Long v. Richardson

334 F. Supp. 305, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10712
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Virginia
DecidedNovember 19, 1971
DocketCiv. A. 70-C-11-A
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 334 F. Supp. 305 (Long v. Richardson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Long v. Richardson, 334 F. Supp. 305, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10712 (W.D. Va. 1971).

Opinion

OPINION

WIDENER, Chief Judge.

Claimant, Alva Long, has appealed to this court from an adverse decision by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare denying disability benefits. The decision by the Appeals Counsel was rendered December 15, 1969, making final the hearing examiner’s decision dated October 8, 1969. A previous appeal by Mr. Long to this court resulted in an affirmance of the Secretary’s decision denying disability insurance benefits. Long v. Cohen, D.C., 293 F.Supp. 370 (1968).

Although the record was held open at the instance of the claimant in order for him to submit a report by a local or his family physician, none was filed.

The claimant has pending a motion to remand on the ground that the evidence needs to be developed as to the nature and type of work of a berry-picker. Both parties have filed motions for summary judgment.

Section 205(g) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 405(g), provides that in order for remand to be granted, plaintiff must show “good cause.” Bohms v. Gardner, 381 F.2d 283 (8th Cir. 1967), cert. den. 390 U.S. 964, 88 S.Ct. 1069, 19 L.Ed.2d 1164 (1968). Plaintiff must show to the court at least the general nature of the new evidence he wishes to introduce into the record, or the evidence itself. Hallard v. Flemming, 167 F.Supp. 205 (W.D.Ark.1958), and he must also show that such evidence is required to be made a part of the record in order to develop the facts necessary to determine the cause. Angell v. Flemming, 291 F. 2d 72 (4th Cir. 1961).

Claimant was represented by counsel at his July 2, 1969 hearing before the Social Security Hearing Examiner. At that time, his attorney agreed to Exhibits B-l through B-45 being made a part of the record. Exhibit B-31 was a transcript of a hearing held at Middlesboro, Kentucky on April 27, 1967. Seven pages of the transcript is devoted to the testimony of Dr. Charles F. Elton, a vocational expert. Dr. Elton’s testimony was as follows:

“Examiner: You’ve been present throughout the proceedings here today and have listened to the claimant’s testimony in this case, have you not?
Dr. Elton: I have.
Examiner: Do you have an opinion as to whether he could return to that— to those types of work ?
Dr. Elton: I do not believe that Mr. Long could return to the work in the coal mines. I do believe Mr. Long could do the type of job that he was last employed in on the berry farm in Oregon. I note in the — that this was a full time job, that during the busy part of the season he supervised a couple of hundred individuals and during the non-busy seasons there were 8 or 10 individuals that he supervised, mainly engaged in pruning activities, that type of work. Yes, I believe he can do that.”

*307 The claimant had previously testified in the same hearing as follows:

“Q. Went to work as a farm laborer, did you?
A. Farm laborer.
Q. Did you work for someone else or yourself?
A. Yeah, in Portland, Oregon.
Q. Went out in Portland, Oregon and started working on the farm. What sort of farm work was it ?
A. I’s just able to walk around and take care of children. Had a bunch of school children, put me over them. Walk around and see to them.
Q. Did you work in the crops?
A. Naw, not to amount to nothing. Wadn’t able to do nothing.
Q. What kind of crops did they raise out there?
A. Just berries.
Q. Berries ?
A. Strawberries and raspberries.
Q. And one of your duties was to tend the children, is that right?
A. Yeah.
Q. And the work crew ?
A. Yeah, about 300 school children.
Q. You worked every quarter during the year, didn’t you, steady job?
A. Yeah. Worked practically all the time.
Q. Now just what were your duties on this job out in Oregon ?
A. Do what?
Q. What were you supposed to do every day?
A. I’s just supposed to take care of the children, maybe see how long they work and everything, picking berries, and see that they pick all the berries and things like that.
Q. You kind of supervised the young group and stayed behind them and saw that they worked and what they did, is that right ?
A. That’s what they put me on for to take care of the children.
Q. You had nothing to do with, paying them or taking care of the — seeing how much they picked or anything of that nature?
A. No, they just picked them and carried them in and they paid them off.
Q. Who loaded the berries and carried them off? Did you do any of that?
A. No, I couldn’t load them. I stayed there 10 years and I didn’t load no berries or nothing.”

The evidence in the record thus indicates the nature of the work which claimant performed in the berry fields of Oregon. A remand to develop that evidence would be without value. In addition, claimant does not show the nature of the new evidence he seeks to introduce.

The ■ question of plaintiff’s disability prior to the Appeals Council’s decision of January 12, 1968, affirmed by the court decision of September 19, 1968 is res judicata and will not be considered a second time.

The doctrine of res judicata has been frequently applied by the courts in matters arising out of Title II of the Social Security Act where there has been a previous determination or decision by the Secretary concerning an application for benefits under the Act with respect to the rights of the same party on the same issue or issues which has become a final judgment either by judicial affirmation or by failure of the claimant to request judicial review. Leviner v. Richardson, 443 F.2d 1338 (4th Cir. 1971); Hughes v. Finch, 432 F.2d 93 (4th Cir. 1970); Easley v. Finch, 431 F.2d 1351 (4th Cir. *308 1970).

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Bluebook (online)
334 F. Supp. 305, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10712, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/long-v-richardson-vawd-1971.