Lee v. Mabley & Carew Co.

16 Ohio Law. Abs. 231, 1934 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1410
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 8, 1934
DocketNo 4425
StatusPublished

This text of 16 Ohio Law. Abs. 231 (Lee v. Mabley & Carew Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lee v. Mabley & Carew Co., 16 Ohio Law. Abs. 231, 1934 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1410 (Ohio Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

OPINION

By HAMILTON, PJ.

The law on the subject in Ohio is in a somewhat confused state, as shown by the authorities hereinafter referred to.

If the plaintiff, plaintiff in error here, has any right to participate in the State Insurance Fund under the Workmen’s Compensation Law, she would have no cause of action.

■ Sec 35 of Article II of the Ohio Constitution provides, among other things:

“For the purpose of providing compensation to workmen and their dependents, for death, injuries or occupational disease, occasioned in the course of such workmen's employment, laws may be passed establishing a state fund to be created by compulsory contribution thereto by employers, [233]*233and administered by the state, determining the terms and conditions upon which payment shall be made therefrom. Such compensation shall be in lieu of all other rights to compensation, or damages, for such death, injuries, or occupational disease, and any employer who pays the premium or compensation provided by law, passed in accordance herewith, shall not be liable to respond in damages at common law or by statute for such death, injuries or occupational disease. Laws may be passed establishing a hoard, etc. Such board shall have full power and authority to hear and determine whether or not an injury, disease or death resulted because of the failure of the employer to comply with any specific requirement for the protection of the lives, health or safety of employes, enacted by the General Assembly or in the form of an order adopted by such board, and its decision shall be final; :- -\ When it is found, upon hearing, that an injury, disease or death resulted because of such failure by the employer, such amount as shall be found to be just, not greater than fifty nor less than fifteen per centum of the maximum award established by law, shall be added by the board, * *

Pursuant to this section of the Constitution, the Legislature of Ohio enacted laws under the provisions of the Constitution to carry the same into effect.

Defendant claims that §35 of Article II of the Constitution and the laws enacted pursuant thereto furnish defendant complete immunity from suit by an employe.

Under the allegations of the petition, it is clear that the plaintiff has no relief under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

It is suggested in the brief of counsel that the defendant is protected under the constitutional provision, notwithstanding any provisions of the legislative acts. This position is not tenable-, for the reason that §35 of Article II is not self-executing. It provides: “laws may be passed.” So whether or not the plaintiff has any rights under her allegations under the Workmen’s Compensation law must be determined under the- laws passed by the legislature, as construed by the Supreme Court of Ohio.

The provision of the Constitution in providing compensation is “for death, injuries or occupational disease”. Later in the- constitutional provision, it is stated, that the board, which it is provided shall be established by law, shall have full power and authority to hear and determine whether or not the injury, disease, or death resulted because of such failure by the employer, and a penalty may be added.

This discloses that by disease they are referring to the provision providing compensation for occupational disease. Compensation may be had only for occupational disease, and unless compensation was awarded no penalty could be added, which indicates that it is compensable diseases that are being referred to. The law passed by the legislature defines occupational diseases. Physical exhaustion and nervous breakdown are not within the defined terms, and arc not compensable. “Injury” has been defined by the Supreme Court as referring to an injury accompanied by trauma of some character. The allegations of the petition do not bring the plaintiff within the law and the decisions construing the same and gives the plaintiff no rights under the Workmen’s Compensation Law.

It is suggested by counsel that plaintiff is anticipating the decision of the Industrial Commission; and that she cannot know whether the Commission would classify her injury or disease as compensable until the matter was referred to it.

The Supreme Court of Ohio in at least twb cases ¡held that where a claimant makes a claim with the Industrial Commission and is denied relief, that action constitutes a waiver of any claim at common law.

The suggestion that she first file her claim with! the Commission, would be to require an act which would completely bar any rights at common law.

Our conclusion on the point is, there is no allegation in the petition under which the plaintiff could successfully claim compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Law, and the filing of the claim with the Industrial Commission would re- ' suit in a disallowance under the Workmen’s Compensation Law and be a bar to any rights at common law.

The next question for consideration is whether or not the petition states a cause of action under the common law, and whether or not she can maintain such an action.

The decisions of the Supreme Court of Ohio, as heretofore stated, are in confusion on this point.

The first case in which some pronouncement bearing on the question appears is Industrial Commission of Ohio v Brown, 92 Oh St, 309. In that case the court was passing -on the claim arising from an occupational disease. The law did not at that time include any allowance for occupation[234]*234al disease. The court in the course of the opinion stated:

“Manifestly the terms ‘personal injury’ and ‘personal injuries’, above mentioned, refer to common law conditions and liabilities, and do not refer to and include occupational diseases, because an employe had no right of action for injury or death due to occupational diseases at common law, but, generally speaking, only accidents, or, rather, accidental injuries, gave a right of action.”

This would indicate the view of the court that no action existed at the common law for. occupational diseases, and would indicate if there was no common law action for occupational diseases, none would exist for any disease.

In the case of Industrial Commission of Ohio v Roth, 98 Oh St, 34, the court was again passing upon the claim for an occupational disease. This decision bears on whether or not the allegations of the petition bring the claim within the term “occupational disease”, as used in the constitution and the law. The court, in the closing paragraph of the opinion of Donahue, Judge, says:

“We are therefore of the opinion that the term ‘occupational disease’ must be restricted to a disease that is not only incident to an occupation, but the natural, usual and ordinary result thereof; and held not to include one occasioned by accident or misadventure.”

This would indicate that the court was of the mind that the disease pleaded in this action would not be included within the term “occupational disease,” as used in i,he law.

We are next confronted with the decision in the case of Victor Rubber Co. v Robbins, Admrx., 101 Oh St, 536. In that case, Robbins, Administratrix, brought suit against the Rubber Company for the death of Robbins. Death was caused from typhoid fever, as a result of drinking water from a polluted well, located and maintained by the defendant company.

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Related

Ewers v. Buckeye Clay Pot. Co.
163 N.E. 577 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 Ohio Law. Abs. 231, 1934 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lee-v-mabley-carew-co-ohioctapp-1934.