Alvin G. Rhodes Pump Sales v. Industrial Commission of Utah

681 P.2d 1244, 1984 Utah LEXIS 822
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedApril 26, 1984
Docket19163
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 681 P.2d 1244 (Alvin G. Rhodes Pump Sales v. Industrial Commission of Utah) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alvin G. Rhodes Pump Sales v. Industrial Commission of Utah, 681 P.2d 1244, 1984 Utah LEXIS 822 (Utah 1984).

Opinions

[1246]*1246STEWART, Justice:

In this workmen’s compensation case, the State Insurance Fund (“State Insurance”) seeks reimbursement from the Second Injury Fund (“the Fund”) for medical and disability payments that State Insurance made pursuant to a settlement with an injured employee of the insured. An administrative law judge refused to order reimbursement. The Industrial Commission denied a petition for review. We reverse and remand.

The administrative law judge found the following facts. Wilbur G. Rhodes was an employee of Rhodes Pump Sales. On two separate occasions, once on August 15, 1977, and later on May 1, 1978, he injured his back lifting heavy objects at work. Back problems and medical treatment ensued, causing Rhodes to miss several days of work, and causing a permanent back impairment. State Insurance paid for Mr. Rhodes’ medical treatment and missed days of work as those expenses were incurred.

On approximately July 23, 1980, Mr. Rhodes signed a written settlement with State Insurance, in which he (1) accepted the payments to that date as payment in full for the medical and temporary disability benefits due him, and (2) agreed to accept $6,676.80 as a settlement for his permanent partial impairment. Based on a medical report, the settlement agreement set the level of permanent partial impairment of Rhodes’ back at 20%. At that time, no party knew that Rhodes had any pre-existing back conditions. Apparently for this reason, the Second Injury Fund was not a party to the settlement.

In 1981, Mr. Rhodes filed an application for an adjustment of his prior claim. He alleged that his back had deteriorated since the medical treatment was completed and thus sought an increased permanent partial impairment rating. He named Rhodes Pump Sales, the State Insurance Fund, and the Second Injury Fund as defendants.

As required by statute, U.C.A., 1953, § 35-1-69, the case was submitted to a medical panel for a medical examination. The panel found that Mr. Rhodes’ back had not deteriorated from the 20% impairment level previously determined. The panel allocated the causes of his impairment as follows:

(1) Five percent for the May 1978 injury;
(2) Five percent for the August 1977 injury; and
(3) Ten percent for “previously-existing conditions” due to “degenerative arthritis and disk disease of the low back.”

The finding as to the pre-existing conditions arguably made the Fund liable for part of the previously paid medical and disability benefits. § 35-1-69.

In addition, the medical panel also found that Rhodes had a pre-existing 5% neurological impairment, known as “sensory po-lyneuropathy,” which was caused by chronic alcoholism that Rhodes had suffered pri- or to the industrial injuries. Based on these separate whole man impairment ratings, the medical panel arrived at a combined partial man impairment rating of 24%. See generally Jacobsen Construction v. Hair, Utah, 667 P.2d 25 (1983).

The administrative law judge initially denied Mr. Rhodes’ request that his permanent impairment rating be increased. The judge reasoned that although the new impairment rating of 24% was 4% greater than the 20% rating agreed on in the settlement, the 4% increase was due to a condition (chronic alcoholism) which had existed at the time of the 1980 settlement. Thus, the judge held that Rhodes was not entitled to any additional benefits. The judge also refused to order the Fund to reimburse State Insurance for medical expenses, temporary total disability payments, or permanent partial disability payments.

Mr. Rhodes and the plaintiffs contested the order. Rhodes asserted that he was entitled to a 4% disability rating increase; the plaintiffs asserted that they were entitled to reimbursement from the Fund for ⅜ of the medical and temporary total benefits they had paid to Rhodes and for 10/⅛0 of the permanent partial disability that they had paid. After negotiations be[1247]*1247tween the parties, the judge signed an amended order that: (1) increased Mr. Rhodes’ permanent partial impairment rating by 4%; (2) ordered the Fund to pay Mr. Rhodes $1,335.36 for the 4% increase; and (3) ordered the Fund to reimburse State Insurance for only V24 of the temporary total disability and medical expenses it had paid.

Plaintiffs then filed a petition for review with the Industrial Commission. In denying the petition, the Commission referred to the above facts and stated: “The parties to the 1980 compensation agreement are bound by the terms of that document and no further changes in the apportionment should be permitted.”

On appeal to this Court, State Insurance argues that the Fund is required by § 35-1-69(1) to reimburse State Insurance. That section defines the scope of the Fund’s responsibility:

If any employee who has previously incurred a permanent incapacity by accidental injury, disease, or congenital causes, sustains an industrial injury for which compensation and medical care is provided by this title that results in permanent incapacity which is substantially greater than he would have incurred if he had not had the pre-existing incapacity, [then] compensation and medical care ... shall be awarded on the basis of the combined injuries, but the liability of the employer for such compensation and medical care shall be for the industrial injury only and the remainder shall be paid out of the [second injury fund]_ [Emphasis added.]1

The Fund does not contend that the settlement amounts paid for medical expenses, temporary total disability or permanent partial impairment were excessive, nor does it contend that the findings of 10% impairment due to the prior disk disease and 5% impairment due to alcoholism were in error. Clearly, if the medical expenses, temporary total disability and permanent partial impairment payments had been paid by State Insurance pursuant to an adjudicated award, § 35-1-69(1) would require the Fund to reimburse State Insurance for a portion of those expenses. U.S. Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Industrial Commission, Utah, 657 P.2d 764 (1983); Intermountain Smelting Corp. v. Capitano, Utah, 610 P.2d 334 (1980); White v. Industrial Commission, Utah, 604 P.2d 478 (1979).

The Fund argues that: (1) § 35-1-69(1) applies only to adjudicated awards, not to settlements, and (2) even if that section applies to settlements, it does not require the Fund to reimburse an employer for settlements to which the Fund was not a party.

The Fund relies on Pacheco v. Industrial Commission, Utah, 668 P.2d 553 (1983). The issue in Pacheco was whether the provision in § 35-1-78, which requires compensation awards made by the Industrial Commission to include interest, applies to settlements as well as to awards. We held that § 35-1-78 did not apply to settlements, stating:

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Alvin G. Rhodes Pump Sales v. Industrial Commission of Utah
681 P.2d 1244 (Utah Supreme Court, 1984)

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Bluebook (online)
681 P.2d 1244, 1984 Utah LEXIS 822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alvin-g-rhodes-pump-sales-v-industrial-commission-of-utah-utah-1984.