Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Hilton

55 S.W.2d 120
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 10, 1932
DocketNo. 7792.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 55 S.W.2d 120 (Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Hilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Hilton, 55 S.W.2d 120 (Tex. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

BLAIR, J.

Appellee filed this suit as an appeal from the action of the Industrial Accident Board, refusing- to set aside a compromise settlement of his compensation claim, which the board had approved, but which was alleged to have been obtained by mistake or fraud as to the condition of appellee’s injuries when made; and refusing to award appellee such compensation as he might show himself entitled to receive. The trial resulted in setting aside the compromise agreement for fraud, and in a lump judgment for $2,545.57 as compensation, and $5,000 for medical and hospital services in favor of appellee.

The compromise settlement of the claim for compensation was executed and approved by the board in the manner provided by section 12 of article 8307. The order of the board refusing to set aside this agreement and the order approving it for fraud, and to reopen the case and award appellee the compensation to which he showed himself entitled to receive, omitting formal parts, reads as follows:

“The application of the claimant herein to reopen this case and set aside the order of the Board made and entered June 23, 1931, approving a compromise settlement agreement which motion was received and filed in this office July 29, 1931 (see page 74) has been duly considered by the Board.
“Under the decisions of the Supreme Gourt in the eases of Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Association v. Henderson [15 S.W.(2d) 565], and Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Association v. Day ! 3 7 S.W.(2d) 1043] we do not think we have jurisdiction to pass upon questions raised in said application, and for that reason we have today declined to set the application down for hearing.”

Appellee filed timely notice of intention not to abide by the order refusing to set aside the fraudulent compromise agreement, and refusing to reopen his case and award such compensation as he might show himself entitled to receive;' and timely filed this suit as an appeal from such action of the board, as provided in the Workmen’s Compensation Act, the petition alleging appellee’s injuries to be the same as stated in his application to the board for compensation; and alleging fully the facts showing mistake or fraud inducing the settlement agreement.

Appellant admits that the courts acquired jurisdiction to pass upon the question of whether the compromise settlement was induced by mistake or fraud; but contends that the courts acquired no jurisdiction to adjudicate appellee’s claim for compensation and for medical and hospital services, (a) because the Industrial Accident Board had no power or authority to pass upon the mistake or fraud issue, it being judicial; and that no award could be made by the hoard until the fraud issue had been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in favor of appellee; and (b) because the board, as shown by its above-quoted order, had not exercised its jurisdiction to hear and determine such matters upon their merits; and had made no final appealable award thereon, citing the following cases as! supporting these contentions: Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Ass'n v. Wilmoth et al. (Tex. Com. App.) 12 S.W.(2d).972; Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Hoelm (Tex. Civ. App.) 20 S.W.(2d) 263; Mingus v. Wadley, 115 Tex. 551, 285 S. W. 1084; Georgia Casualty Co. v. Campbell (Tex. Civ. App.) 266 S. W. 854; Lumberman’s Reciprocal Association v. Behnken, 112 Tex. 103, 246 S. W. 72, 28 A. L. R. 1402; Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Ass’n' v. Day (Tex. Com. App.) 17 S.W.(2d) 1043; Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Ass’n v. Henderson (Tex. Com. App.) 15 S.W.(2d) 565.

These contentions of appellant are not sustained. The last contention will be considered first. It is true that the jurisdiction .of courts under the Workmen’s Compensation Act attaches only by appeal from a final award or decision of the Industrial Accident Board, either awarding or refusing a claim for compensation or other relief authorized by the act. Lumberman’s Reciprocal’ Ass’n v. Behnken, supra; Mingus v. Wadley, supra; Jones v. Texas Indemnity Ins. Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 15 S.W.(2d) 1077; Texas Indemnity Co. v. White (Tex. Civ. App.) 37 S.W.(2d) 277; section 12d of article 8306, as amended by Acts 1931, 42d Leg. c. 155, p. 260 (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. art. 8306, § 12d): and section 5 of article 8307, as amended by Acts 1931, 42d Leg. c. 224, p. 378 (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. art. 8307, § 5). The rule is also well settled that, where a claim for compensation is refused or denied for any reason by the board, and an appeal is taken, the courts acquire jurisdiction to determine all issues between the parties relating to the injury and compensation therefor, which includes all incidental claims resulting from the injury and allowed by the act, regardless of whether such had been asserted before the board. Lumberman’s Reciprocal Ass’n v. Behnken, supra; Ætna Life Ins. Co. v. Culvahouse (Tex. Civ. App.) 10 S.W.(2d) 803. And it has also been uniformly held that the Industrial Accident Board is an administrative body created for the purpose of admin *123 istering the Workmen’s Compensation Laws in accordance with their provisions; that it has jurisdiction over the persons and subject-matter involved; and that in the performance of its duties it exercises administrative .and quasi judicial functions. Middleton v. Texas Power & Light Co., 108 Tex. 96, 185 S. W. 556; Vestal v. Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n (Tex. Com. App.) 285 S. W. 1011; Keller v. Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n (Tex. Civ. App.) 279 S. W. 1113; Southern Casualty Co. v. Todd (Tex. Com. App.) 29 S.W.(2d) 973; Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Sewell (Tex. Civ. App.) 32 S.W.(2d) 262.

So in this case, if the board, in the exercise of its administrative and quasi judicial functions under the act, had the power or authority to review its previous order approving the compromise settlement agreement, ,and to set it aside or change or revoke it upon a showing that it had been procured by mistake or fraud, we think it manifest that the above-quoted order of the board, refusing to set aside the settlement agreement for .mistake or fraud, and refusing to consider ap-pellee’s claim for such compensation as he .might show himself entitled to receive, constituted a denial of the claim for compensation, giving the courts jurisdiction on this appeal. Southern Casualty Co. v. Todd (Tex. Com. App.) 29 S.W.(2d) 973; Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Rodgers (Tex. Civ. App.) 281 S. W. 968 (writ of error dismissed). Nor ■can it be material whether the board refused to act because of the belief that it had no .authority to pass upon the question of mistake or fraud inducing the settlement agreement which it had theretofore approved. Whatever the reason for refusing appellee’s application for compensation, which the order recites the board had duly considered, the refusal to act effectively closed the door of relief to him; and was a denial of his pending claim for compensation. We therefore pass to a consideration of the question of whether the board, in the performance of its administrative and quasi judicial functions, had thq power or authority to review its previous order approving the settlement agreement in connection with the application of ap-pellee to set it aside for mistake or fraud; and to award appellee the compensation to which he might show himself entitled to receive.

In the recent ease of Estes v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. (Tex. Civ.

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

Related

City of San Antonio v. Spears
751 S.W.2d 551 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Travelers Ins. v. Dickson
160 F.2d 167 (Fifth Circuit, 1947)
Travelers Ins. v. Dickson
66 F. Supp. 72 (S.D. Texas, 1946)
Ætna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Ware
113 S.W.2d 981 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1938)
Texas Indemnity Ins. Co. v. Williamson
109 S.W.2d 322 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1937)
Maryland Casualty Co. v. Moore
102 S.W.2d 1118 (Texas Supreme Court, 1937)
Commercial Casualty Insurance v. Hilton
87 S.W.2d 1081 (Texas Supreme Court, 1935)
Maryland Casualty Co. v. Moore
74 S.W.2d 769 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1934)
Central Surety & Insurance Corp. v. French
72 S.W.2d 699 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1934)
Traders' & General Ins. Co. v. Powell
65 S.W.2d 269 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 S.W.2d 120, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-casualty-ins-co-v-hilton-texapp-1932.