Delaware Valley Field Services v. Ramirez

105 A.3d 396, 2012 WL 8261599, 2012 Del. Super. LEXIS 622
CourtSuperior Court of Delaware
DecidedSeptember 13, 2012
DocketCIVIL ACTION NUMBER 12A-01-007-JOH
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 105 A.3d 396 (Delaware Valley Field Services v. Ramirez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Delaware Valley Field Services v. Ramirez, 105 A.3d 396, 2012 WL 8261599, 2012 Del. Super. LEXIS 622 (Del. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

HERLIHY, Judge

Saul Melgar Ramirez (“Ramirez”) was injured on the job in January, 2011. He started to receive total disability benefits. In March 2011, however, he was deported to Honduras and is now excluded from the United States. He had come here as an illegal alien, and at one point in his employment, supplied to his employer a false Social Security number and fraudulently filled out other employment papers indicating he was lawfully here.

The issues presented are of first impression in Delaware law: because Ramirez provided fake documentation and false information to his employer in order to become an employee, is he a covered “employee” under Delaware’s Workers’ Compensation laws? Does his former illegal status in the United States violate federal law thereby disqualifying him from receiving workers’ compensation? Is his now exclusion from the United. States tantamount to “incarceration” such that his benefits are suspended or terminated? Does the impossibility of his return to the United States and undergo an employer generated physical exam mean he forfeits his benefits?

The Court holds that his use of false information to become an employee does not remove him from coverage for job related injuries, nor does his illegal status effect his eligibility for benefits. Further, the Court finds his legal inability to return to the United States is not the same as or tantamount to incarceration or any other appropriate statutory basis to suspend or terminate his benefits. Finally, the Court holds that his presence in Honduras does not, at this time, automatically terminate [399]*399his benefits due to his legal inability to come to the United States for an employer arranged medical exam. The decision of the Industrial Accident Board granting him benefits and not terminating them is AFFIRMED.

Factual Background

There is very little in dispute concerning the facts of this case. Ramirez entered this country unlawfully, has been deported, and is now excluded from the United States. When the Board conducted its hearing on Delaware Valley Field Services’ (“DVFS”) petition to terminate, he participated by video link. An interpreter sat in the Board hearing room to assist all.1

One factual uncertainty, not particularly important to the issues in this case, is when Ramirez began working for DVFS. There may be some confusion on the dates as evidenced by the Board’s reference to several dates in its opinion.2 The record seems to be that Ramirez started to work for DVFS in April 2010, as an “independent contractor,” and until January 2011, he was paid in cash. When his status chanted to a payrolled employee of DVFS in January 2011, he did not initially supply any papers. DVFS does “field service” work for mortgage companies, banks and lenders primarily involving repossessed houses. While the record is not as full on the point as it should be, it seems Ramirez did the same kind of work, though not detailed before the Board, for DVFS, while being paid in cash and after becoming a salaried employee.

Raymond Saccomandi, (“Saccomandi”) the owner of DVFS, testified about paying Ramirez in cash and later asking him to be an employee. To achieve that status, Sac-comandi told Ramirez he had to get him a Social Security number. Also, to become an employee, Ramirez had to fill out or assisted in filling out two other forms. One was a Delaware wage form on which Saccomandi wrote in a false resident alien number. The other form is a federal immigration form, 1-9, on which Ramirez supplied false information.

When Saccomondi asked Ramirez to get or supply a Social Security number, Ramirez went to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and paid someone $180.00 to get him a false number. In February 2011, the payroll company DVFS uses informed Sacco-mandi that Ramirez’s Social Security number was false. Saccomandi testified he contacted “INS”3 and. learned there were two warrants for Ramirez. No warrants were produced at the Board hearing and they were not otherwise specified. Ramirez was deported to Honduras in March 2011. Saccomondi testified that if he had known Ramirez were an illegal alien and had supplied him with false information and documentation, he would not have hired him.4

On January 20, 2011, Saccomondi witnessed Ramirez fall down six steps landing [400]*400on his low back. He reported this incident to his workers’ compensation carrier and made arrangements for Ramirez to get medical treatment. Dr. Bruce Rudin, an orthopaedic surgeon, started to treat Ramirez in February, 2011. ■

The Board summarized Dr. Rudin’s medical findings as follows:

Dr. Rudin stated that, on February 21, 2011, Claimant had a grossly antalgic gait with very slow positional changes, extraordinarily limited forward flexion and extension with spasm. An MRI demonstrated a dark disk at L4-5 and a left sided disk herniation at L4-5. Dr. Rudin prescribed Vicodin. A CT scan was performed which demonstrated tranverse process fractures in Claimant’s spine (one on the right at L3 and one on the left at L2).
Dr. Ruding saw Claimant again on March 2, 2011. Claimant rated his pain as a nine on a ten-point scale. The doctor recommended an epidural steroid injection. There were no major structural fractures and the fractures Claimant has would typically take six to twelve weeks to heal and resolve that pain. However, in Claimant’s case there is also the disk herniation and radicular symptoms (which would not be caused by the tranverse fractures). Because Claimant’s treatment with Dr. Rudin was cut short by Claimant’s return to Honduras, the doctor was unable to investigate further, but the doctor strongly suspected that Claimant was also having diskogenic pain most likely coming from L4-5. Under the treatment guidelines, if Claimant was no better after four months of conservative care, a dis-cogram would have been performed and surgery would have been considered.
Dr. Rudin was aware that, since his return to Honduras, Claimant had been seeing a family doctor and a neurosurgeon (Dr. Alvarez). Dr. Alvarez is recommending surgery. The proposed surgery was a diskectomy. Dr. Rudin has not seen Claimant since March, but he is not sure that that is the proper- approach. If the problem is diskogenic in nature, then a fusion would be the recommended approach.5

Dr. Rudin testified Ramirez was totally disabled due to his work injury as of the last time he saw him. The doctor in Honduras, Dr. Rudin noted, also considered Ramirez totally disabled, at least as of August 2011.6 DVFS presented no medical testimony.

Board’s Decision

In an extremely well written decision, the Board held that, despite Ramirez’s illegal status and the supplying of false information and documents, he qualified as an “employee” under the Workers’ Compensation Act (“Act”). The Board held that the kind of false information Ramirez supplied was not the kind of false information which would cause forfeiture of benefits since it had nothing to do with his health, work history or any prior injuries.

The Board determined that federal law did not prohibit the award of benefits to an illegal alien. Further, the Board held that Ramirez’s illegal status did not render his employment contract void.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
105 A.3d 396, 2012 WL 8261599, 2012 Del. Super. LEXIS 622, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/delaware-valley-field-services-v-ramirez-delsuperct-2012.