Bradford Builders, Inc. v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.

• Decision Date: 04 November 1959
• Docket Number: No. 17479.,17479.
• Citation: 270 F.2d 649
• Parties: BRADFORD BUILDERS, INC., Appellant, v. SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO., Appellee.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit

270 F.2d 649 (1959)

BRADFORD BUILDERS, INC., Appellant, v. SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO., Appellee.

No. 17479.

United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit.

October 6, 1959.

Rehearing Denied November 4, 1959.

Herbert L. Nadeau, Miami, Fla., Anderson & Nadeau, Miami, Fla., for appellant.

Edward J. Atkin, John H. Wahl, Jr., Phillip W. Knight, Walton, Lantaff, Schroeder, Atkins, Carson & Wahl, Miami, Fla., for appellee.

Before RIVES, Chief Judge, TUTTLE, Circuit Judge, and SIMPSON, District Judge.

SIMPSON, District Judge.

Bradford Builders, Inc. (hereinafter Bradford) a general contractor, had a contract with the Dade County Board of Public Instruction for the erection of a school building. The plans and specifications called for the enclosure of the property by a wire fence, supported by metal posts, set in concrete. On July 5, 1956, Sears, Roebuck & Co. (hereinafter Sears) entered into a sub-contract with Bradford to erect the fence. The sub-contract contained an agreement for the sub-contractor not to sublet any portion of the work, except with the contractor's written consent.

Prior thereto, on March 8, 1956, Sears had entered into a general contract with one Jack Wilson, under which Wilson agreed, for a three year term, to accept all jobs for the installation of fence materials tendered him by Sears. Wilson's contract with Sears contained a typical broad indemnity agreement to save Sears harmless from any claim, demand or suit against it by reason of any negligence, alleged negligence or breach of contract arising directly or indirectly from any act in connection with any installation or job undertaken pursuant to the contract. This Wilson contract was in force during the pertinent period.

Sears tendered the Bradford job to Wilson, with Bradford's Superintendent, Ginder's, knowledge¹ and Wilson agreed in writing to do the job, this agreement again indemnifying Sears.

Bradford's engineer, Ginder, furnished a voluminous and complete set of plans and specifications to Wilson for examination. The fence line location was shown with exactitude only on the "Plot Plan", Sheet A-1, of the plans. It was necessary to follow this drawing to determine exact location and distances of the fence, which were not shown in detail elsewhere. The fence was installed by Wilson at the location shown on the Plot Plan. A separate sheet of the plans, Sheet M-1, showed the location of a power pole outside the property limits, with a primary electric cable running underground from this pole to a transformer vault attached to the main building. Wilson examined this sheet, along with the others submitted, noted that the underground cable shown thereon was close to and diagonal to the fence line but did not touch the fence line (shown thereon but not in detail). He gave this sheet of the plans no further attention.

In digging a post-hole for the fence, Wilson broke through the concrete conduit and cut the cable. He completed the fence installation. Bradford incurred an expense of $3169.46 in repairing and replacing the primary cable and conduit.

Bradford brought this suit against Sears in the state court, on two counts, the first for negligence in performance of the work, the second for breach of contract in procuring Wilson to do the work. Sears timely removed the case to the District Court on grounds of diversity of citizenship and requisite amount in controversy. (Title 28 U.S.C. §§ 1441(a) and 1332.) Sears defended on the following grounds: (1) Denial of negligence; (2) Acquiescence by Bradford in Sears' employment of Wilson to perform the work and a resulting waiver and estoppel; (3) That Wilson was an independent contractor; and (4) That by furnishing a blue-print differing from existing conditions, Bradford "proximately caused or contributed to and assumed the risk of any damage it may have sustained."

Sears brought Wilson in by third-party complaint based upon the indemnity provisions of its contract with Wilson. Wilson's answer to the third-party complaint denied negligence and also pleaded Bradford's deviation from the plans. His answer demanded trial by jury.

Later, Sears was given leave to file and filed a compulsory counterclaim against Bradford for the contract price of installing the fence, $1,768. In this pleading Sears also demanded a jury trial. Bradford's answer to the counterclaim admitted that it had not paid the contract price, asserted that it was willing to give Sears credit therefor, denied performance of the contract and re-averred negligence on the part of Wilson as Sears' agent.

