Brown-Brockmeyer Co. v. Bd. of Review

45 N.E.2d 152, 70 Ohio App. 370, 37 Ohio Law. Abs. 338, 24 Ohio Op. 229, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 650
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 6, 1942
Docket1719
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 45 N.E.2d 152 (Brown-Brockmeyer Co. v. Bd. of Review) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown-Brockmeyer Co. v. Bd. of Review, 45 N.E.2d 152, 70 Ohio App. 370, 37 Ohio Law. Abs. 338, 24 Ohio Op. 229, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 650 (Ohio Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

Barnes, J.

The above entitled cause is now being •determined as an error proceeding by reason of defendant’s appeal on questions of law from the judg *372 ment of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery county, Ohio.

The original proceeding arose out of a claim of one Mrs. Mabel Braden Crowe, presented to the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, asking for benefits during a period of unemployment. Her claim was filed February 5, 1940, and was allowed with payments of $10.25 per week, to be made for sixteen weeks after a three weeks’ waiting period, if still unemployed.

The employer, The Brown-Brockmeyer Company, requested a redetermination, and on March 27, 1940, the administrator affirmed the former allowance of claim. From this the employer appealed to the board of review on April 6, 1940. On its appeal the matter was heard by a referee, who, on September 5, 1940, affirmed the decision of the administrator. From this decision the employer appealed to the board of review for a further hearing, and the board held a hearing at Dayton on March 12, 1941, at which time testimony was taken, and on May 13, 1941, the holding of the referee was affirmed.

The employer appealed from this decision of the board of review to the Common Pleas Court of Montgomery county, where the case was heard upon the transcript of the testimony and the proceedings had before the board. The Common Pleas Court reversed the decision of the board of review on November 10, 1941. From this judgment of the Common Pleas Court the board of review appealed to our court.

The right of appeal and the procedure in reference thereto as in force at the time in question was provided in Séction 1346-4, Gfeneral Code (118 Ohio Laws, 35), effective February 28, 1939. Among other things, this section provides that:

“Any employer or employee who may be affected by the decision of the board of review or of a referee, *373 where an appeal has been disallowed by the board, may, within thirty days therefrom, appeal from such decision to the Court of Common Pleas of the county wherein said appellant, as an employee, is resident or was last employed, or of the county wherein the appellant, as an employer, is resident or has his principal place of business in Ohio. Such appeal shall be lodged with such court by the filing of a petition against the hoard and issuance of summons to such board. The-hoard shall thereupon have prepared and certify to a transcript of its proceedings and the appeal shall be heard upon such transcript and the decision of the hoard shall not he modified or reversed unless such court shall find that such decision was unlawful, unreasonable or against the manifest weight of evidence. Either party shall have the right to appeal from the Court of Common Pleas as in other civil cases.”

The factual questions are not in serious dispute. Mabel Braden Crowe had worked for the BrownBrockmeyer Company, for more than four years prior to January 1940. The building of the employer is a one room building, 500 feet.long and about 90 feet wide. It was a monitor type building, constructed about ten years ago. In the elevation and on the sides are a great many windows. There is a receiving door in one end of the room and a delivery door at the other end. These doors are about six feet in width. At the side and near the center is a door for entrance of employees. The room was heated by air being blown over hot steam pipes by fans and in this way circulated through the room. There is no automatic regulation of the temperature, but a fireman is kept to regulate it. Mrs. Crowe was working in about the center of the building. During the winter of 1939 and 1940 Mrs. Crowe suffered- from colds at various times and was absent from work quite frequently. The only *374 testimony presented in the record was that of Mrs. Crowe and Mr. Sheeaberger, the latter being employment manager for The Brown-Brockmeyer Company.

Mrs. Crowe testified that the doors at the end of the ■building, as well as the employees’ door, were frequently open, and at such times the drafts were bad throughout the building, especially in and around where she was working. She further testified that on •January 22, 1940, she quit because of being sick with •a cold and fever; that she had been suffering with colds most of the winter and it got colder right along, •and the colder it got, the more she was troubled; that •during the winter she was subject to frequent colds.

Mrs. Crowe filed her claim on February 5, 1940, and reported that she was then ready for work, but not for work where she was subject to severe drafts, the weather still being cold. She reported weekly thereafter to the local office of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation seeking employment, in accordance with •the statutory requirements. She was interviewed on several occasions by prospective employers, but she did not secure work. Her job at The Brown-Brockmeyer Company was open for her at all times from the date she quit on January 22, 1940. On two or three •occasions she was specifically requested by the manager to return to work. On April 24, 1940, she took -employment with another concern but only remained there two days. On April 26,1940, she returned to her job with The Brown-Brockmeyer Company.

From the time Mrs. Crowe severed her relations with her employer until her return, she was continuously under the care of a physician. In addition to having a very severe cold, she had a congested lung. Very regularly she called at her doctor’s office for treatment. At first, she was treated daily; thereafter weekly, and -finally every two weeks. At the time Mrs. Crowe was *375 working, the company had approximately 225 employees, of which 60 were women.

There is no evidence that any other employee suffered from colds, as did Mrs. Crowe.

The board of review in its written opinion affirming the referee’s allowance of claim, stated in substance that Mrs. Crowe was justified in leaving her employment. The fact that the working conditions were not injurious to other employees would make no difference, if such were injurious to her health; that since plaintiff was justified in her separation from employment in her former shop she was also justified in refusing to return to that work in the absence of improved working conditions; that the provisions of the statute prescribing availability for work means suitable work.

The Common Pleas Court reversed the board of review, principally upon the ground that the word “suitable” was attached as a provision, whereas the statute contains no such provision.

In the briefs of counsel for appellant, among other things, reference is made to findings of unemployment commissions in other states but it is pointed out that in most of these cases the' pertinent sections of the law contain the language “suitable work.”

The chapter in the Code providing for unemployment compensation covers a great many sections, but after reading the chapter in its entirety we arrive at the conclusion that the determination of this case depends upon a construction of Section 1345-6, General Code (118 Ohio Laws, 266).

It is conceded that unemployment compensation is in no sense sick benefits.

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Bluebook (online)
45 N.E.2d 152, 70 Ohio App. 370, 37 Ohio Law. Abs. 338, 24 Ohio Op. 229, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 650, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-brockmeyer-co-v-bd-of-review-ohioctapp-1942.