Ferlita v. Florida Art Stucco Corp.

74 So. 2d 893, 1954 Fla. LEXIS 1186
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedOctober 8, 1954
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 74 So. 2d 893 (Ferlita v. Florida Art Stucco Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ferlita v. Florida Art Stucco Corp., 74 So. 2d 893, 1954 Fla. LEXIS 1186 (Fla. 1954).

Opinion

TERRELL, Justice.

Appellant, a minor, was injured August 1, 1947, while in the employ of appellee, Florida Art Stucco Corporation. He filed a claim under Section 440.15, Florida Statutes 1941, F.S.A., for disability compensation against his employer and Great American Indemnity Company, the insurance carrier. He also filed claim for double compensation as provided by Section 440.54, Florida Statutes 1941, F.S.A. The Florida Industrial Commission entered an award for disability compensation, the last payment on which was made by the carrier August 30, 1948. 'No award was made under Section 440.54 for double benefits at that time.

Thereafter, on May 21, 1952, a- deputy commissioner ordered the employer to pay claimant the double benefits provided by [894]*894Section 440.54, and denied the claim for additional attorneys fees as provided by Section 440.34, on the ground that payment under Section 440.54 was a penalty and not compensation, and the law providing therefor should be strictly construed. This order, on September 26, 1952, was affirmed by the Florida Industrial Commission. By stipulation with the employer the claimant waived the right of appeal and further claim against the employer. February 18, 1953, claimant filed an additional claim with the Industrial Commission against the employer-Carrier for compensation and medical benefits, alleging that his disability was greater than existed at the time of the award by the Industrial Commission August 30, 1948. The Deputy Commissioner denied this claim March 31, 1953, on the ground that the last payment of compensation was made to the employee August 30, 1948, that the payment made by the employer October 31, 1952 as provided by Section 440.54 was a penalty and not compensation within the terms of the Workmen's Compensation Act and -that inasmuch as more than one year had expired since the date of the last payment of compensation the claimant was not entitled to reopen the case under Section 440.28, and was not entitled to further benefits under Workmen’s Compensation Act. The full Commission affirmed the order of the Deputy Commissioner and the Circuit Court on appeal affirmed the order of the Industrial Commission. We are confronted with an appeal from the latter order.

The point for determination may be stated as follows: Was payment of all additional payments by the employer October 31, 1952, as provided under Section 440.54, Florida Statutes 1941, F.S.A., such a payment of “compensation” within the purview of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, Section 440.28, as will enable claimant to reopen the case after the one year period provided therein has expired?

The Industrial Commission held that the payment made October 31, 1952 was a pen-’ alty, that it was not the. payment of compensation within the purview of the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Appellant contends on the other hand that even though such payment be a penalty, it is nevertheless a compensation payment and that the one year period of limitation then provided should be computed from the time of such payment, irrespective of who was required under the Act to pay it. Since the one year period had not expired at the time of the claimant’s last application, it is contended that the Deputy Commissioner erred in refusing to reopen the case.

Compensation is defined in 440.02(11) to be “money allowance payable to an employee or to his dependents as provided in this chapter.” There is no limitation as to who pays such money allowance, nor is there a definition of “money allowance.” It is not entirely clear in what manner the word “allowance” amplifies or limits the “money” payable. Voluntary payments of claimant’s hospital and doctor bills has been held not to be compensation within the Compensation Act and as such did not extend the time for filing of claims. Royer v. United States Sugar Corporation, 1941, 148 Fla. 537, 4 So.2d 692.

In Lollie v. General American Tank Storage Terminals, 160 Fla. 208, 34 So.2d 306, 308, the court was not concerned with the definition of “compensation” alone but of “ ‘total compensation payable under this chapter.’ ” We held that “ ‘total compensation payable under this chapter’ ” was limited to $5,000 under the provisions of 440.20(13) F.S.1941, F.S.A. (now repealed). Two factors appear to have led the court to this conclusion: first, the additional amount payable under. 440.54 was a penalty and must be strictly construed; second, the fact that 440.54 and 440.20(13) were not enacted at the same time and the legislature employed the language “ ‘shall in no event’ ” the compensation exceed $5,-000. The pertinent part of the opinion was:

“In our view, Section 440.20, above quoted, was a clear limitation of $5,000 on the amount of compensation or benefits that may be allowed in any case, to which may be added the cost of medical treatment and funeral ex[895]*895penses. Sections 440.54 and 440.20 were not enacted at the same time but were parts of the same statute and when the legislature employed the language, ‘shall in no event’ the compensation exceed $5,000 the Industrial Commission was powerless to award more.” (Emphasis supplied.)

It may thus be deduced that “total compensation payable under this chapter” (as used in 440.20(13)) was composed of: “pure” compensation and the penalty “benefits” under 440.54. It follows that when the term used in the statute is “total compensation payable under this chapter” the term “compensation” is an inclusive and general term, but it does not necessarily follow that this definition of compensation is binding when compensation is used elsewhere in the Act when the clear implication that the “compensation” payable according to the terms of such specific statute is limited to “pure” compensation, measured by the earning capacity after injury looking backward to the earnings prior to disability.

In Lockett v. Smith, Fla., 1954, 72 So.2d 817, the court was concerned with the problem of whether the claimant was entitled to an attorney’s fee on the award of 20% payable under 440.20(6) (where carrier is delinquent in payment of the award). The case turned on the determination of whether the 20% “in addition to such compensation” that the claimant was entitled to, was “compensation” within the meaning of 440.34(1). A study of 440.34(1) indicates that the term “compensation” is used in conjunction with the word “claim”, although the court emphasized other provisions of the statute in the opinion. In fine, the court held “compensation” included compensation as well as the 20% payable under 440.20(6). The court also considered whether the 20% was a penalty and in attempting to analyze the Lollie case arrived at the conclusion that under it “compensation” included “compensation” and “penalties”. In the Lollie case the court was concerned with “total compensation payable under this chapter,” which may be somewhat different from the “compensation” payable under some specific provision of the chapter. Thus the inquiry is whether “compensation” is all inclusive or is it a term of limitation. In the Lockett case the court held that the 20% payable to the injured person was to reimburse or compensate the claimant for any injury he may have suffered as the result of the delinquency. Thus it is seen that the 20% is not primarily a penalty against the carrier but “compensation”, to reimburse the claimant for injury he must have suffered- from the delayed payment, the dominant purpose being to compensate the employee. Compare Rudy v. McCloskey & Company, 1948, 348 Pa. 401,

Related

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424 So. 2d 941 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1983)
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134 So. 2d 244 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1961)

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74 So. 2d 893, 1954 Fla. LEXIS 1186, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ferlita-v-florida-art-stucco-corp-fla-1954.