After pre-trial conference, the order upon which indicated that the case was to be tried to a jury, the case was tried before a jury upon the issues above set forth.

At the conclusion of the evidence the District Judge withdrew the issues raised by Bradford's breach of contract count from the jury and submitted the case between Bradford and Sears upon the issues of negligence and contributory negligence, and also submitted the issues between Sears and Wilson, to the jury. It was stated in the Court's charge that the counterclaim for the performance of the work, in the amount of $1,768 was admitted by Bradford. The jury found for Sears and against Bradford on Bradford's claim, found against Bradford on the counterclaim in the amount of $1,768, and as they were instructed to do in the event that Sears prevailed on the main suit, found for Wilson with respect to Sears' third-party complaint for indemnification.

From the final judgment consequent upon this verdict, Bradford entered this appeal, strenuously asserting six grounds upon which we are asked to reverse the judgment for new trial.²

For the reasons hereinafter set forth, we affirm the District Court.

Bradford's first question raises the propriety of the case being tried to a jury when neither of the original parties asked for jury trial in their original pleadings, the only such demand being present in Wilson's answer, and in Sears' counterclaim. As pointed out, the pretrial order clearly contemplated a jury trial. Appellant's brief asserts that objection to trial before a jury was made when the case was called for trial, but admits that the transcript brought here records no such objections. The brief points out that objections were made by the motion for new trial and statement of points. Of course, without a record to sustain such objections, they were of no avail in the motion for new trial or in the statement of points. It would be entirely consistent from this record to conclude that Bradford's counsel acquiesced in the trial of all contested issues before a jury and first objected after a jury verdict adverse to their client. If the reporter's record was deficient in this respect, it was counsel's duty to supply the omission, by calling upon the court reporter to transcribe the colloquy, by affidavit of some person present when the colloquy occurred, or in some other fashion. As the matter stands, we agree with appellee's counsel that Bradford is "flying blind" as to this point.

Additionally, timely demand having been made for jury trial at least as to the issues between Sears and Wilson, we are of the plain view that the discretionary power to order trial by jury of any or all issues is plainly conferred by Rule 39(b), F.R.Civ.P. If there was not sufficient compliance with Rule 38, F.R. Civ.P., the trial Court's denial of Bradford's post-trial motions (see Footnote 2) indicates the District Court's view that the jury's conclusions were correct. In considering these motions the District Court had the benefit of Rule 61, F.R. Civ.P., with respect to harmless error. We are unable to find demonstrated prejudicial error in the action of the District Court in the submission of all issues to the jury.

The second question raised by Bradford is whether or not the District Court erred in granting Sears' motion for a directed verdict as to the cause of action for breach of contract, in the procuring of Wilson to install the fence. At this point in the proceedings, the evidence showed without dispute, by the testimony of Jerry Ginder, Bradford's construction engineer, the only employee who testified in Bradford's behalf, that Bradford, through Ginder, originally contacted Wilson to have him erect the fence, that Bradford knew Wilson was to do the work and was satisfied to have him do it, that Bradford accepted the fence as erected, that Bradford turned the fence over to the School Board and that the School Board and its architect accepted and approved the fence. The colloquy between Court and counsel at the time this issue was taken from the jury is reproduced in the margin.³ The issues of negligence and contributory negligence with respect to the injury to the underground conduit and cable were left for the jury's consideration. On the entire theory upon which Bradford's case was tried, the trial Court was justified in instructing a verdict against Bradford as to the breach of contract count.

The refusal of the District Court to direct a verdict against Sears, either at the conclusion of Sears' case, or at the conclusion of the entire case, is the basis of Bradford's third question. While it is true that Sears introduced no evidence directly refuting the testimony of Ginder, Bradford's engineer, and that by denying Sears' motion at the close of the plaintiff's case as to the issue of negligence, the District Judge had thus indicated that to his mind Bradford had made out a prima facie case in chief, it is by no means a corollary that the absence of contradictory testimony in Sears' case required the granting of Bradford's motion when Sears rested. It is hornbook law that evidence coming from witnesses on the opposite side (as well as from its own witnesses) is available to any party to a law suit. Ginder's testimony with respect to the several plans examined by Wilson, the discrepancies thereon, and as to what was done by Wilson, his confused and confusing attempts to...