Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Watts

1931 OK 54, 296 P. 977, 148 Okla. 28, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 790
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 24, 1931
Docket19657
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 1931 OK 54 (Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Watts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Watts, 1931 OK 54, 296 P. 977, 148 Okla. 28, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 790 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

ANDREWS, J.

J. W. Watts, defendant in error, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, brought an action in the district court of Oklahoma county against the Aetna Life Insurance Company, plaintiff in error, hereinafter referred to as defendant, Mead Bros., and Dr. Yon Wedel to recover a money judgment for personal injury. At the conclusion of the evidence of the plaintiff, the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the action as to Dr. Yon Wedel, and the demurrer of Mead Bros, to the evidence of the plaintiff was sustained. The issues between the plaintiff and the defendant were submitted to a jury, and judgment on the verdict was entered in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant, from which the defendant appealed to this court.

The facts, as shown by the record, con *30 cerning- which, there is no dispute, are substantially as follows: The plaintiff while in the employ of lifeatl Bros, was engaged in drilling an oil well, and while so engaged suffered an injury to wit, a broken leg, under circumstances entitling him to compensation under the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act, (Comp. St. 1921, see. 7282, et seq. as amended.) The defendant was (he insurance carrier for Mead Bros. The plaintiff was taken to a private hospital in the town of Seminole, where he was given treatment and where he remained for 17 days under the care of Dr. Martin, a physician and surgeon employed by the defendant. At the end of that time he was taken from the hospital, placed in an ambulance, and transported over the rough and muddy streets of ■ the town of Seminole to the depot. He was there placed upon a train and transported to Oklahoma City. Here he was placed in an ambulance and transported' to St. Anthony’s Hospital. He was there given further treatment by Dr. Von Wedel.

The plaintiff alleged, among other things, that the defendant, “its agents, servants, employees, for itself as said insurance carrier and as the agent of the defendant Mead Bros., without any just cause or reason, but with a malicious and wanton purpose of injuring this plaintiff and avoiding the hospital fees at the said Emergency Hospital and the charges of the said Dr. J. A. Martin, the said attending physician, and in order to place said plaintiff under the care of the defendant Dr. C. Von Wedel, who was the agent of and retained by said defendant, the Aetna Life Insurance Company! in the treatment of persons who were injured in the employment of corporations for which it furnished liability and compensation insurance and thereby making it cheaper for treatment for the said Aetna Life Insurance Company, and acting for itself as insurance carrier and as agent for the defendant Mead Bros., and in utter disregard of the rights and welfare of this plaintiff, and in a negligent, wanton, and inhuman manner directed and required this plaintiff, on the said 14th day of April. 1927, at a time when said wound and injury was healing and was without pain to this plaintiff, but requiring absolute rest and quiet, to be transported over the streets of Seminole unaided, which were rough, containing deep holes and Assures, to the depot of the Koek Island Railroad Company and there transported to Oklahoma City and to the St. Anthony’s Hospital for further treatment by the defendant Dr. C. Von Wedel, agent and' employee of the defendant, the Aetna Life Insurance Company.” The plaintiff further alleged that he “suffered great and excruciating pain and mental anguish’’ and' that “said break of said bones which had heretofore been healing, disunited by reason of the said rough and inhuman transportation and were out of line and overlapping each other.” 1-Ie further alleged, “All of which caused by the wanton, malicious, negligent, and' inhuman conduct of the said defendants, Mead Bros, and the Aetna Life Insurance Comi>any, its agents, servants, employees and vice principals in the moving said plaintiff from the said hospital at Seminole to the hospital at Oklahoma City, in his condition as aforesaid.”

The defendant demurred to the petition and then filed' its unverified answer in (he form of a general denial, therein admitting certain facts not necessary to, be herein set forth. It alleged that everything that was done by it was “for the purpose of alleviating the pain of the plaintiff, improving his physical condition and restoring him to health.” It further alleged that the defendants gave to the plaintiff at all times “the benefit of careful, conscientious, and diligent attention and provided him with trained nurses, good hospital accommodations, and such other things as were necessary to diminish his pain, improve his physical condition, and cure him of the disorders and injuries from which he was suffering,” and, in addition thereto, provided him with all the benefits and rights to-which he was entitled under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, which the plaintiff voluntarily accepted.

The claim of the plaintiff for compensation under the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act was filed with the State Industrial Commission and compensation was paid the plaintiff by the defendant until after this action was commenced, at which time payments were .suspended and an order was made by the State Industrial Commission staying further proceedings pending this trial.

As stated by the plaintiff in his brief, the cause was tried “* * * in compliance with the rule as declared by Justice Lester in the case of Walker v. Von Wedel, 108 Okla. 292, 237 Pac. 86.” Under that theory and the allegations of the plaintiff, the trial court, over the objections of the defendant, permitted the plaintiff to introduce evidence as to his treatment by Dr. Von Wedel at the hospital at Oklahoma City, whose services to the plaintiff, the plaintiff alleged to have been unskillfully and negligently performed. That testimony may have *31 been competent at tbe time it was intr> ducecl. Ur. Yon AVedel was at that time a defendant in the case, but when, at the conclusion of the evidence of the idaintiff, the plaintiff dismissed as to Dr. Aron AVedel, then that evidence became incompetent, and as to this defendant it was highly prejudicial. It had' no bearing- on the issues between the plaintiff and the defendant. AVithout having stricken that evidence from the record and without having directed the jury not to consider the same, the court over the objection of the defendant, in its instruction, reviewed the theory of the plaintiff in the following language:

“* * * That the defendant, Dr. C. Aron AA'edel, removed the cast from said broken leg and uhskillfully and negligently permitted said broken bones to remain out of apposition so that they overlapped, causing plaintiff great, and excruciating pain and mental anguish: that at the expiration of 10 days, plaintiff was discharged from said hospital, before his injury had healed, by Dr. O. Aron AA'edel. * * *”

The court, over the objection of the defendant, gave an instruction as follows:

“You are further instructed that if you find in favor of the plaintiff, you will fix his recovery at such sum as will reasonably compensate him for the injury he has sustained and in fixing his compensation you will only take into consideration his physical pain and suffering and his mental anguish and distress, and if you further find from a preponderance of the evidence that the acts complained of on the part of the Aetna Dife Insurance Company were malicious, that is to say.

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 54, 296 P. 977, 148 Okla. 28, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 790, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aetna-life-ins-co-v-watts-okla-1931.