Minneapolis General Electric Co. v. Cronon

Citations

• 166 F. 651
• 92 C.C.A. 816
• 1908 U.S. App. LEXIS 4884

Syllabus

<p>1. Electricity (§ 15*) — Death fboai Contact' with Li vis Electric Wire.</p> <p>Where the inside wiring for lighting by electricity of a private house, such as a shop, is done under an independent contract with the owner of the building, and in accepted by him and approved by the city inspector as sufficient, such inside wires become the private property of the proprietor of the building, and, are subject to his exclusive control. A third party voluntarily and uninvited entering such shop to ascertain the cause of and to extinguish a Are therein is a mere licensee, to whom the company furnishing the electric current, to the house owes no obligation other than not to wantonly or knowingly injure him. And where such inside wiring becomes imperfectly insulated by the act of the owner of the building, without notice thereof to the electric company, resulting in injury to such licensee, held not to give a cause of action for such injury against the company in favor of the legal representative of the deceased licensee.</p> <p>[Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Electricity, Dec. Dig. § 15.*]</p> <p>2. Trial (§ 244*) — Error in Charge to tjie Jury.</p> <p>It devolves upon the plaintiff in an action for damages based upon the-negligence of the defendant not only to present in his petition a definite theory upon which the negligence is predicated, but to support it by tangible evidence as distinguished from mere conjecture and possibility. Where the evidence leaves the matter uncertain as to which one of several things immediately brought about the injury, for some of which the defendant is answerable and for others he Is not, it is error for the court to single out a responsible act and suggest to the jury that they may infer it, without directing their attention to other inferences, more or equally reasonable, exculpatory of the defendant.</p> <p>[Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Trial, Dec. Dig. § 244.*]</p> <p>8. Electricity (§ 19*) — Injuries—Actions--Doctrine of Res I