Opinion ID: 1781085
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: m cattle company's defenses

Text: M M Cattle Company first argues Benny Farley was contributorily negligent as a matter of law. It is asserted that the procedure of laning the calf which the young cowboys were using at the time of the accident is so dangerous as to be negligence as a matter of law. Although there was testimony that this procedure was dangerous, there was also testimony that it was commonly used. We do not feel it could be said as a matter of law that a reasonable fifteen-year-old boy under the same or similar circumstances would not have used this same procedure. See Boaz v. White's Auto Stores, 141 Tex. 366, 172 S.W.2d 481 (1943); Dewhurst v. South Texas Rendering Co., 232 S.W.2d 135 (Tex.Civ.App.San Antonio 1950, writ ref'd n. r. e.). M M Cattle Company also seeks to absolve itself of liability by application of the well-established rule that the employer is not liable to an employee for injuries caused by the negligence of another employee when both are engaged in a common employment or enterprise. E. g., Armour & Co. v. Morgan, 108 Tex. 417, 194 S.W. 942 (1917); Sandefur v. Sandefur, 232 S.W.2d 111 (Tex.Civ.App.Amarillo 1950, writ ref'd). M M Cattle Company claims that even if Benny Farley was not negligent in laning the calf certainly Danny Beebe was negligent in doing so, and, thus, Benny Farley's recovery is barred. For the reasons stated above, we do not believe there is sufficient evidence to establish negligence as a matter of law on the part of either of the boys in laning the calf. In addition, it is established that when the master's negligence is concurrent with that of a fellow servant, the fellow servant rule will not preclude recovery. Fort Worth Elevators Co. v. Russell, supra ; Armour & Co. v. Morgan, supra. M M Cattle Company further argues that the rule of parental immunity which protects Bunk Farley from suit similarly protects Bunk's employer, M M Cattle Company. We think this argument is foreclosed by this court's decision in Felderhoff v. Felderhoff, 473 S.W.2d 928 (Tex.1971). In that case it was determined that the rule of parental immunity would not bar a child's action against a farming partnership of which the child's father was a member. It was emphasized in that case that the accident occurred in the conduct of the business activities of the partnership and wholly outside the sphere of the father's parental duties and responsibilities. This is precisely the situation in the instant case. Bunk Farley, in directing Benny to ride Crowbar and in failing to supervise him in his activities, was acting solely for M M Cattle Company.