Ianire v. University of Delaware

• Decision Date: 26 June 1968
• Citation: 244 A.2d 427
• Court: Delaware Superior Court
• Parties: Elaine A. IANIRE, widow of Ronald Ianire, by her next friend, Glenn F. Owens, and Herman A. Ianire, Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Lanire, Plaintiffs, v. UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, Defendant and Third-Party Plaintiff, v. CITY OF NEWARK, a municipal corporation of the State of Delaware, and George& Lynch, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Third-Party Defendants.

Page 427

244 A.2d 427

Elaine A. IANIRE, widow of Ronald Ianire, by her next

friend, Glenn F. Owens, and Herman A. Ianire,

Administrator of the Estate of Ronald

Lanire, Plaintiffs, v. UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, Defendant and Third-Party Plaintiff, v. CITY OF NEWARK, a municipal corporation of the State of

Delaware, and George& Lynch, Inc., a Delaware

corporation, Third-Party Defendants.

Superior Court of Delaware, New Castle County.

June 26, 1968.

James P. D'Angelo and John E. Babiarz, Jr., Wilmington, for plaintiffs.

Clement C. Wood of Allmond & Wood, Wilmington, for defendant and third-party plaintiff.

Thomas G. Hughes of O'Donneil, Hughes & Lowicki, Wilmington, for thirdparty defendant, City of Newark.

Roger P. Sanders of Prickett, Ward, Burt & Sanders, Wilmington, for George & Lynch, Inc.

STIFTEL, President Judge.

This is a negligence action brought by the widow of Ronald Ianire and by the Administrator of Ianire's estate (hereinafter referred to as plaintiffs) against the University of Delaware (the University). The University filed a third-party complaint against the City of Newark (the City) and George & Lynch, Inc., general contractors. The complaint and the third-party complaint against the City have been answered. The City has moved for summary judgment in its favor. This is the decision on that motion.

For purposes of the summary judgment, the undisputed facts are as follows: Ronald Ianire was employed by Diamond State Telephone Company and was assigned to the Diamond State work crew which was to install a television co-axial cable on the property of the University of Delaware.

The cable was to be installed, in part, underground. The installation process involved installation of a 'fish' or 'pulling in' wire in the underground conduits. This wire was, in turn, to be connected to a heavier wire, and the heavier wire would be used to pull the co-axial cable through the conduit.

On August 10, 1966, a crew consisting of five men, including Ianire, were working in the manholes on the premises of the University to complete the 'pulling in' operation. The manholes were located near the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Academy Street in Newark. Ianire climbed into one of the manholes, apparently to retrieve a pair of pliers. While so doing, Ianire was electrocuted as the result of a break in the insulation of cable located in the manhole and carrying 2400 volts.

The power involved in Ianire's death originated from Delmarva Power and Light Company, which sells electricity to the City of Newark. The City, in turn, sells electricity to customers within its confines, and has done so for many years. Although the record contains no evidence of a written contract, one of these customers is the University of Delaware. Most, if not all, of the main campus is served by the City's 4 kv loop, which consists of wires and poles capable of transmitting 4 kv power, and which run along the City's right of way around the University's main campus. The power involved in Ianire's death was fed into the University lines at a 'fuse disconnect' located near the southeast corner of South College and Delaware Avenues, Newark.

The electrical distribution system on the University main campus was not built by the City, but rather was built over 17 years before the accident, and modified over the years, under contracts with private electrical contractors. The University owns, operates and maintains the electrical distribution system on its campus. The City neither installs, operates, nor maintains any of the power lines of the University on the University's property.

The City, as supplier of the current purchased by the University, can start and stop the current flowing into the University's wires. To stop the flow of current or to disconnect one of its lines, the University would normally make a request to the City. Before Ianire's death, no-one on behalf of the University had asked the City to disconnect the line that fed power to the line which killed Ianire. Nor did the Diamond State crew ask the City to cut off power at the manholes. The line was disconnected after the accident at the University's request.

Under these circumstances, most jurisdictions would not impose liability upon the City because, under the majority rule, a supplier of electricity is not liable for injury or death resulting from defective wiring owned and controlled by the customer, unless the supplier energizes the wires with actual knowledge of such defect. 134 A.L.R. 507; 26 Am.Jur. 20, 'Electricity', §§ 105, 106; City of Decatur v. Parham, 268 Ala. 585, 109 So.2d 692 (1959); Memphis Consolidated Gas & Elec. Co. v. Speers, 113 Tenn. 83, 81 S.W. 595 (1904); Fowler v. Tennessee Valley Authority, 321 F.2d 566 (C.A.6th, 1963) (applying Tennessee law); Virginia Electric and Power Co. v. Daniel, 202 Va. 731, 119 S.E.2d 246 (1961); Oesterreich v. Claas, 237 Wis. 343, 295 N.W. 766 (1941). The record contains no evidence that the City had actual knowledge of the wiring defect in the University's manhole.

However, some jurisdictions follow different rules. In at least one jurisdiction, a supplier of electricity must make an initial inspection of the customer's electrical system after the system is installed, but before the...