Croll v. Forrest Laundry

44 Pa. D. & C. 548, 1942 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 482
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedJanuary 23, 1942
Docketno. 5465
StatusPublished

This text of 44 Pa. D. & C. 548 (Croll v. Forrest Laundry) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Croll v. Forrest Laundry, 44 Pa. D. & C. 548, 1942 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 482 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1942).

Opinion

Crumlish, J.,

This is an appeal by claimant from the action of the Workmen’s Compensation Board in refusing to grant the prayer of a petition filed pursuant to the provisions of section 413 of The Pennsylvania Workmen’s Compensation Act of June 21,1939, P. L. 520.

Since the history of the case is quite complicated, we feel that a proper appreciation of the issue involved can be had only by considering its entire history. Claimant was injured on March 8, 1933, when she fell and struck her right elbow. Thereafter claimant and defendant entered into an open agreement for total disability, which remained in effect until August 11, 1936, on which date defendant petitioned for modification of the agreement, alleging that claimant’s disability was confined to the loss of the use of her right arm. Claimant filed an answer denying the allegations of the petition and averring that she was still totally disabled. At the subsequent hearing, which was held on September 14, 1936, claimant was represented by one Joseph R. Burns, who was not a member of the bar. At the hearing counsel for defendant and the said Joseph R. Burns entered into a stipulation that claimant’s disability had resolved itself into the loss [550]*550of the use of her right arm, and on the basis of this stipulation Referee Casey entered an award for 215 weeks for the total loss of the use of claimant’s right arm, the award being dated September 17, 1936.

Thereafter defendant paid compensation pursuant to the award until April 14,1937, on which date claimant filed a petition to modify the “agreement”, i. e., the award of Referee Casey, on the ground that her disability had increased. Defendant filed an answer denying the allegations of the petition. It further appears that, at the time of the filing of claimant’s petition, the 215-week period under the award of Referee Casey had almost expired, and it was averred by defendant in its answer that full payment had been tendered pursuant to the award but that claimant had refused to execute a final receipt. At the subsequent hearing claimant introduced evidence tending to prove that she was suffering from mental disorders so as to be totally disabled, and that this condition was the result of the accident of March 8,1933. Defendant introduced evidence to controvert this, and Referee Kerwick found for claimant, making certain findings of fact, the most important of which were as follows:

“5. That sometime before April 14,1937, claimant’s disability changed to a total disability which continued up to and including the time of the hearing, and may continue for some indefinite time in the future.
“6. That claimant’s conditions, as herein found, while not wholly the result of the accident which she sustained in this case are in a measure due to the same. The fact that she is past 50 years of age; economic conditions in general; the fact that she has recently gone through her menopause; as well as the condition of her arm as a result of the accident, have all contributed to her present condition.”

On appeal, the Workmen’s Compensation Board held that claimant’s evidence was sufficient to sustain the award and affirmed without modifying or changing the [551]*551referee’s findings of fact. The case was then appealed to this court and we affirmed, speaking through the writer, but it now appears that we fell into several errors.

The first mistake was in assuming that claimant could file a petition to modify an award which had been made under section 306(c) of The Pennsylvania Workmen’s Compensation Act. This assumption was based on the ruling in Higgins v. Commonwealth C. & C. Co. et al., 106 Pa. Superior Ct. 1 (1932), where claimant’s petition was considered as one to modify an award made under sec. 306(c), and where it was said (pp. 10, 11) :

“Under the liberal attitude courts are authorized, by the language of the act, to take toward pleadings in a compensation case, we may consider the petition as one to modify the award.” Compare also Johnson v. Purnell et al., 131 Pa. Superior Ct. 230 (1938).

However, the Superior Court indicated in its opinion that an award under section 306(c) from which no appeal has been taken is conclusive, and failure so to hold was “a fundamental defect.” See Croll v. Miller et al., 133 Pa. Superior Ct. 448, 454.

We next dealt with the case as presenting solely the question whether or not there was legally competent evidence to support the findings of the board and whether the law had been properly applied to the findings of fact. We so concluded, and in support thereof quoted the following medical testimony of Dr. Clouting, a neurologist:

“Q. Have you any opinion as to the extent of her disability generally?
A. To tell you the truth I wouldn’t employ her to do anything at all for me now.
Q. You feel at present she is totally disabled?
A. Yes, I certainly do. She is disabled now, she is weak, has lost weight, and hears voices and sees visions and I think that is enough to disable anybody. We [552]*552usually find them in the psychopathic ward after symptoms like this.
Q. Doctor, as a result of your examination, and as a result of the history of this accident, the complaint of Nora Croll, and her testimony this morning, are you able to form an opinion as to the cause of her disability?
A. This is the primary cause of it (indicating the elbow). I think it is the direct result of the aftermath of her elbow, pain, with the continuous pain she is suffering, the nervous symptoms, the mental symptoms, all you see now are the direct aftermath of the whole thing.”

Again on cross-examination, he testified as follows:

“Q. I suppose her present condition might be attributed to a mental disturbance that might be the result of any number of different things?
A. I tried to go into her case fully to give a disinterested opinion because I don’t care which way the case goes. You take a woman who has had a severe injury, in a case like this until worrying about things like this, she has had pain and loss of sleep and weight and I think her present state is just a result or aftermath of the elbow. That is my judgment. Somebody else might differ with me, but I want to tell what I think is the truth.”
We also quoted at length from the testimony of Dr. Mecluskey, claimant’s family physician, as follows :
“Q. Now, doctor, what is your diagnosis of Mrs. Croll’s condition?
A. A neurotic mental case.
Q. Are you in a position to give an opinion as to the cause of Mrs. Croll’s present disability, based on your examinations, treatment and history of the accident, and the nature of her complaints?
A.. I am.
Q. In your opinion, doctor, what do you attribute her present condition to?
[553]*553A. (After objection and exception). I attribute it to her accident, based on the history.
Q. When you say you attribute her disability to the accident, you mean solely to the accident, or to the results produced by the accident?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
44 Pa. D. & C. 548, 1942 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 482, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/croll-v-forrest-laundry-pactcomplphilad-1942.