Gosek v. Garmer and Stiles Company

158 N.W.2d 731, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 847
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 7, 1968
Docket52839
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 158 N.W.2d 731 (Gosek v. Garmer and Stiles Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gosek v. Garmer and Stiles Company, 158 N.W.2d 731, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 847 (iowa 1968).

Opinions

RAWLINGS, Justice.

The deputy industrial commissioner denied plaintiff-applicant’s claim for additional compensation on second review-reopening hearing. Claimant appealed to district court, and from affirmance of commissioner’s adjudication he takes appeal.

William Gosek, claimant, was injured January 15, 1962, while employed by defendant, Garmer and Stiles Company.

[732]*732October 14, 1963, pursuant to a memorandum agreement, plaintiff was paid $3209 by defendant compensation carrier.

Application for review-reopening was filed by claimant February 4, 1964, on which hearing was held. May 7, 1964, deputy commissioner’s decision issued finding 15% permanent partial disability. No appeal from this adjudication was taken by either party.

August 19, 1964, claimant filed a second review-reopening application. A motion to dismiss was overruled and second hearing held.

February 10, 1965, deputy commissioner filed decision finding evidence insufficient to disclose change in claimant’s condition subsequent to first review-reopening and denied relief.

I. Our review is relatively limited. Findings of fact by the commissioner are binding on us if the evidence is in dispute or reasonable minds could differ as to inferences drawn from the facts.

Also the commissioner’s findings are broadly and liberally construed to uphold rather than defeat his decision.

The test is sufficiency of the evidence to support the determination.

With regard to the foregoing see Crees v. Sheldahl Telephone Co., 258 Iowa 292, 296-297, 139 N.W.2d 190, and Wagner v. Otis Radio & Electric Co., 254 Iowa 990, 993, 119 N.W.2d 751.

However, where the ultimate conclusion can be arrived at only by application of a rule of law, the result reached embodies a conclusion of law reviewable on appeal. Pribyl v. Standard Electric Co., 246 Iowa 333, 337, 67 N.W.2d 438.

II. On a review-reopening hearing claimant has the burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence his right to compensation in addition to that accorded by a prior agreement or adjudication. See Wagner v. Otis Radio & Electric Co., supra, loc. cit., 254 Iowa 993, 994, and Oldham v. Scofield & Welch, 222 Iowa 764, 766-768, 266 N.W. 480, 269 N.W. 925.

III. The basic question presented is whether a review-reopening is limited to increased incapacity alone, subsequent to a prior settlement or award, to the exclusion of mistake, lack of knowledge or misconception on the part of claimant relative to conditions existing at time of preceding disposition or adjudication.

In this connection section 86.34, Code, 1966, provides: “Any award for payments or agreement for settlement made under this chapter where the amount has not been commuted, may be reviewed by the industrial commissioner or a deputy commissioner at the request of the employer or of the employee at any time within three years from the date of the last payment of compensation made under such award or agreement, and if on such review the commissioner finds the condition of the employee warrants such action, he may end, diminish, or increase the compensation so awarded or agreed upon. Any party aggrieved by any decision or order of the industrial commissioner or a deputy commissioner on a review of award or settlement as provided in this section, may appeal to the district court of the county in which the injury occurred and in the same manner as is provided in section 86.26.” (Emphasis supplied.)

It is commonly understood, if a claimant sustained compensable injuries of which he was fully aware at time of prior settlement or award, but for some unexplainable reason failed to assert it, he cannot, for the first time on subsequent review proceedings, claim additional benefits. Stated otherwise, once there has been an agreement or adjudication the commissioner, absent appeal and remand of the case, has no authority on a later review to change the compensation granted on the same or substantially same facts as those previously considered. See 101 C.J.S. Workmen’s Compensation § 853, page 200.

[733]*733But according to the apparent majority view, if a claimant does not know of other employment connected injuries or disability at time of any prior agreement or adjudication, he is not ordinarily barred from later asserting it as a basis for additional benefits. See 2 Larson, Workmen’s Compensation Law, section 81.32, page 334, and 100 C.J.S. Workmen’s Compensation § 661, pages 1002, 1003-1004.

Dealing with just such a situation the court said in Crabb v. Department of Labor and Industries, 186 Wash. 505, 58 P.2d 1025, 1027: “ ‘A liberal interpretation (of cited law) impels us to hold that the change in condition, when proven, permits a continuing jurisdiction to end, diminish, or increase compensation previously awarded, even though the change in condition manifests itself in injuries not expressly enumerated in the original award, but yet attributable to the original accident.’ * * *

“Spence v. State Compensation Commissioner, 110 W.Va. 162, 157 S.E. 164, involves injuries which were reported as ‘contusion of head, left shoulder, elbow and back.’ Compensation was allowed for these injuries and the claim was closed. Seven months later a claim was made for other injuries resulting from the same accident. Based upon this state of facts, the court said:

“ ‘In a case such as at bar where there was an injury existing from the date of an accident, not discovered by the physicians or considered by the commissioner in fixing the original award, there is presented a matter going to the basis of claimant’s right within the meaning of (law cited), just as much as though it were a further disability arising from the injury subsequent to the date of the original determination of the matter by the commissioner.’ ”

To the same effect is this statement in Messer v. Drees, Ky., 382 S.W.2d 209, 212-213: “ * * * bearing in mind that compensation laws are fundamentally for the benefit of the injured workman, a just claim must not fall victim to rules of order unless it is clearly necessary in order to prevent chaos. Time often tells more about medical cases than the greatest of experts are able to judge in advance. In Clear Fork Coal Company v. Gaylor, Ky., 286 S.W.2d 519, 522 (1956), this court recognized, for example, that even the permanence of a disability theretofore thought to be temporary ‘is of itself in the nature of a change.’ When subsequent events indicate that an award was substantially induced by a misconception as to the cause, nature or extent of disability at the time of the hearing, justice requires further inquiry. Whether it be called a ‘mistake’ or a ‘change in conditions’ is a matter of mere semantic taste. The important question is whether the man got the relief to which the law entitled him, based upon the truth as we are now able to ascertain it.”

IV.

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Bluebook (online)
158 N.W.2d 731, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 847, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gosek-v-garmer-and-stiles-company-iowa-1968.