Opinion ID: 699613
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conduct of Tim Sheets: Scope of Employment

Text: 12 The Tonellis first appeal the district court's determination that Tim Sheets was not acting in the scope of his employment when he peeked at and pilfered some of the adult material contained in the Tonellis' post office box. The law of the state where the alleged negligent act occurred, Iowa, governs the scope of employment issue. Brown v. Armstrong, 949 F.2d 1007, 1012 n. 7 (8th Cir.1991). Iowa law provides that conduct of a servant is within the scope of employment only if: (1) it is of a kind he is employed to perform; (2) it occurs substantially within the authorized time and space limits; and (3) it is motivated, at least in part, by a purpose to serve the master. Vlotho v. Hardin County, 509 N.W.2d 350, 354 (Iowa 1993). Although usually a factual issue, determining whether the scope of employment includes an act that departs markedly from the employer's business may be a question of law. Sandman v. Hagan, 154 N.W.2d 113, 118 (Iowa 1968). 13 The Tonellis agree that opening and copying first class mail addressed to another person generally falls outside of the scope of a postal worker's employment. Indeed, opening and copying first class mail is a federal crime as well as a violation of post office procedure. See 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1702; Jt.App. at 26. This determination, however, does not end our inquiry.  'The fact that the servant's act is expressly forbidden by the master, or is done in a manner which he has prohibited, is to be considered in determining what the servant has been hired to do, but it is usually not conclusive, and does not in itself prevent the act from being within the scope of employment.'  Vlotho, 509 N.W.2d at 354 (quoting W. Page Keeton et al., Prosser & Keeton on the Law of Torts Sec. 70 at 502 (5th ed. 1984)). 14 The Tonellis contend that the post office tacitly authorized Sheets's actions by failing to stop the interference after the Tonellis provided notice of it. Such tacit authorization or apparent authority may exist even if the act is illegal or specifically forbidden by the employer when the nature of the employee's duty is such that its performance would reasonably put the employer on notice that such an act may be committed. Gogek v. Brown Univ., 729 F.Supp. 926, 934 (D.R.I.1990). See Mayrath Co. v. Helgeson, 258 Iowa 543, 139 N.W.2d 303, 306 (1966) (defining apparent authority to include that which, although not actually granted, has been knowingly permitted by the principal.). The Tonellis argue that their 1991 complaint to the desk clerk, Dwight Bowers, put the post office on notice because Bowers himself had a duty to personally report this complaint. 15 As a general rule, notice to an agent is effective if the agent has a duty to receive that knowledge and report it to the principal. Vermeer v. Sneller, 190 N.W.2d 389, 393 (Iowa 1971); Restatement (Second) of Agency Sec. 272 (1958). In concluding that the Tonellis' statements to Bowers did not put the post office on notice of the illegal behavior, the district court apparently did not consider the applicable Post Office Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct suggests that the agent, Bowers, may have had a duty to personally report alleged violations of postal laws. Section 666.52 provides that [v]iolations of postal laws, including irregular practices involving the handling of stamps, funds, accounts, or property will be reported immediately to the postal inspector in charge. Jt.App. at 45. It is not clear whether this code requires postal workers to report the infractions directly to an inspector, or whether sending the Tonellis to the Postmaster McConkey satisfied the code's requirement. 16 While we recognize that construction of the code is a question of law, we find the code ambiguous, at least as applied to this situation. It might be helpful to consider relevant extrinsic evidence when construing this code provision. Consequently, we reverse the grant of summary judgment on the claims relating to the conduct of Tim Sheets and remand these claims to the district court for a consideration of relevant extrinsic evidence. 1 17