsteady on his feet; he wasn't falling down drunk or anything of that nature, but he was unsteady on his feet and in my opinion should not have been operating a motor vehicle." When Dyer was asked if he (Sanchez) was drunk or sober he answered "Drunk. Too much to be driving." He stated that he noticed nothing abnormal about the drivers of the other vehicles.
Plaintiff Lee, testifying in his own behalf as an eyewitness, said:
He (Sanchez) was coming off the shoulder of the road and I was in the right hand lane, the eastbound lane-he had done come across that part, so I went to the left hand lane trying to get around him-there wasn't no way I could stop it happened so fast and he was coming across the lane and I hit him.
He also testified that "It looked like he (Sanchez) was drunk-he was trying to direct traffic and they arrested him." He testified that when he first saw the bob truck it was located on the right shoulder of the highway headed east. He said he first noticed the truck on the shoulder of the highway when it began pulling out into his lane of traffic. Plaintiff Lee testified further:
A. He (Sanchez) pulled off the shoulder-see, I was in the right hand lane and he pulled off the shoulder into the right hand lane, so I went to the left hand lane-it was still the eastbound traffic lane-to try to get around him.
Q. Where was your truck and the bob truck located with reference to the two lanes when the impact occurred?
A. In the center of the left hand eastbound lane.
The trial judge delivered an opinion in which he stated a number of conclusions, including the following:
Sanchez was at various times about the business of his principal acting as agent and at other times had deviated from his agency relationship and was engaged in certain personal activities. For example, the time he spent at the Riverdale Lounge was a deviation from his agency relationship-it was his personal pursuit. The time that he spent at "B's" place was a deviation from his agency relationship and was his personal pursuit. Earlier he had the truck serviced which was in the service of his principal. During those periods of time when he was moving that truck in the direction of Lake Providence, Louisiana, between the episodes of his drinking in these lounges or beer joints he was, nevertheless, in the service of his principal.... [Although he in some respects violated rules of his principal or master he, nevertheless, had a common understanding as to sufficient latitute (sic) about his taking care of the truck; . . . Now, at the precise moment when the accident took place was he in a deviation from the agency relationship or was he on his master's business-his principal's business? There is substantial testimony that he was making a "U" turn at the time. This "U" turn would have taken him from a generaly (sic) easterly direction toward a generally westerly direction or toward the Mississippi River bridge and presumably to Arkansas and Louisiana on the other side. In other words, back home-back to the place of his principal's place of business. . . . Whatever his intent was in his fairly into- cicated (sic) state his actions were to divert this truck from a direction away from Louisiana in a "U" turn to go toward Louisiana where it was his duty to return the truck. . . . Finally, the Court concludes that at the time of the impact with the plaintiff's vehicle Mr. Roy Sanchez was indeed and in fact acting as the agent of his principal at that precise moment Seedkem South a/k/a Tenatek, Inc. This is not to say this was not an interesting itenerary (sic). It is almost as if to say that if he had had a collision with someone while driving into one of these beer joints in the driveway, he would have been in a period of deviation. If he had hit somebody while driving out of the beer joint toward Louisiana, he would have been resuming his employment. Notwithstanding the difficulties of the exact sequence of times and moments of time, the Court has concluded that which the Court has found here. So much for the agency relationship.
(R.106).
The trial court made it clear in its opinion that Sanchez's activities during the nine hour beer drinking spree had indeed constituted a deviation from the scope of his employment by Seedkem. The court noticed, however, that Sanchez had left B's and had driven two or three miles in a westerly direction on Highway 82 toward Louisiana before he made a decision to return to B's for an "aspirin." On making that decision, Sanchez had made a U-turn left, entering the east bound lane on Highway 82 and had proceeded along Highway 82 in an easterly direction toward Green-ville. It was Sanchez's further purpose or intention (in his secret mind) to make another U-turn and, that completed and the median crossed, to turn back west and proceed for a couple of miles in order to return to B's. Apparently it is only assumed that, having gone back to B's and taken his aspirin, Sanchez, at some unspecified future time, would again leave B's and again start back in the direction of Louisiana. It is clear from the eye-witness testimony of plaintiff Lee that only the first act which can be construed as having been consistent with this projected procedure had been performed, when Sanchez, from a parked position on the right shoulder of the east bound lane, reentered the highway from the right, into the path of plaintiff Lee who himself was travelling in the right hand east bound lane and it is there that the collision occurred, all vehicles "pointed toward Green-ville."
