Incas Lead & Zinc Co. v. Morgan

1932 OK 829, 17 P.2d 370, 161 Okla. 33, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 429
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 13, 1932
Docket23591
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1932 OK 829 (Incas Lead & Zinc Co. v. Morgan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Incas Lead & Zinc Co. v. Morgan, 1932 OK 829, 17 P.2d 370, 161 Okla. 33, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 429 (Okla. 1932).

Opinion

SWINDALL, J.

This is an original pro-’ ceeding to review an order and award of the State Industrial Commission dated April 12, 1932.

On August 24, 1925, the claimant filed a claim with the Industrial Commission in which he alleged that on August 1, 1925, he sustained an accidental personal injury-while working for the Incas Lead & Zinc Company, which he described in his claim as “weak back caused by previous injury, amiscles torn and strained.” Several months’ compensation was paid by the employer, and on January 9, 1920, the petitioners filed a motion to discontinue compensation for the reason that the claimant was able to return to work on January 5, 1926, and praying that the employer be relieved from liability after said date. Several hearings were had on this motion, covering a period from March 16, 1926, to December 15, 1926. On August 3, 1927, the State Industrial Commission, upon consideration of the evidence offered at said hearings, among other things, found:

“(3) That the evidence fails to show that on January 5, 1926, claimant had recovered from said aforementioned accidental injury. That on December 15, 1926, at the time of the last hearing had in this case, claimant’s disability had terminated, and that any disability suffered by claimant at that time was not due to said aforementioned accident.”

Upon this finding the Commission rendered the following opinion and order:

“The Commission is of the opinion: By reason of the aforesaid facts, that motion of respondent and- insurance carrier to dis-continuo compensation as of January 5, 1926, should be overruled, and that payment of compensation to claimant should be resumed at the rate of $16.35 per week from January 5. 1926, and paid up to December 15, 1926. and that compensation should be discontinued as of December 15, 1926, for the reason that any disability suffered by claimant at that time was not due to said accident.
“It is, therefore, ordered': That within ten days from this date the Incas Lead & Zinc Company or the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company pay to claimant compensation from January 5, 1926, to December 15, 1926. being 49 weeks and one day, at the rate of $16.35 per week, amounting to $803.88. aBd that compensation be and the same is hereby' discontinued as of December 15, 1926.”

*34 Hollowing this order there is a receipt in the record by claimant for this sum and showing that with payments made prior to that date a total sum of $1,173.89 was paid on account of said injury. On May 16, 1931, a motion was filed by claimant to reopen, set for hearing, and application for lump sum settlement. This motion seems to have been based upon a change of condition of claimant since the date of the last inuring. Upon this motion testimony was taken, and on April 1, 1932, the Commission upon consideration of the evidence offered in support of the'motion and of the record and proceedings theretofore had, among other things, found:

“(2) That claimant has heretofore been paid compensation for temporary total disT ability resulting from said accidental injury, as per the Commission's order of August 3, 192.7, and receipt filed herein on August 19, 1927.
“(3) That the average wage of claimant at the time of said accidental injury was $27 per week, and since the filing "of said order of August 3, 1927, and receipt of August 19; 1927, there has been a change for the worse in the condition of said claimant, which condition is permanent and by reason of whch his wage-earning capacity, in the same employment or otherwise, has been reduced to $12 per week, being a decrease df $15 per week in wage-earning capacity on account of said injury and the permanent partial disability suffered by claimant as a result thereof.
“(4) That by reason of claimant’s permanent partial disability as aforesaid, he is entitled to 66 2/3 pereentum of the difference between his average weekly wage at the time of said accidental injury and his wage-earning capacity thereafter, payable during the continuance of such permanent partial disability, not to exceed 300 weeks; that, his rate of compensation would, therefore. be $10 per week.”

The Commission then entered its order in conformity with the facts as found by it, and the employer and insurance carrier have commenced this proceeding to review said findings and award.

The petitioners coni end first that the Commission was not authorized to find that the money paid under the order of August 3. 1927, was for temporary total disability. TVe cannot agree with this contention. It appears that all compensation paid by the petitioners was paid for temporary total disability. However, the motion to discontinue compensation requested the Commission to determine the status of the claimant. and that the pelitioners be permitted (o discontinue compensation to respondent Harry E. Morgan, as of January 5, 1926, which motion the Commission refused, but did find from the evidence, ‘‘that, on December 15, 1926, at the time of the last hearing had in this ease, claimant’s disability had terminated, and that any disability suffered by the claimant at that time was not due to the aforementioned accidental injury,” and fixed the status of the claimant on December 15, 1926. Compensation was paid to that date and discontinued thereafter in accordance with the order of the Commission.

Petitioners’ second proposition is that the order of August 3, 1927, was final and binding and the Commission had no jurisdiction to award further compensation except upqn the ground of a change in conditions, and there is no evidence to show a change in conditions since August 3, 192.7, which is due to the original injury. We think this contention is well taken. We have carefully searched the record for evidence to show that the condition of the claimant was worse after December 35, 1926, as a result of the original compensable injury. The claimant was injured several times before he was employed by the Incas Lead & Zinc Company. Also, after his employment by that company he sustained accidental injuries on July the 7, and 13, 1925. These injuries were in the region of his body where the injury of August 1, 1925, affected him. No claim for compensation was filed by the claimant for the injuries of July 7, and 13, 1925, and the petitioners are not liable for compensation for sucli injuries in the absence of proof that they were aggravated or accelerated by the injury for which compensation was allowed. The evidence shows that when testimony was taken on the motion of petitioners to discontinue compensation, the claimant testified in his own behalf, and according to his testimony he had not been able to work since the date of the injury, but under the findings of the Commission that any disability suffered by the claimant on December 15, 1926, was not due to the accidental injury of August 1, 1925, it is difficult for the claimant to show that he has had a change in conditions for the worse. He attempted 'to establish by the evidence on the motion to discontinue compensation that he was physically unable to work. He did testify that his condition was worse at the time of the hearing on the motion to reopen on the grounds of a change in conditions than it was before the Commission entered its order of August 3, 1927. but the facts as testified to by him and the other witnesses do not show a change in his condition for the worse.

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 829, 17 P.2d 370, 161 Okla. 33, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/incas-lead-zinc-co-v-morgan-okla-1932.