Erzen v. State Accident Insurance Fund

596 P.2d 1004, 40 Or. App. 771, 1979 Ore. App. LEXIS 2722
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJune 25, 1979
DocketNo. 77-7730, CA 12922
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 596 P.2d 1004 (Erzen v. State Accident Insurance Fund) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Erzen v. State Accident Insurance Fund, 596 P.2d 1004, 40 Or. App. 771, 1979 Ore. App. LEXIS 2722 (Or. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

RICHARDSON, J.

The State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF) appeals the determination of the Workers’ Compensation Board (Board) that claimant’s injury is compensable. SAIF denied the claim on the ground that claimant was a corporate officer and the employer had not elected coverage for its corporate officers under ORS 656.039. The referee and the Board held claimant was entitled to benefits as a covered workman and ordered SAIF to accept the claim. The issue is whether an officer of a corporation who has not elected coverage under the Act may nevertheless receive benefits as a covered worker.

The employer, Citizen’s Security Systems Association, Inc., is a close held corporation engaged in the business of providing private residential security patrols. Claimant began his employment with employer in May, 1976, as a patrolman. Two months later claimant purchased 22 percent of the corporate stock, his wife and mother-in-law each purchased 22 percent of the stock and the remaining stock is held by three other investors. Following the purchase of the stock claimant was elected president of the corporation and was designated the manager of the business. His duties as corporate president were limited to calling and presiding over board meetings. The board of directors had only one meeting at which claimant was elected president.

Claimant’s duties as manager included hiring, firing and supervision of employees, supervision of the accounts and customer relations. In addition he would fill in for the company’s security patrolmen in case of absence or emergency. He was injured in an automobile accident while filling in on a security patrol.

A representative of SAIF told claimant that he could be covered without filing the elective coverage notice (ORS 656.039) since he was an office worker and there would be no real advantage to his electing [774]*774coverage as a corporate officer. SAIF sent employer a letter on October 8,1976, informing the corporation of the necessity of providing elective coverage for its corporate officers. No such election had been made prior to claimant’s injury. Claimant was carried on the employer’s payroll as an office manager and worker’s compensation premiums were paid for claimant as a worker up to the time of his injury. Following denial of the claim SAIF refunded the premiums paid for claimant.

Claimant concedes he was a corporate officer and that no election for coverage as a corporate officer was filed. SAIF argues, because he had not filed the election for coverage he is not a subject worker entitled to benefits, citing Allen v. State Ind. Acc. Com., 200 Or 521, 265 P2d 1086 (1954).

In Allen, claimant’s deceased husband was the president of a small corporation engaged in operating a flower shop. His duties as president took about one percent of his time and the balance of his time he was engaged as a worker for the corporation in the flower shop. The corporation made worker’s compensation contributions as a worker but did not file an election for him to be covered as a corporate officer. He was killed while working on a floral parade float.

The court held no bona fide officer of a corporation can be entitled to benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act unless it files an election for coverage as required by the Act. Claimant argued her husband should be covered even though an officer of the corporation because he was also a workman as defined in the Act. The court rejected this contention because it would in essence be an amendment of the Act creating an exception to the clear language of the statute. The statute applied by the court (former ORS 656.128) provided in part:

"(1) Any person who is an individual employer, or a member of a firm, or an officer of a corporation, subject to ORS 656.002 to 656.590 as an employer, [775]*775may make written application to the commission to become entitled as a workman to the compensation benefits thereof. * * *
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"(7) An officer of a corporation shall not be deemed a workman of such corporation and entitled to the benefits of ORS 656.002 to 656.590 unless he complies with this section.” (Emphasis added.)

In a case decided prior to Allen v. State Ind. Acc. Com., supra, the Supreme Court discussed the dual capacity doctrine. Carson v. State Indus. Acc. Comm., 152 Or 455, 54 P2d 109 (1936). The court said that under the dual capacity doctrine, in the absence of contrary statute, if an officer of a corporation at the time of his injury is performing labor as an ordinary workman the Workers’ Compensation Act does not preclude the allowance of compensation. It is the nature and character of the work performed rather than the title of the individual that is controlling. The court, however, said the statute, Oregon Laws 1933, ch 116, § 3, p. 114, prohibited application of the dual capacity doctrine in Oregon. The statute read the same as former ORS 656.128 which was construed in Allen v. State Ind. Acc. Com., supra.

The court, in Carson, concluded that as a matter of law claimant’s deceased husband was not a bona fide corporate officer and was not required to elect coverage as such in order to be covered as a subject workman. The discussion regarding the dual capacity doctrine must be considered dicta, but it formed the basis of a Workers’ Compensation Board order interpreting ORS 656.027(7).

The Board order, adopted in 1966, provides:

"RE: ADMINISTRATIVE INTERPRETATION CHAPTER 285, OREGON LAWS 1965, SECTION 9 (8) OFFICERS OF CORPORATIONS AS NONSUBJECT WORKMEN
"The Board, recognizing the Law is well established that a person under the dual capacity doctrine [776]*776may be an officer of a corporation and still be a workman of the corporation, declares as a matter of administrative interpretation that whenever a corporate officer is engaged in performing the ordinary duties of a workman and receives pay therefor in the capacity of a workman or whenever the officer is engaged in an employment palpably separate from the official duties falling upon him as an officer, the officer will be deemed a subject workman as to such non-corporate officer duties. The legislative classification of corporate officers as nonsubject workmen is limited to official duties as a corporate officer.
"Reference: Carson v. SIAC, 152 Or 455, 458.”

The referee and the Board relied upon this order in reversing SAIF’s denial of the claim. SAIF argues the order is contrary to the Allen decision and ignores the clear wording of the statute.

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Related

SAIF Corp. v. Cox
893 P.2d 553 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1995)
SAIF Corp. v. Mize
879 P.2d 907 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
596 P.2d 1004, 40 Or. App. 771, 1979 Ore. App. LEXIS 2722, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/erzen-v-state-accident-insurance-fund-orctapp-1979.