We have found no case in which the facts were comparable to the undisputed facts in this case. An examination of the authorities would indicate that each case has been decided on the basis of its own peculiar facts and circumstances. The plaintiff, Gary Lee, testified in his own behalf as an eye-witness to all of the facts and circumstances immediately prior to, at the time of and following the collision. He is bound by his own testimony. He stated unequivocally that when he observed the truck operated by Sanchez it was parked on the right shoulder of the east bound lane headed toward Greenville and that the collision occurred when it pulled into his lane, which was the right hand east bound lane of the highway, and that he tried to go around the truck, but was unable to do so.
We think the conclusion of the trial court that Sanchez was making a U-turn "at the time" is contrary to the testimony of the plaintiff as an eye-witness. Sanchez had made a U-turn but it was to travel east. The trial court said that when and if the second U-turn had been completed Sanchez would have then been headed back to his principal place of business in Louisiana, if he had turned west to go to B's. Sanchez did say that it was his purpose to make another turn and go back west to B's. Actually, the testimony of Sanchez was that he purposed to make a U-turn in order to go back to B's for an aspirin. There can be no question that all of the vehicles were headed easterly toward Greenville at the time of the collision. The plaintiff is bound by his own eye-witness testimony that this was a fact. The same thing applies to Sanchez's statement that he was in the left lane when the plaintiff testified positively that Sanchez was on the right shoulder of the east bound lane, that he, plaintiff, was in the right hand east bound lane, and that it was when Sanchez turned left into the right hand east bound lane that the collision occurred.
The trial court said: "Whatever his intent was in his fairly intoxicated state his actions were to divert this truck from a direction away from Louisiana in a "U" turn to go toward Louisiana where it was his duty to return the truck." Actually, of course, Sanchez only said that he was returning to B's for an aspirin.
No one can know what Sanchez, in his intoxicated condition, had intended to do if the collision had not occurred. It is clear from the record that Sanchez remembers little about it. He even denies colliding with two automobiles, although it is an incontrovertible fact that he did. In any event whatever he intended to do eventually, it was only something he "intended" to do but had not done. As a matter of fact, it is quite likely that throughout the nine-hour drinking spree he "intended" at some time or other to return home to Louisiana.
We have concluded that the correct rule in cases of this kind with regard to the liability of employer for tortious acts of his employee is correctly stated in 35 Am.Jur., p. 989, Master and Servant, par. 555, which this Court quoted with approval in International Shoe Co. v. Harrison, 217 Miss. 152, 63 So.2d 837 (1953):
"The general rule is that if an employee who is delegated to perform certain work for his employer steps or turns aside from his master's work or business to serve some purpose of his own, not connected with the employer's business, or, as it is often expressed, deviates or departs from his work to accomplish some purpose of his own not connected with his employment-goes on a 'frolic of his own'-the relation of master and servant is thereby temporarily suspended, and the master is not liable for his acts during the period of such suspension; he is then acting upon his own volition, obeying his own will, not as a servant, but as an independent person, even though he intends to and does return to his employer's business after he has accomplished the purpose of his detour from duty. The test of the employer's liability for the act of an employee who departs from the employer's business for purposes of his own is whether he was engaged in his employer's business at the time of the accident, and not whether he purposed to resume it. The employee is, so long as he is engaged in affairs of his own or in pursuing some purpose unrelated to his master's business, acting as much outside the scope of his employment as he would be were his working day ended, or his task completed, and thus his employer is relieved from liability for the consequence of any tortious conduct committed by the employee during that period, however short it may be." (Emphasis added).
Applying the above rule to the particular facts of the present case, we have reached the conclusion that under the testimony offered by plaintiff, including his own eye-witness testimony by which he is bound, the deviation having been established, no such return to duty had taken place as would place the acts of Sanchez as having been performed within the scope of his employment by Seedkem so as to render Seedkem liable therefor under the doctrine of respondeat superior. The case will be reversed and a judgment will be entered here for Seedkem.
REVERSED AND JUDGMENT ENTERED HERE FOR SEEDKEM.
ROBERTSON, P. J., and SUGG, WALKER, BROOM and COFER, JJ., concur.
BOWLING, J., PATTERSON, C. J., and LEE, J., dissent.