Beagle v. Rudie Wilhelm Warehouse Company

463 P.2d 875, 2 Or. App. 533, 1970 Ore. App. LEXIS 684
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJanuary 15, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 463 P.2d 875 (Beagle v. Rudie Wilhelm Warehouse Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beagle v. Rudie Wilhelm Warehouse Company, 463 P.2d 875, 2 Or. App. 533, 1970 Ore. App. LEXIS 684 (Or. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinions

[535]*535FORT, J.

This appeal and cross-appeal from an award of compensation presents two questions. The first, raised by appellant employer only, is a challenge to the method used in the circuit court in the admission of evidence under ORS 656.298(6), and the second, raised by both parties, challenges the disability award made by the court, by the Hearing Officer, and by the Board.

Claimant had sought an award for permanent total disability which was denied by both the Hearing Officer and the Workmen’s Compensation Board. Each had made an award for permanent partial disability. The case came on regularly for review in the circuit court pursuant to the appeal of the claimant from the Board’s order.

Appellant claims that the trial court erred “in hearing the oral testimony of the plaintiff, which testimony was available and was given at the. time of the hearing.”

Both counsel and claimant were present in circuit court when the case was called for hearing. No motion to present additional evidence under ORS 656.298(6) was made by either party. None was offered. The trial judge on his own motion, however, called the claimant as a witness. Defendant employer timely objected to “any evidence that was available”;at.the time of the hearing before the Hearing Officer being elicited by the court. It was overruled. Neither counsel asked any questions of claimant, though both were offered that opportunity by the court at thé conclusion of its own questioning.

The record reveals that the trial court, though agreeing its power of inquiry was limited as .described [536]*536in the objection, supra, nevertheless directed the bulk of its inquiries into areas which either were or certainly could have been developed before the Hearing Officer. Some of its questions, however, dealt with matters subsequent to the time of the hearing. For example, the questions reveal the following:

“BY THE COURT:
“Q Mr. Beagle, where are you living now?
“A In Nehalem, Oregon.
“Q What are you doing down there?
“A Nothing right now.
“Q Are you doing any fishing?
“A Well, I have did a little; very little.
“Q What about a five-pound salmon, do' you think you could get him out of the river?
“A I would have a pretty good job of it if I ever tied on to him. I don’t know whether I could or not.
“Q Prior to the time you went down to the Coast you were still working for Rudie Wilhelm, were you not?
[We note the hearing before the Hearing Officer was held long after claimant left the employer.]
“A That’s right.
“Q The record shows here they gave you a job as clean-up man in the yard there. Why did you feel you couldn’t do that type of work?.
“A Well, I spent quite a while doing it. .
“Q How long a time?
“A I think it was — it was either two weeks or a month. I don’t remember now. And I could go and set down any time I wanted to and it just— wouldn’t work that was all there was to it. I couldn’t be down there on the job doing nothing.
[537]*537“Q What part of the work as a clean-up man did you find difficult to perform?
“A Well, I was on my feet a lot, I had to bend a lot. There wasn’t nothing really heavy— •He told me not to lift anything heavy. I never tried to lift anything heavy because every time I picked up something that was over four by four, or eight, 10 feet long, that doesn’t work.
“Q Where did you have pain?
“A In my back.
“Q What part of your back?
“A In the second — first or second lumbar down there right in the back, lower part.
“Q At the time you were working as a clean-up man were you receiving any treatment?
“ME. SWEEK: For my record, your Honor, I assume that I—
“THE COUET: I will allow you an exception.
“Q When you were cleaning up there in the yard, were you receiving any medical treatment at that time?”

The court then continued to inquire of the claimant extensively concerning matters all of which were available at the time of the hearing and much of which were developed before the Hearing Officer. We note that the trial court apparently had not read the transcript of the testimony developed at that hearing before it began its own inquiry of the claimant.

Claimant himself does not contend that the court limited its inquiries to matter “concerning disability that was not obtainable at the time of the hearing.” Rather, in his brief he states:

“* * * It is not important to determine whether or not the trial court erred in receiving new evidence. If the trial court erred, it would be [538]*538the duty of this Court to disregard the additional testimony and go on to review de novo the record made before the administrative agency.”

We turn now to the statute, OHS 656.298(6), which provides:

“The circuit court review shall be by a judge, without a jury, on the entire record forwarded by the board. The judge may remand the case to the hearing officer for further evidence taking, correction or other necessary action. However, the judge may hear additional evidence concerning disability that was not obtainable at the time of the hearing. The judge may affirm, reverse, modify or supplement the order appealed from, and make such disposition of the case as the judge determines to be appropriate.”

In Coday v. Willamette Tug & Barge, 250 Or 39, 440 P2d 224 (1968), the Supreme Court, after an exhaustive, .review of the legislative history, stated at page 44:

“Upon the basis of the statutory language and the legislative history, we find ourselves compelled to construe OES 656.298(6) as providing for a de novo review by the circuit court upon the record forwarded by the Board.”

The Supreme Court, however, in that case was not faced "with and thus did not consider the phrase of the statute which allows the judge to “hear additional evidence concerning disability that was not obtainable at the time of the hearing.” (Emphasis supplied.) ' '

In our view, Coday did not hold that the italicized language of the statute just quoted should be disregarded.; Such a holding would be in derogation of basic., principlés. of statutory construction too., well [539]*539known to require citation of authority. "We have no power to emasculate the statute when full effect can be-given to its parts.

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Beagle v. Rudie Wilhelm Warehouse Company
463 P.2d 875 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
463 P.2d 875, 2 Or. App. 533, 1970 Ore. App. LEXIS 684, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beagle-v-rudie-wilhelm-warehouse-company-orctapp-1970.