Drtina v. Charles Tea Co.

204 Ill. App. 183, 1917 Ill. App. LEXIS 319
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 19, 1917
DocketGen. No. 22,675
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 204 Ill. App. 183 (Drtina v. Charles Tea Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Drtina v. Charles Tea Co., 204 Ill. App. 183, 1917 Ill. App. LEXIS 319 (Ill. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice McSurely

delivered the opinion of the court.

By this appeal defendant challenges the validity of a judgment against it, rendered in the Circuit Court of this county in a suit brought upon a judgment rendered in the Superior Court of Lake county, Indiana, upon an award in a statutory action under the “Workmen’s Compensation Act of Indiana.” The judgment, both in our Circuit Court and in the Indiana court, was for the sum of $9.07 a week for a period of three hundred weeks beginning with September 10, 1915.

The facts of the accident which gave rise to the proceeding are not material to our consideration. Briefly stated, Albert Drtina, husband of plaintiff Filomena Drtina, and father of Rosie, on September 10, 1915, was killed in Indiana by a train while he was engaged in the business of selling and delivering goods for his employer, the defendant.

Did the Indiana court have jurisdiction of the defendant? Defendant has a store in Chicago, but sells goods in Indiana through its agent living in that State. After the death of Drtina his widow and child filed their petition, pursuant to the Indiana statute, with the Indiana Industrial Board, setting forth the nature of their claim. The agent of the defendant residing at Hammond, Indiana, was served with a copy of the petition and a notice of the arbitration hearing. The cause was called for hearing at the set time, at which plaintiffs were present represented by counsel. A special appearance was entered by defendant for the purpose of objecting to the jurisdiction of the board, upon the ground, as stated, of defective service, in that the agent of the defendant who had been served with the summons was not at the time of the service of such process in the employ of the defendant. No proof to sustain this objection was offered, and it was overruled. Thereupon the cause proceeded to hearing, which was participated in by the attorney for the defendant by his examining witnesses, objecting to testimony, etc. At the close of plaintiffs’ case defendant’s attorney asked for a continuance for the purpose of introducing testimony “upon the merits of the case.” A continuance was allowed, but defendant offered nothing in defense. Thereupon, on January 18, 1916, the board made an award for the plaintiffs and against the defendant.

Subsequently, on January 25, 1916, pursuant to the Indiana statute, defendant filed its application for a review of the award, setting forth among other things as grounds for review the alleged defective service of summons. After consideration of the points presented, an opinion was filed by the board in which these points were discussed and determined. The point of no jurisdiction was discussed and decided adversely to the claim of the defendant.

By section 61 of the Indiana Act provision is made for an appeal to the Appellate Court by either party to the dispute within thirty days from the date of the award, and that if such appeal is not taken the award upon the review is conclusive and binding as to all questions of fact. No appeal was taken. Subsequently the plaintiffs, proceeding under section 62 of the Act, filed a certified copy of the award of the board in the Superior Court of Lake county, Indiana, and judgment was rendered in accordance therewith. Said section does not provide for any service of summons prior to the rendition of the judgment, but contemplates that after judgment is entered the parties shall be notified. The section further provides that “such judgment shall have the same effect and all proceedings in relation thereto shall thereafter be the same as though said judgment had been rendered in a suit duly heard and determined by said court.”

With this record before us, we hold that it appears that the defendant was within the jurisdiction of the court, for the following reasons: (1) The service of process in the first instance upon the agent of defendant was sufficient; (2) the defendant by its attorney appeared and took part in the trial; (3) the question of jurisdiction was raised and determined by the board on review; it is therefore res judicata (Chicago Title & Trust Co. v. National Storage Co., 260 Ill. 485); (4) the record shows as a fact notice to the defendant of the intention to apply to the Superior Court for a judgment upon the award; and (5) it is not required by the Indiana statute to give previous notice by summons or otherwise of application to the Circuit or Superior Court for judgment upon an award.

It is urged that we should declare section 62 of the Indiana statute unconstitutional. We must decline to do so. We would not be permitted under such circumstances to pass upon the constitutionality of one of the statutes of this State; it would follow by analogy that we are not permitted to pass upon the constitutionality of a statute of a sister State. No authority is pointed out to us so to do, and we shall assume the constitutionality of the act. In this connection it might be said that following the reasoning of our own Supreme Court in declaring our Workmen’s Compensation Act constitutional, we should hold the Indiana statute constitutional. Deibeikis v. Link Belt Co., 261 Ill. 454; Victor Chemical Works v. Industrial Board of Illinois, 274 Ill. 11.

It is urged that the defendant is not subject to the terms and provisions of the Indiana Workmen’s Compensation Act for the reason, as stated, that it is a corporation foreign to the State of Indiana and engaged in interstate commerce. This point was raised upon the review of the award by the Industrial Board of Indiana and, upon the evidence, adjudicated adversely to defendant; but even if it should be conceded that defendant was engaged in interstate commerce it does not follow that it is not subject to the Compensation Act. By section 19 of the Act it is provided that the Act “shall not apply to employees engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, nor to their employers, in case the laws of the United States provide for compensation or for liability for injury or death by accident of such employees.” By excluding employers or employees engaged in interstate commerce who are provided for by federal statute, the act includes those not so provided for. No federal compensation act has been presented to us, and we know of none which would cover the particular kind of employment of the deceased in this case. An act similar to this has been held to apply to those engaged in interstate commerce, the court saying:

“The foregoing shows an intention to legislate for all, including those engaged in interstate commerce, contrary to the contention made. It is further contended that, if the terms of the act include those engaged in interstate commerce, it is an interference with interstate commerce and cannot be enforced. Congress having in no way legislated in the premises * * * the State has the right to enact laws incidentally affecting interstate commerce. This act does no more.” Stoll v. Pacific Coast S. S. Co., 205 Fed. 169, 177.

We are in accord with what is said in this opinion.

It is objected by the defendant that the plaintiffs did not offer or introduce a full and complete transcript of a judgment of a foreign State. There was introduced upon the trial here a transcript of the judgment itself, duly authenticated, the Workmen’s Compensation Law of Indiana, and the procedure in the case of Drtina et al. v. Charles Tea Company, from which the judgment sued on resulted.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
204 Ill. App. 183, 1917 Ill. App. LEXIS 319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/drtina-v-charles-tea-co-illappct-1917.