Palmer v. Massey-Ferguson, Inc.

The plaintiff-respondent in this case, Neil R. Palmer, is both a longshoreman and a farmer who feeds cattle in preparation for their eventual resale. In furtherance of this second activity, plaintiff aided his father-in-law in baling hay with the father-in-law’s Massey-Ferguson baler, taking hay in lieu of payment for his work.

On the date of the accident, plaintiff worked a shift on the docks and then went out to take one of his relatively rare turns actually operating the baler. Plaintiff generally loaded bales or otherwise helped with the work. Sometime later, plaintiff’s brother-in-law…