Huff v. Insurance Company of North America

394 S.W.2d 849, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2770
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 24, 1965
Docket16657
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 394 S.W.2d 849 (Huff v. Insurance Company of North America) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Huff v. Insurance Company of North America, 394 S.W.2d 849, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2770 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

LANGDON, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case.

On February 17, 1962, appellant executed a notice of injury and claim for compensation and thereafter filed it with the Industrial Accident Board, hereinafter referred to as the Board. He asserted that he had been injured on January S, 1962 and described the accident and his injury as follows : “I was lifting some heavy boxes and got a right hernia.” On May 3, 1962, the Board entered its final award. Appellant gave timely notice of appeal and instituted this suit on May IS, 1962. In his original petition he described his injury as “a hernia and other internal injuries.” On November *851 10, 1964, lie filed his first supplemental petition. Therein for the first time he asserted that as a result of the alleged accident he sustained not only a right inguinal hernia but also injuries which he described as follows: “ * * * an injury consisting of the stretching, weakening and tearing of the flesh, muscles and ligaments of the groin and a cervical and upper dorsal muscle strain injury. * * * ” These last two alleged injuries will hereinafter he referred to respectively as the left groin injury and neck strain. Appellee excepted to the assertion of the groin injury and neck strain on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction since neither of said injuries had ever been presented to and acted upon by the Board. The court sustained the exceptions and ordered the allegations pertaining to such injuries stricken. On November 16, 1964, the case was tried to a jury on appellant’s claim for right inguinal hernia. Based upon the jury’s verdict that appellant had not sustained a hernia on January 5, 1962, and that his hernia had existed in some degree prior to that date, the court rendered and signed a judgment in favor of appellee on November 19, 1964.

We affirm.

Appellant’s points of error one through six complain of the court’s action in sustaining the exceptions to the assertion of groin and neck strain injuries and refusing to permit the jury to hear testimony relating thereto. The seventh point attacks the court’s action in rendering judgment on jury findings because same were in irreconcilable conflict. The eighth point contends the court erred in sustaining exceptions to the introduction of a medical record, and points nine and ten urge error for the court’s failure to grant a new trial because the jury’s answers to special issues Nos. 2 and 5 are so against the overwhelming weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust.

Appellant testified: he first noticed pain in his back and shoulders during the afternoon of the day the alleged accident occurred and that he was still having trouble with his neck and shoulders. Thus, he knew at the time he described his injury in the Notice of Injury and Claim for Compensation that he not only had a hernia but also pain in his back and shoulders. He chose not to mention the back and shoulder complaint and claimed compensation only for the hernia. Appellant’s oral deposition was taken on September 21, 1962, sometime after he had seen Dr. Gerald King, complaining among other things, of pain in his arms, shoulders and spine. In the deposition taken some 4 months after he instituted suit the appellant testified, under oath, that a hernia was the only injury which he had received in the alleged accident and that he had seen Dr. Billy N. Gray (his family physician for ten years) on several occasions for “colds” and a “little sore throat” and other “minor things” since the accident. There was no testimony that he had been treated by Dr. Gray for any complaint to his arms, shoulders, neck or back since the accident. The appellant’s reply to interrogatories on October 23, 1964, reflected that he had not since April 13, 1962, complained to or been treated by a physician for any strain or pain in his arms, shoulders, neck or spine although during such period of time he admittedly had been to five different doctors.

Under this record he was not treated for any such condition prior to April 13, 1962.

Appellant now contends that the court should consider the letter written to the Board on April 17, 1962, by attorney John W. Laird and the April 11, 1962, medical report of Dr. Gerald King attached thereto as an amendment enlarging his claim so as to include the alleged neck strain. Admittedly he never filed a claim for the alleged left groin injury. The attorney’s letter to the Board did not request appellant’s claim be amended to include not only the hernia but also the neck strain, nor did it state that the appellant was then contending that the neck strain was caused by the alleged accident of January 5, 1962, or that appellant sought compensation both for the *852 hernia and the neck strain. Dr. King in his medical report states that two weeks after the alleged accident appellant was examined by Dr. Gray who found only a rupture. This evidence that appellant’s so-called neck injury was not caused by the alleged accident is consistent with his failure to assert such an injury in his compensation claim and with his admission that his only injury was a hernia.

“It is well settled that a claimant in a workmen’s compensation case must plead and prove that he has presented a claim before the Industrial Accident Board which has been acted upon by the Board, and the claim asserted in the District Court-must be the same as that filed with and acted upon by the Board. Unless all these conditions are met the court does not have jurisdiction. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Choate, 126 Tex. 368, 89 S.W.2d 205; Mozley v. American General Ins. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 324 S.W.2d 925; Stratton v. Gulf Casualty Co., Tex.Civ.App., 53 S.W.2d 518.” Solomon v. Massachusetts Bonding and Insurance Co. (San Antonio Civ.App., 1961, refused), 347 S.W.2d 17.

Appellant’s claim clearly sought compensation for a hernia only. The purpose of the attorney’s letter was to furnish the Board with medical evidence to substantiate the hernia claim and to request that the claim be set for hearing. The Board considered appellant’s claim to be limited to hernia. It is clear from the order that the Board considered and acted only upon the hernia claim.

We think the court’s action in sustaining exceptions to the pleadings was correct. It naturally follows that testimony concerning the alleged injuries which were eliminated from the pleading by such action would be improper.

A hernia is a specific injury. Lewis v. American Surety Co., 143 Tex. 286, 184 S.W.2d 137 (1944); Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Shackelford, 139 Tex. 653, 164 S.W.2d 657 (1942); and Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Tally, 132 Tex. 547, 125 S.W.2d 544 (1939).

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Bluebook (online)
394 S.W.2d 849, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/huff-v-insurance-company-of-north-america-texapp-1965.