Boyer v. Crescent Paper Box Factory, Inc.

78 So. 596, 143 La. 368, 1917 La. LEXIS 1755
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedNovember 26, 1917
DocketNo. 22434
StatusPublished
Cited by48 cases

This text of 78 So. 596 (Boyer v. Crescent Paper Box Factory, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boyer v. Crescent Paper Box Factory, Inc., 78 So. 596, 143 La. 368, 1917 La. LEXIS 1755 (La. 1917).

Opinions

PROVOSTY, J.

While plaintiff was in the dressing room of the defendant’s factory getting ready to go home after her day’s work, her hair got caught in some machinery, and she was scalped. There can be no serious question but that she would be entitled to heavy damages were it not for Act 20, p. 44, of 1914, known as the Employers’ Liability Act. She denies that her case comes under this act; and, in the event [371]*371that it does, she contends that the act is unconstitutional.

[1] Her reasons for saying that the act does not apply to her case are:

Hirst. That she gave defendant the notice provided for by paragraph 3 of section 3 of said act.

That section provides that the parties to the contracts of employment covered by the act shall be presumed to have intended that their contract should he subject to the provisions of the act, unless otherwise stipulated in the contract, or unless either party gives to the other notice to the contrary, “not less than thirty days prior to the accident.”

Plaintiff gave this notice only after the accident, but within 30 days of the date of her employment; and the argument is that she had 30 days within which to give the notice. The act does not so provide. It is explicit to the contrary. By its operation every contract is included, unless taken out either by express stipulation in the contract Itself, or by notice 30 days before the accident. Needless to consider what would have been the legal situation if the notice had been given as soon as it was possible to give it, but less than thirty days before the accident.

[2] Second. That defendant refused to furnish her the medical aid required by paragraph 5 of section 8 of the act to be furnished by the employer to the injured employe “during the first two weeks after the injury,” and is therefore not in a position to invoke the benefit of the act.

There is no evidence of defendant’s having failed to furnish this medical aid. One of the exhibits attached to plaintiff’s petition is a letter, alleged to be from defendant’s counsel, bearing upon this question of medical aid; but this letter was not offered in evidence, and if, in evidence, would show that defendant complied fully with the medical aid requirement. It is dated December 8, 1915, is addressed to plaintiff’s counsel, and reads:

“Dear Sir:
“Re Miss Effie Boyer v. Orescent Paper Box Factory, Inc.
“Orescent Paper Box Factory, Inc., has referred to me for attention your communication of Dec. 2d and 6th, relative to accidental injuries sustained by your client, Nov. 13th, while in its employ.
“As you know, Act No. 20 of 1914 imposes upon my client certain obligations and liabilities from which it cannot escape, and it is our intention to comply to the letter with the requirements of the said act.
“Directly after the accident, and in order to alleviate, as much as possible, the pain and suffering of Miss Boyer, we had her removed from the Charity Hospital to the Touro Infirmary, and placed under the treatment of our own surgeon, Dr. J. Barnett. However, in view of her attitude, as expressed in your communication, we felt that it is not incumbent upon us to incur further expenses in her behalf, and have therefore notified Dr. Barnett and the Touro Infirmary that we will not be responsible for any further expenses in the nature of medical attention, medicine, or hospital fees. As attorney at law and in fact for Miss Boyer we hereby notify you, with the request that immediate arrangements be made for the rendering of further attention at the expense of Miss Boyer.
“Allow me to emphatically deny the statement of Miss Boyer that any one representing her employer has called upon her to annoy her with any proposal to effect an amicable settlement. Such a statement is without foundation in fact.
“If there are any features of the case which you wish to discuss with me kindly advise me and it will afford me pleasure to call upon you.
“Very truly yours.”

Defendant appears by this letter to have furnished medical assistance from November 13th to, at least, December 8th—more than two weeks.

[3] Thirds That the defendant has not posted a notice in its factory as required by said Act No. 20 of 1914.

The notice here referred to as required to be posted is that provided for by section 12 of the act, reading as follows:

“Sec. 12. Be it further enacted, etc., that it shall be the duty of the employer to cause to have printed and to keep posted at some convenient and conspicuous point about the place of business a notice reading * * * as follows: ‘In case of accidental injury or death the injured employé or some one acting in his behalf, must give notice to [here shall follow the name [373]*373and address of the party] within fifteen days, and unless notice be given to the above party within fifteen days, no payments will be made under the law for such injury or death.’ In the event of the failure of the employer to keep posted_ said notice, the time in which notice of the injury shall be given as provided in section 11 shall be extended to six months from the date of injury.”

Evidently the only function, or effect, of said notice is to start the running of the 15-day delay within which an injured employé must give notice of his injury; and the only consequence of failure to give this notice is that the employé has 6 months, instead of 15 days, within which to give notice of his injury.

Fourth. That the loss of a scalp is not mentioned among the special cases of loss for which provision is iaade in said act, and that therefore any injury of that kind does not come under the act.

Section 8 of the act provides, in general terms, “for injury producing (a) temporary total disability to do work of any reasonable character; (b) temporary partial disability; (c) permanent partial disability; and (d) permanent total disability.” Under the (e) subdivision it provides a schedule of compensation for special cases according to the member or part of the body that has been lost. Because the scalp is not mentioned among the parts of the body thus specially provided for, the contention is made by plaintiff that an injury consisting in the loss of the scalp does not come under the act.

We find no-force in this contention. Section 1 of the act provides that this act shall apply to “every person performing services arising out of and incidental to his employment in the course of his employer’s trade, business,” etc.; and then section 8 provides for temporary total disability to work. Plaintiff’s case falls squarely within this classification; she was temporarily disabled totally from doing work of any reasonable character.

Plaintiff calls attention to the fact that by Act No. 243 of 1916, p. 512, the said Act No. 20 of 1914, § 8, was amended so as to make special provision for the case where “the employé is seriously permanently disfigured about the face or head.” But we do not see in what way this amendment changes the situation, in so far as the present case is concerned. It merely adds disfigurement to the injuries for which special provision is made for compensation.

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Bluebook (online)
78 So. 596, 143 La. 368, 1917 La. LEXIS 1755, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boyer-v-crescent-paper-box-factory-inc-la-1917.