Court Opinion

ID: 9616213
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:44:22.255941+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:56.153750
License: Public Domain

JohNson, J.,
dissenting: I have no complaint with the principles of law discussed in tbe majority opinion, but get a different impression as to tbe factual implications of the record.
Tbe defendant, Alex Weinstein, referring to tbe job of feeding tbe press, testified: “I realized a man of bis age couldn’t do it. . . . When I hired him I told him that be bad no business up to the press bouse,-— that wasn’t bis duties, — bis duties was to keep these roads clean. I never saw him up there, and if I bad, I would have discharged him immediately. ... be stated be was 67 years old . . . and in my opinion be is older than that ... I certainly wouldn’t have put him feeding tbe press. I realized a man of bis age could not do it.”
Tbe defendants’ witness Ernest Little also testified that be told tbe plaintiff on one occasion not to stay up on tbe press platform, — told him “I would go on back and do my job that tbe man give me, because you might fall into that press.”
Yet from time to time tbe plaintiff was called upon to supply temporarily for persons assigned regularly at feeding tbe press. This with tbe knowledge and acquiescence of tbe foreman, and as tbe defendant’s witness Sanders put it, “it was a matter of common knowledge that Ellison (tbe plaintiff) did from time to time supply there in feeding tbe press.”
Tbe defendants bad rejected the provisions of tbe Workmen’s Compensation Act. This eliminated their common law defenses of assumption of risk and contributory negligence. With these gone, it seems to me there was enough evidence to take tbe case to tbe jury on tbe single issue of actionable negligence.
Eevin and Valentine, JJ., concur in dissent.