Court Opinion

ID: 9685341
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 14:32:17.035761+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:04.873381
License: Public Domain

*121FOLEY, Judge
(Dissenting)
I respectfully dissent. Since Schip v. Pabst Brewing Co., 64 Minn. 22, 66 N.W. 3, 4 (1896), it has been the consistent holding in Minnesota, as expressed in Schip, that
[t]here are many eases which hold that the owner of premises cannot, by employing a contractor, relieve himself from the continuing duty which he owes to the public, * * * [b]ut we can find no case which holds that the owner owes any such duty to the servant of the independent contractor.
This language was quoted with approval in a published opinion and followed by the court in Zimmer v. Carlton County Co-op. Power, 483 N.W.2d 511, 514 (Minn.App.1992), review denied (Minn. June 10, 1992). See also Conover v. Northern States Power Co., 313 N.W.2d 397, 403-04 (Minn.1981). For federal cases adhering to this rule, see Olson v. Pennzoil Co., 943 F.2d 881, 883 (8th Cir. 1991) (employee of independent contractor owes no duty to independent contractor’s employees); Wells v. General Electric Co., 807 F.Supp. 1202, 1205 (D.Md.1992) (same).
I would affirm.