Robert E. McKee, General Contractor v. Patterson

Petitioner, who was defendant in the trial court in a suit for damages filed by respondent as plaintiff, was the general contractor engaged to erect a public school building and gymnasium in Port Arthur. It engaged plaintiff’s employer, Horn Brothers Company, as subcontractor to install certain folding partitions and bleachers in the gymnasium, and engaged J. A. Honeycutt as subcontractor to finish the gymnasium floor. It was the duty of defendant’s general superintendent to schedule and coordinate the work of all subcontractors.

After Horn Brothers had begun their work in the gymnasium, they…