110 Ala. 533 | Ala. | 1895
The plaintiff (appellant) sues for damages for the breach of a certain contract alleged to have been entered into by him and the defendant on June 4, 1890. The contract is in writing and set out in the complaint. It recites, substantially, that plaintiff, being in the service of defendant, while engaged in the duties of such service," was seriously hurt by a trip of tram cars being operated by defendant in its mine, and that plaintiff claimed that said injury was received by him under such circumstances as rendered the defendant
The defendant assigned several grounds of demurrer to the complaint which resolve themselves into two propositions : 1st. -That the contract fixes no time of performance and was determinable at the will of either party. 2d. That the contract shows it was not entered into by the defendant, but by the plaintiff and G. B. Mc-Cormack.
Noticing first the second proposition, we simply remark that it is clearly without merit. The complaint avers that it was the contract of the defendant, duly entered into by it, and this averment the demurrer admits to be true. It was competent for the defendant to have McCormack to execute its written agreements, on its behalf, if it chose to do so ; and in view of the express admission of the demurrer that such was the course pursued in this instance, we think it must be so accepted.
As to the first proposition, our opinion is, without entering upon any discussion of the reasons which support it, that the contract is sufficiently definite as to time, and bound the defendant to its performance, so long as plaintiff should be disabled by reason of the injuries he received, which, under the averment that h'e was permanently disabled, will be for life. That contracts for the support or hire of one during his life are binding, and breaches thereof actionable, see Trustees of Howard College v. Turner, 71 Ala. 429, 434, and cases cited.
The court erred in sustaining the demurrer to the complaint, and the judgment must be reversed and the cause remanded.
Reversed and remanded.