Brady v. Ford Motor Co.

233 N.W.2d 631, 62 Mich. App. 520, 1975 Mich. App. LEXIS 1085
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 21, 1975
DocketDocket 19740
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 233 N.W.2d 631 (Brady v. Ford Motor Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brady v. Ford Motor Co., 233 N.W.2d 631, 62 Mich. App. 520, 1975 Mich. App. LEXIS 1085 (Mich. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinions

V. J. Brennan, P. J.

Plaintiff, Roy M. Brady, appeals from a decision of the Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board denying his claim for total and permanent disability benefits.

On February 10, 1954, plaintiff was employed by the Ford Motor Company and was injured when [522]*522several pieces of wood, weighing approximately 80 pounds each, fell on him as he was setting up a freight car for shipment. Plaintiff filed a claim for workmen’s compensation benefits but, before a hearing was held on his claim, his employer, Ford Motor Company, elected to voluntarily pay compensation benefits to him for a disabling injury to his left arm.

In March of 1968, residual effects of the February 10, 1954 injury rendered plaintiff’s right arm industrially useless. He therefore filed a petition seeking total and permanent disability benefits for the loss of industrial use of both arms. Plaintiff’s claim was considered under the provisions of 1956 PA 195; MCLA 412.10(b)(7); MSA 17.160(b)(7), which provided:

"(b) Total and permanent disability, compensation for which is provided in section 9, means:
"(7) Permanent and total loss of industrial use of both legs or both hands or both arms or 1 leg and 1 arm; for the purpose of this subsection (7) such permanency to be determined not less than 30 days before the expiration of 500 weeks from the date of injury.”

After several hearings were held, the hearing referee denied plaintiff’s claim for the following reason:

"Plaintiff did not have industrial loss of use of both arms until after March, 1968, and so determination was not prior to 30 days before the expiration of 500 weeks from the date of injury.”

Plaintiff appealed this decision to the Workmen’s Compensation Appeal Board which affirmed the hearing referee’s decision with one member [523]*523dissenting. The appeal board, after reviewing the testimony presented at the hearings, found that the evidence presented to the hearing referee established that plaintiff had suffered the loss of industrial use of both arms as1 of March, 1968 and specified the date of injury as February 10, 1954. The appeal board, however, rejected plaintiffs argument that his claim was to be governed by the law in effect at the time of injury and held, instead, that "the statute in effect at the time of acquisition of total and permanent status controls rather than the statutory provision at the time of injury”. The appeal board, therefore, like the hearing referee, found plaintiff’s claim to be barred by the language "such permanency to be determined not less than 30 days before the expiration of 500 weeks from the date of injury”. It is from this decision that plaintiff now appeals.

At the time of plaintiffs injury, February 10, 1954, claims for total and permanent disability because of the loss of two members of the body were governed by the following provision:

"The loss of both hands, or both arms, or both feet, or both legs, or both eyes, or of any two [2] thereof, shall constitute total and permanent disability, to be compensated according to the provisions of section nine [9].” 1948 CL 412.10.

Although this statute did not specifically provide for total and permanent disability benefits due to loss of industrial use of both arms, prior decisions of our Supreme Court interpreted the statute to provide benefits for those who had suffered the loss of industrial use of the specified members. See Bench v Kalamazoo Stove & Furnace Co, 286 Mich 314; 282 NW 162 (1938). In 1954, however, after plaintiffs accident occurred, 1954 PA 175 was [524]*524enacted which specifically itemized the losses which would entitle an employee to receive total and permanent disability benefits, none of which provided benefits for loss of industrial use. This remained the law until 1956 PA 195 was passed which included a provision for loss of industrial use of certain members by means of the § 10(b)(7) with which we are here concerned.

Noticeably absent from the provision in effect at the time of plaintiff’s injury is the limitation clause relied on by the hearing referee and the appeal board in denying plaintiff’s claim. The law in effect at the time of injury is that which is ordinarily used to determine the substantive rights of the parties. Tarnow v Railway Express Agency, 331 Mich 558; 50 NW2d 318 (1951), Pleiness v Mueller Brass Co, 56 Mich App 169; 223 NW2d 634 (1974). Our Supreme Court, however, has applied a different rule to claims for total and permanent disability arising out of injuries which occurred prior to the effective date of 1956 PA 195. Buchau v Simmons Boiler & Machine Co,1 392 Mich 141; 220 NW2d 408 (1974), Clark v Chrysler Corp, 377 Mich 140; 139 NW2d 714 (1966). These decisions, though, involved persons who were injured during that period, August 13, 1954 to August 1, 1956, in which no provision was made for total and permanent disability due to loss of industrial use as opposed to actual loss. They therefore have no application here insofar as determining which law governs.2 See Liesinger v Owen-Ames-[525]*525Kimball Co,3 377 Mich 158; 139 NW2d 706 (1966). The determination of whether plaintiff is totally and permanently disabled, therefore, should have been made according to the law in effect on February 10, 1954 which did not contain the limitation clause relied on by the hearing referee and the appeal board. Judging plaintiffs claim in this manner, it is clear that plaintiff is entitled to additional benefits. The law in effect at the time of plaintiffs injury, as construed by our Supreme Court, see Rench v Kalamazoo Stove & Furnace Co, supra, provided that one who suffered the loss of industrial use of both arms was totally and permanently disabled within the meaning of the workmen’s compensation act. The appeal board here specifically found that plaintiff was totally and permanently disabled due to loss of industrial use of both arms but denied his claim solely because of the limitation clause found in § 10(b)(7). Since § 10(b)(7) and the limitation clause contained therein have no application to the facts of the case at bar and since the appeal board found that [526]*526plaintiff suffered the loss of industrial use of both arms, it is clear that he is totally and permanently disabled as that term was defined in February 1954 and that he is, therefore, entitled to receive additional benefits from the Second Injury Fund.

One of the purposes to be served by the Second Injury Fund is to provide additional benefits to persons who are totally and permanently disabled and who are entitled, under the law in effect at the time of their injury, to compensation in amounts less than that which is now provided for in the act or for a lesser number of weeks than is presently provided for in the act. This purpose is now accomplished by means of MCLA 418.521(2), (3); MSA 17.237(521X2), (3), the relevant portion of which provides:

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

Related

McKenna v. Chevrolet-Saginaw Grey Iron Foundry Division
234 N.W.2d 526 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)
Brady v. Ford Motor Co.
233 N.W.2d 631 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
233 N.W.2d 631, 62 Mich. App. 520, 1975 Mich. App. LEXIS 1085, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brady-v-ford-motor-co-michctapp-1975.