Associated Employers' Reciprocal v. State Industrial Commission

1922 OK 249, 211 P. 491, 88 Okla. 80, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 332
Supreme Court of Oklahoma·Decided July 25, 1922·No. 12859·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

JOHNSON, J.

This proceeding has been regularly commenced in this court to review an award of the Industrial Commission made in this cause, which award is as follows:

“Now on this the 28th day of October, 1921, this cause comes on to be determined on the claimant’s claim for conpensation for the injury which he alleges occurred to him while in the employment of the Missouri Valley Bridge Company, on the 10th day of July, 1920, in Hughes county, Okla., and the commission having reset said cause for a rehearing in pursuance of a decision of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, and of its mandate, on the 21st day of October, 1921; at which hearing the claimant appeared in person and respondent ahd insurance carrier was represented by C. 'B. Pierce, Esq., and 'the commission having considered said testimony then and there given and having examined all the records on file in said cause and being otherwise well and sufficiently advised in the premises, finds the following facts:
“(1) That the claimant herein was in the employment of the Missouri Valley Bridge Company, and was engaged in a hazardous occupation within the meaning of the 'statute, and while in the employment of said respondent and in the course of his employment, the claimant received an accidental injury on (he 10th day of July, 1920, at or near Calvin, Hughes county, Okla.
“(2) That as a result of said accidental injury the claimant sustained the permanent total1 loss of hearing in the left ear.
“(3) That the Associated Employers’ Reciprocal was the insurance carrier of the Missouri Valley Bridge Company at the time of said accidental injury.
. “(4) That the respondent had proper notice of said accidental injury and the employe filed his claim for compensation with the commission within the statutory period.
*81 “(5) That the claimant’s average wage at the time of his accidental injury was $6.50 per day.
“The Commission is Therefore of the Opinion: That by reason of the aforesaid facts the claimant is entitled under the law to compensation in the sum of $1,500 for the loss of his hearing in his left ear, and that he is entitled to compensation at the rate of $18 per week for th.e loss of time by reason of said accidental injury.
“It is Therefore Ordered: That said respondent herein or the said insurance carrier pay to th.e claimant eoinperisation for the loss of time at the rate of $18 a week during his disability by reason of the said accidental injury.”

To vacate and annul this order and award, the petitioners have set forth the following grounds:

“(1) That said award is contrary to law.
“(2) That said award is contrary to the evidence introduced at the hearing.
“(3) That said award is not supported by any legal evidence.
“(4) That 'said award is contrary to law and contrary to the evidence.
“(5) That the injuries complained of and disability complained of did not arise in the course of employment as required by the Workmen’s Compensation Act, and therefore the decision and award is contrary to law.
“(6) That the commission erred as a matter of law in making said award because there was absolutely no evidence, before said commission sustaining the claim that said injuries complained of were received by the said Kuhn arising out of and in'the course .of his employment, and therefore •the award is contrary to law and is contrary :to the evidence.
“(7) Because said commission erred as a matter of law in making said award because there was no evidence that said injury was an accidental injury.
“(8) That said commission erred in its construction of the Workmen’s Compensation Law and 'in finding that the loss of hearing in one ear is compensable under said act.”

Counsel for petitioners discuss the foregoing specifications of error in their brief, under four propositions, which are as follows :

“(1) The matter becomes res judicata after the judgment of this court — in the first original action became final and mandate issued.
“(2) The award is not sustained by any evidence.
“(3) The loss of hearing in one ear is not compensable under the act.
“(4) The amount of the award is not sustained by any evidence.”

In arguing proposition 1, petitioners state in their brief as follows:

“There is no controversy over the fact that the award entered upon October 28, 1921, is based on the same circumstances as the on.e which was set aside by this court in case No. 12124. No claim of newly discovered evidence was made as the basis for the second hearing. In fact, no claim of anything wa's made, except that this court, not having given specific directions to do otherwise, the commission had power to enter rip the same award it had previously entered. If this were true, the opinions of this court are not binding on the Industrial Commission except such specific directions as may be contained in the mandate.
“The position of the petitioners in this connection is that this case is just like a case at law or in equity which has been reversed by the appellate court for insufficiency of evidence. It will be noted that this court held in its syllabus in the former case that there was no evidence to support the award, the burden of proof cast on the claimant wa's not carried, and the evidence of injury was insufficient.
“If he may again present his claim to the commission and have an award entered, which in turn is set aside, there will be nothing to prevent him from presenting it a third time, and so on ad infinitum. In other words, unless the same principles of law applicable to ordinary civil actions after reversal arc applied to these eases, there can be no end of any claim; the commission and this court will be harrassed with endless proceedings and appeals over the same matter.
“No new or amended claim or pleading of any kind was filed by the claimant, nor any excuse given or offered for not so doing.”

We cannot agree with contentions of counsel. Section 14, article 4, chapter 246, Session Laws of 1915, provides as follows:

“Section 14. The power and jurisdiction of the commission over each ease shall be continuing, and it may, from time to time, make such modification or change with respect to former findings or orders relating thereto, as in its opinion may be just, including the right to require physical examination as provided for in section 9 of article 2 of this act, and subject to the same penalties for refusal.”

This court has frequently held that the act, supra, has taken away the right of an injured employe who comes within the provisions of the act to go into court and have a jury trial and in its place substitutes a *82

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Associated Employers' Reciprocal v. State Industrial Commission, 1922 OK 249, 211 P. 491, 88 Okla. 80, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 332 (Okla. 1922).

1922 OK 249 (Associated Employers' Reciprocal v. State Industrial Commission) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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