Court Opinion

ID: 9735654
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 18:26:55.34096+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:27:00.694467
License: Public Domain

SABERS, Justice
(dissenting).
Whether the injury arose out of and in the course of employment is a mixed question of law and fact. Therefore, under Permann v. South Dakota Dep't of Labor, 411 N.W.2d 113 (S.D.1987), the question is not whether the Department was clearly erroneous, but whether the Department was in error.
This takes us to the dual-purpose rule from Johnson v. Skelly Oil Co., 288 N.W.2d 493 (S.D.1980). As quoted by the majority, the latter part of the rule states:
... it is a business trip if a trip of this kind would have been made in spite of the failure or absence of the private purpose, because the service to be performed for the employer would have caused the journey to be made by someone even if it had not coincided with the employee’s personal journey.
Id. at 495 (quoting 1 Larson, Workmen’s Compensation, § 18.12 at 4-218 (1978)). In applying this test the Department and the majority placed undue and misdirected emphasis on the self-serving, after-the-fact testimony of the police chief. When a situation arises that requires application of the dual-purpose test, the question is simply: “Was the business mission of such character that it would have necessitated a trip by someone if this employee had not been able to handle it in combination with his journey?” Id. “If the answer is yes, the employee should be deemed to be within the course of his employment.” Id. In view of the efforts of the Winner Police Department to improve their image by the “Adopt-a-Pet” program, it appears far more likely their mistake of giving someone “the wrong dog” necessitated the trip to retrieve the dog for the proper owner. If Garry Wilcox had been unable to retrieve the dog, someone would have had to make the trip for the Winner Police Department. Accordingly, Wilcox was within the course of his employment. Therefore, I would affirm the trial court because the Department was in error. Johnson, supra.