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MARKO JOTICH v. VILLAGE OF CHISHOLM

Minnesota Supreme Court1927-01-07No. No. 25,397
169 Minn. 428

Summary

Holding. The court affirmed the Industrial Commission's refusal to award workers' compensation. The injury did not arise out of and occur in the course of employment because it happened away from the work premises while the employee was attending to personal matters during a break, outside the defined hours of service.

Marko Jotich was hired by the Village of Chisholm to haul earth for $8.50 per day. During his work day, employees were permitted to leave a few minutes early at noon and in the afternoon. On the day in question, Jotich left the work premises about a mile away and drove home to have lunch and feed his team. While unhitching his team at his home, the horses suddenly pulled the wagon over him, causing a fractured leg and other injuries. Jotich sought workers' compensation for these injuries.

The Industrial Commission refused to award compensation, finding that the accident did not arise out of and occur during the course of his employment. The court upheld this decision. Under the applicable statute, work-related injuries must occur either at the premises where services are performed, at locations required by the job, or during actual working hours. Since Jotich was a mile away from his work site, at his own home attending to personal needs rather than employer business, and had been permitted to leave his work early, the injury did not qualify for compensation coverage.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether an injury occurring during a lunch break away from the employer's premises qualifies as arising out of employment
  • Interpretation of the statutory definition of "personal injuries arising out of and in the course of employment"
  • Whether an employee's presence at the injury location was required as part of his employment duties

Procedural posture

The relator sought certiorari review of the Industrial Commission's denial of workers' compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Holt, J.

Certiorari to review the refusal of the Industrial Commission to award compensation to an injured workman.

Relator with his team hauled earth for the village of Chisholm and was paid $8.50 per day. The village furnished the dump-wagon he used. At noon and at quitting time in the afternoon, the men were allowed to leave a few minutes before the full working time was finished. On the day in question relator left the place of work in the north part of the village at about 25 minutes to 12 and drove to his home about a mile distant in the south part of the village for his lunch and to feed his team. As he was unhitching in the rear of his home, the team suddenly started pulling the wagon over him, fracturing a leg and causing other severe injuries.

The commission adopted the findings of the referee, the controlling one of which is: “That said accident did not arise out of and in the course of” relator’s employment. We are unable to distinguish this case from State ex rel. Jacobson v. District Court of Hennepin County, 144 Minn. 259, 175 N. W. 110. The clause “personal injuries arising out of and in the course of employment” is by subd. (j), § 4326, G. S. 1923, declared: “Not to cover workmen except while engaged in, on, or about the premises where their services are being performed, or where their services requires their presence as a part of such service, at the time of the injury, and during the hours of service as such workmen.” Relator was a mile away from the premises where his services were performed or were required, and at the time of injury his presence as a part of the service rendered the village was not required at his home where the injuries were received. It is true the accident happened about 10 minutes before 12, but he had been permitted to leave his work, so it did not occur during the hours of service as such workman. .He was not employed to care for or feed his team, any more than he was to attend his own wants. Had he been injured while going in to partake of his own meal after stabling the team, no reasonable claim could have been made that the injury arose out of or in the course of the employment. In driving from his work to his home he was performing no service for the employer, and was attending solely to his own wants and those of his own chattels.

Relator confidently cites Brown v. Bristol Last Block Co. 94 Vt. 123, 108 Atl. 922, as one on all fours with Ms case. There the finding was that the accident arose out of and in the course of the employment. The decision indicates that the inquiry before the commissioner, who made the finding, was directed to the point whether the accident happened while Brown was resting at the noon hour, and while the horses were eating or just after and before work for the afternoon was resumed, the employer maintaimng that unless work had been resumed when the accident happened there could be no compensation. The court held this contention unsound, citing Ingram’s Admrx. v. Rutland R. R. Co. 89 Vt. 278, 95 Atl. 544, Anm Cas. 1918A, 1191, a common law action to recover for the death of an employe, where the question was whether he was within the scope of the employment when the accident happened. In the Brown case the court properly approved the rule that every digression from- the service does not sever the relation of master and servant. The opinion leaves it to be inferred that the accident took place on the premises of the employer or where it was contemplated the employe was to remain during the lunch hour. But it is to be noted that in the Vermont compensation law there is not found the restrictive provision above quoted from § 4326. A case more in accord with the facts here present and with our statute is Morey v. City of Battle Creek, 229 Mich. 650, 202 N. W. 925, 38 A. L. R. 1039. See also Hills v. Blair, 182 Mich. 20, 26, 148 N. W. 243; Pearce v. Michigan Home & Training School, 231 Mich. 536, 204 N. W. 699.

We are of opinion that, under the restrictive definition of the clause, “personal injuries arising out of and in the course of the employment” and the undisputed facts, the findings adopted by the Industrial Commission must be sustained and its decision cannot be disturbed.

Affirmed.