MARY JEAN KOLARIK, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS EXECUTRIX OF THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH KOLARIK, DECEASED, APPELLANT,
v.
RODGERS BROS. SERVICE, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1972-11-01
No. 71-878
LILES and HOBSON, JJ., concur.
268 So. 2d 187 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1972) Caution
Cited by 8 cases

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Synopsis

Mary Jean Kolarik, as executrix of her deceased husband's estate, appealed a summary judgment dismissing her wrongful death claim against Rodgers Bros. Service, Inc. based on workers' compensation immunity. The Florida appellate court affirmed, holding that the workers' compensation exclusive remedy doctrine extended to subcontractors and that no genuine factual dispute existed regarding alleged equipment defects.


Holding

The court affirmed the summary judgment, holding that the workers' compensation immunity applied to the subcontractor and rejecting the appellant's arguments that prior case law should be distinguished or that alleged equipment defects created an exception.


Headnotes

[1] The Workmen's Compensation Act provides the exclusive remedy for an employee injured during the course of employment, barring tort claims against certain parties.

[2] The immunity provided by the Workmen's Compensation Act can extend to subcontractors who furnish equipment and personnel to a general contractor.

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Key Quotes

“The lower Court's ruling was predicated upon the defense of immunity from liability due to the exclusive remedy of the Workmen's Compensation Act.”

Establishes the legal basis for the summary judgment dismissal

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Facts & Procedural History

Joseph Kolarik, an employee of general contractor P. J. Goodwin Corporation, was struck and severely injured by lumber falling from a crane during con…

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Opinion of the Court
PIERCE, Chief Judge.

PIERCE, Chief Judge.

Mary Jean Kolarik, individually and as Executrix of the Estate of Joseph Kolarik, deceased, appeals a final summary judgment in favor of the defendant, Rodgers Bros. Service, Inc. The other original defendant, Clyde Cannon, is not a party to this appeal.

The lower Court’s ruling was predicated upon the defense of immunity from liability due to the exclusive remedy of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

The record reveals that appellant’s decedent, Joseph Kolarik, an employee of the general contractor, P. J. Goodwin Corporation, was struck and severely injured by a load of lumber which fell from a crane. The crane, cables and an operator, defendant Clyde Cannon, were furnished to the general contractor by appellee, Rodgers Bros., to assist in the construction of a four story motel building. The actual lifting device, known as a “block fork” was furnished by the general contractor, Goodwin, and Goodwin’s employees, including decedent, loaded and unloaded the lumber on the fork. Claim for Workmen’s Compensation benefits was made by the plaintiff and are being paid by the general contractor’s carrier.

Appellant Kolarik contends that the holdings in Smith v. Poston Equipment Rentals, Inc., Fla.App.19S8, 105 So.2d 578, and Carter v. Sims Crane Service, Inc.., Fla. 1967, 198 So.2d 25, extending the immunity of the Workmen’s Compensation law to subcontractors, are erroneous. We disagree. *188 Carter reconsidered the language of the act and the reasoning of the earlier cases dealing with the common employment doctrine embodied in F.S. § 440.10 F.S.A., and found no ground for departure from the prior decisions.

Kolarik next contends that the cases of Watier v. REW Crane Service, Inc., Fla.App.1970, 240 So.2d 177, and Gold Coast Crane Service, Inc. v. Watier, Fla.1971, 257 So.2d 249, cast serious doubt on the holding of Poston, insofar as it extends the blanket immunity of the Workmen’s Compensation law to subcontractors. We do not interpret this to be the meaning of those decisions. The Supreme Court, in amending the District Court’s decision to affirm the summary judgment without prejudice to plaintiff to amend, and remanding the cause for further proceedings, said:

“Inasmuch as the decision of the district court is limited solely to the procedural issue discussed above, we do not reach the question of whether Fla.Stat. § 440.11, F.S.A., provides defendants, or either of them, with immunity from liability due to the exclusive remedy of that statute. The trial court, after an amendment, will then decide that question.”

Kolarik further urges that Poston is distinguishable from the case sub judice in that the Poston case did not involve any claim of “defective equipment.” Kolarik contends that Rodgers furnished her decedent’s employer with a crane which was defective, and that it was being negligently operated or maintained by Rodgers’ employee.

No testimony was introduced to support the allegation that Rodgers furnished a defective crane, and Rodgers’ employee, Cannon, testified that the crane was in “A-l” condition, that there was not a defect in the equipment whatsoever, and that the crane continued doing the same type of work in the same manner after the accident. Kolarik argues that the equipment was defective for the use to which it was to be put, since no provision whatever was made to in any way tie or confine the materials loaded onto the block fork. The alleged defective equipment, however, known as the “block fork”, was furnished by decedent’s employer Goodwin, not by the subcontractor Rodgers, and the employees of the general contractor Goodwin loaded and unloaded the fork.

The judgment appealed is, therefore,

Affirmed.

LILES and HOBSON, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • …ot liable to an injured employee of either, unless he is actively negligent. Florida Power & Light Co. v. Price, 170 So. 2d 293 (Fla.1964); Lingold v. Transmerica Ins. Co., 416 So. 2d 1271 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982); Kolarik v. Rodgers Bros. Service, Inc., 268 So. 2d 187 (Fla. 2d DCA 1972), cert. den., 272 So. 2d 526 (Fla.1973); 2 Fla.Jur.2d, Agency & Employment § 116 (1977). However, he is liable to a third party (member of the public). See Baxley v. Dixie Land & Timber Co., 521 So. 2d 170 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988). Acco…
  • Jacobs v. Sims Crane Serv., Inc., 276 So. 2d 491 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973)
    …als, Fla.App.1958, 105 So. 2d 578; Michaels v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co., Fla.App.1961, 129 So. 2d 427; Carter v. Sims Crane Service, Inc., Fla.1967, 198 So. 2d 25; Kolarik v. Rodgers Bros. Service, Inc., Second District Court of Appeal, 268 So. 2d 187, opinion filed November 1, 1972; McCollum v. Smith, 9 Cir. 1964, 339 F. 2d 348; New York Central R. Co. v. Northern Ind. Pub. Serv. Co., 1966, 140 Ind.App. 79, 221 N.E. 2d 442; Nyman v. MacRae Brothers Construction Co., 1966, 69 Wash.2d 285, 418 P.…
  • Williams v. Corbett Cranes, Inc., 396 So. 2d 811 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981)
    …Fla.5th DCA 1981); Smith v. Poston Equipment Rentals, 105 So. 2d 578 (Fla.3d DCA 1958). Accord, Rhines v. Ploof Transfer Co., Inc., 344 So. 2d 1309 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977), cert, denied, 357 So. 2d 187 (Fla.1978); Kolarik v. Rodgers Bros. Service, Inc., 268 So. 2d 187 (Fla. 2d DCA 1972), cert, denied, 272 So. 2d 526 (Fla.1973). Because our interpretation of sections 440.10 and 440.11 immunizes this subcontractor from suit in derogation of Williams’ right to sue for his injuries, we believe this issue is a matter…

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