Opinion ID: 514846
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Duty to Train Salesmen

Text: 24 Texaco next argues the trial judge erroneously instructed the jury that as part of the duty to warn, Texaco had a duty to train its salesmen. Instruction No. 13 provides: 25 The defendant Texaco had a duty to adequately instruct and train their salesmen as to their product, benzene, in order that their salesmen take appropriate action and give appropriate advice to the purchasers and users of benzene. The violation of such a duty is negligence. 26 The defendant had a duty to exercise a high degree of care in selecting, training and advising its salesmen. 27 We agree with Texaco that in so instructing the jury, the trial court erred. The instruction does not state Kansas law properly, and it dictates the method of conveying a warning in order for it to be found adequate by the jury. 28 Under Kansas law, a manufacturer has a duty to instruct a distributor or ascertain that he has been instructed in the use and handling of its commodities. Hendrix, 453 P.2d 486. While the central issue before the Kansas Supreme Court in Hendrix was the relationship of parties and the respective liabilities, the court also addressed the duty of the bulk seller to warn the distributor of the hazards of using its product. Plaintiffs brought suit against a distributor of liquefied petroleum gas as a result of an explosion in a private residence. The trial court entered judgment in favor of plaintiffs as against the distributor (Fortner), and in favor of the seller (Phillips) as against plaintiffs. 29 In Hendrix, plaintiffs claimed the trial court erred in failing to rule as a matter of law under the evidence that the manufacturer, Phillips, was negligent in its failure to adequately train the distributor, Fortner. The Kansas Supreme Court characterized the question as one of fact to be determined by the jury under proper instructions, and upheld the following instruction: 30 You are instructed that defendant Phillips had a duty to instruct Fortner [distributor] or ascertain that he had been instructed as to the proceedings to be followed in the event of a leak in an L.P. gas system or explosion. 31 In this connection it is not required that Fortner be educated or instructed as an expert in the field. Phillips has the duty to instruct or ascertain that Fortner has been instructed to the extent that he have such knowledge as is reasonable under the circumstances to give him information sufficient to take appropriate action and give appropriate advice to his customer. The violation of such duty is negligence. 32 Phillips, once having fulfilled the above duty, cannot be held liable for Fortner's failure to take advantage of, use or impart to others such instruction. 33 Id. 453 P.2d at 496. In approving the instruction, the Kansas Supreme Court stated: A manufacturer of L.P. gas is under a duty to instruct a distributor or to ascertain that he has been instructed in the use and handling of its commodities. Id. 453 P.2d at 496. Counsel for Mason proposed Instruction No. 13 in the instant case, and argued that it was based upon Hendrix. Texaco argued vociferously against giving Instruction No. 13 for the reason that it mandated a particular mode of communication (i.e., instructing and training its salesmen) rather than advising the jury on the Hendrix standard and seeking their determination on the issue of adequacy of warning. Texaco argues that this confusion of method with content of warning grossly misled the jury. We agree. In our view, Instruction No. 13 misinterpreted and improperly expanded the duty imposed upon Texaco under Hendrix. 34 In the trial judge's Opinion and Order denying post-trial motions, he justified the giving of Instruction No. 13 under the Hendrix case and also the case of Sterling Drug, Inc. v. Yarrow, 408 F.2d 978 (8th Cir.1969). In our view, reliance upon Sterling was misplaced as well. In Sterling, plaintiff sought damages from a drug manufacturer as a result of the manufacturer's alleged failure to warn plaintiff's doctor of the side effects of the drug prescribed. The case was tried to the court, and judgment was entered for the plaintiff. The manufacturer appealed. The Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that the trial judge's finding that the manufacturer's detail men presented the most effective method of warning plaintiff's doctor was not clearly erroneous. 35 The Sterling holding arises from a trial to the bench where the judge functioned as the fact-finder. The duty which the Sterling trial court imposed in finding the facts was a duty to make reasonable efforts to warn the medical profession of the side effects of the drug. Id. at 991. The Sterling trial court found as fact that failure of the manufacturer to instruct its detail force to warn the physicians constituted failure to make reasonable efforts to warn the prescribing physicians. The circuit court upheld the law applied by the trial court and declined to declare the findings thereunder to be clearly erroneous. 36 The findings of fact in Sterling, however, do not justify the instruction by the court below that Texaco had a legal duty to train salesmen. By so instructing the jury, the trial judge found facts, rather than instructing the jury on the legal duty and asking them to answer the question of adequacy of warnings given, if any. This confusion of function and misstatement of law constituted prejudicial error.