Opinion ID: 452558
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Existence of Employment Relationship

Text: 12 As a general proposition of law, the doctrine of respondeat superior applies only when the relation of master and servant is shown to exist between the wrongdoer and the person sought to be charged with the injury resulting from the wrong. Such a relationship existed if N.T.B. had the right or power to control McDaniel's actions. See Haupt v. Cincinnati, N.O. & T. P. Ry. Co., 232 S.W.2d 598, 602 (Tenn. App. 1950). We do not believe that reasonable minds could have come to only one conclusion in favor of N.T.B.. Instead, we believe that reasonable minds could have reached different conclusions as to whether an employment relationship existed between McDaniel and N.T.B. as a matter of fact. 13 It appears that N.T.B. has the right or power to control McDaniel's action because N.T.B. had exclusive control over the tractor. Control over the tractor gave N.T.B. control over either the lessor-driver or the co-driver, McDaniel. Moreover, N.T.B. exercised its control over the tractor by ordering William Burris to get the tractor repaired. Therefore, the jury should have been given the opportunity to decide whether McDaniel was an N.T.B. employee as a matter of fact. We note that Wilcox does not preclude that result. 14