Backest v. Louisiana Workers' Compensation

702 So. 2d 14, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2452, 1997 WL 674612
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 29, 1997
DocketNo. 29924-CA
StatusPublished

This text of 702 So. 2d 14 (Backest v. Louisiana Workers' Compensation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Backest v. Louisiana Workers' Compensation, 702 So. 2d 14, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2452, 1997 WL 674612 (La. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

[gMARVIN, Chief Judge.

Plaintiff appeals the trial court’s dismissal of his declaratory action seeking determination that La. R.S. 23:1021(10)(d) is unconstitutionally discriminatory to private employees paid on the basis of unit, piecework or commission. We affirm.

FACTS

Gary Backest, an employee on commission as a salesman for Service Tool Company, Inc., was apparently injured in the course and scope of his employment. He sought workers’ compensation in the form of supplemental earnings benefits. The issue before the OWC concerned proper calculation of the plaintiffs average weekly wage under La. R.S. 23:1021(10)(d).

While the claim for benefits was pending in the Office of Workers’ Compensation, the plaintiff filed this claim in the district court claiming the statute concerning the calculation of the average weekly wage discriminates unconstitutionally against him as an employee paid on a commission basis. He named as defendants the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation and the State of Louisiana, through the Attorney General.

The Attorney General filed an exception of no cause of action, contending the state is statutorily required only to be notified of the claim of unconstitutionality and not a party to such a suit, and an exception of lack of subject matter jurisdiction, based on the premise that the Office of Workers’ Compensation has exclusive jurisdiction over all workers’ compensation matters, including constitutionality of the Louisiana workers’ compensation statute.

The LWCC and the plaintiff filed cross motions for summary judgment on the issue of the constitutionality of La. R.S. 23:1021(10). The trial court denied the state’s exception of lack of subject matter jurisdiction and granted the [ ^exception of no cause of action, dismissing the suit as against the state. The court granted the LWCC’s motion for summary judgment and denied the plaintiffs motion, finding the statutory classification complained of by plaintiff is rationally related to a legitimate government interest. Plaintiff appeals the granting of the motion for summary judgment in favor of LWCC.

DISCUSSION

The plaintiff contends on appeal that it was error to conclude there is a legitimate government interest in differing calculation of wages for commission employees than for those paid hourly, monthly or annually. Plaintiff argues that the provision is rationally related to a legitimate governmental interest only if prescribing less benefits to a worker on the basis of his specific compensation arrangement rather than his actual earnings is itself determined to be a legitimate government interest. We disagree.

The equal protection provision of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 does not require absolute equality or precisely equal advantages. McCormick v. Hunt, 328 So.2d 140, 142 (La.1976); Whittington v. Wall, 94-2226 (La.App. 1st Cir. 6/23/95) 657 So.2d 1058. Three types of legislative classifica[16]*16tions of individuals and the standard of review and the burden of proof applicable to each under Art. I, § 3 of the Louisiana Constitution have been articulated. The three types are (1) statutes which classify persons by race or religion; (2) statutes which classify persons by birth, age, sex, culture, physical condition, or political ideas or affiliations; and (3) statutes which classify persons, but not by one of the above “suspect” classifications, and do not involve a fundamental right. Pierre v. Administrator, Louisiana Office of Employment Security, 553 So.2d 442, 447 (La.1989); Sibley v. Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University, 477 So.2d 1094, 1107-08 (La.1985) (on rehearing).

The litigants concede that the law in question does not classify individuals by one of the suspect classifications nor does it involve any fundamental right. The burden then becomes plaintiffs to show that the law does not suitably further any appropriate state interest. Sibley, 477 So.2d at 1107-1108. Where no suspect class or fundamental right is involved, the statute is reviewed to determine whether the legislative classification is rationally related to a legitimate state purpose. Pierre, 553 So.2d at 447. The only inquiry to be made here is whether the legislative classification delineating the wage calculation for differing methods of compensation is rationally related to a legitimate state objective or furthers any appropriate state interest.

The equal protection clause does not require a state’s legislature to choose between attacking every aspect of a problem or not attacking the problem at all. It is enough that the state’s action be rationally based and free from invidious discrimination. Whittington v. Wall, supra, citing Dandridge v. Williams, 397 U.S. 471, 485, 90 S.Ct. 1153, 1162, 25 L.Ed.2d 491 (1970). A state may take one step at a time in addressing phases of problems as long as the line drawn by the state is rationally supportáble. Schwegmann Giant Super Markets v. Edwards, 552 So.2d 1241, 1247 (La.App. 1st Cir.1989), writ denied, cert. denied.

Bazley v. Tortorich, 397 So.2d 475 (La. 1981) stated:

[I]n the area of economics and social welfare, a legislature does not violate the Equal Protection Clause merely because the classifications made by its laws are imperfect. If the classification has some reasonable basis, it does not offend the constitution simply because the classification is not made with mathematical nicety or because in practice it results in some inequality. Lindsley v. Natural Carbonic Gas Co., 220 U.S. 61, 78, 31 S.Ct. 337, [340] 55 L.Ed. 369, 377 (1911). “The problems of government are practical ones and|smay justify, if they do not require, rough accommodations illogical, it may be, and unscientific.” Metropolis Theater Co. v. City of Chicago, 228 U.S. 61, 69-70, 33 S.Ct. 441, [443] 57 L.Ed. 730, 734 (1913). “A statutory discrimination will not be set aside if any state of facts reasonably may be conceived to justify it.” McGowan v. Maryland, 366 U.S. 420, 426, 81 S.Ct. 1101, 1105, 6 L.Ed.2d 393, 399 (1961); Dandridge v. Williams, 397 U.S. 471, 90 S.Ct. 1153, 25 L.Ed.2d 491 (1970).
We do not decide that the legislature’s formulation of the exclusive remedy rule is wise, that it best fulfills the relevant social and economic objectives that Louisiana might ideally espouse, or that a more just and humane system could not be devised. Conflicting claims of morality and intelligence are raised by opponents and proponents of almost every measure, certainly including the one before us. But the difficult economic and social problems presented by workers’ compensation programs cannot properly be resolved by this Court. Cf. Dandridge v. Williams, supra, 397 U.S. 471, 90 S.Ct. 1153, 25 L.Ed.2d 491.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lindsley v. Natural Carbonic Gas Co.
220 U.S. 61 (Supreme Court, 1911)
McGowan v. Maryland
366 U.S. 420 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Dandridge v. Williams
397 U.S. 471 (Supreme Court, 1970)
Whittington v. Wall
657 So. 2d 1058 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)
Schwegmann Giant Super Markets v. Edwards
552 So. 2d 1241 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1989)
Sibley v. Bd. of Sup'rs of Louisiana State University
477 So. 2d 1094 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1985)
McCormick v. Hunt
328 So. 2d 140 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1976)
Bazley v. Tortorich
397 So. 2d 475 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1981)
Pierre v. Administrator, Louisiana Office of Employment Security
553 So. 2d 442 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
702 So. 2d 14, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2452, 1997 WL 674612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/backest-v-louisiana-workers-compensation-lactapp-1997.