Lumbermen's Reciprocal Ass'n v. Wilmoth

1 S.W.2d 415
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 7, 1927
DocketNo. 2918.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1 S.W.2d 415 (Lumbermen's Reciprocal Ass'n v. Wilmoth) 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
Lumbermen's Reciprocal Ass'n v. Wilmoth, 1 S.W.2d 415 (Tex. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

RANDOLPH, J.

This suit is an appeal from a judgment of the Industrial Accident Board in the case of G. T. Wilmoth, Employee, v. Weeks & Bagwell, Employers, and Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Association, Insurer.

It was agreed that on July 3, 1926, G. T. Wilmoth was in the employ of Weeks & Bagwell, employers, subject to the Texas Workmen’s Compensation Act (Rev. St. 1925, arts. 8306-8309), and protected by a policy issued by the insurer; that on said date, Wil-moth, in the course of his employment by Weeks & Bagwell, suffered an injury which he duly reported to his employers and the Industrial Accident Board, within the statutory time; that he made claim for compensation to the Industrial Accident Board within the statutory period; that said board entered its final judgment January 31, 1927, allowing Wilmoth compensation at the rate of $17.31 per week for 400 weeks from July 11, 1926, less a credit of the total sum of all previous payments of compensation, allowing the bill of Drs. Lumpkin and Marsalis for $876 to the extent of $444 — the latter sum being the amount incurred before the expiration of the first 4 weeks following the injury to Wilmoth, allowing the claims of Miss Pricilla Hodges for services rendered in nursing in the sum of $77, the claim for similar services of Mrs. Lloyd Bassett, $24, Miss Pearl Dunscomb in the sum of $224, Miss R. Wirt in the sum of $922, Mrs. W. E. Reed for $38.50, Miss Snyder, $43, Miss Hanson, $8, also allowing Weeks & Bagwell’s claim of $100 for attorneys’ fees for presenting Wil-moth’s claim to the Industrial Accident Board, and allowing the claim of St. Anthony’s Sanitarium in the sum of $684.35, less a credit of whatever sum had been paid on its bill, denying Wilmoth a lump sum settlement, and denying a reduction in the compensation period and a corresponding increase in the compensation rate. It was further agreed that the Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Association, within 20 days from the date of said awards, gave notice to the Industrial Accident Board and to all interested parties that said award would not be abided by and within 20 days thereafter it filed suit in the district court of Armstrong county to set aside such award.

Wilmoth, in his answer, filed in the district court, pleaded total and permanent incapacity and for a lump sum settlement. Dr. W. A. Carroll intervened in the cause in the district court, alleging'that he had furnished first aid treatment to Wilmoth, at the request and instance of said Wilmoth, and prayed for a recovery of $60 from the insurer, as the reasonable value of his services.

Drs. Lumpkin and Marsalis answered, alleging .that during the first 28 days after the injury to Wilmoth, they rendered him necessary material medical aid and treatment in the sum of $224 and performed two necessary surgical operations of the value of $220, making a total of $444, for the first four weeks after the injury, that during the next 108 days they rendered Wilmoth necessary medical aid and treatment in the sum of $432, making a total for the two periods of $876, and prayed for the recovery of that sum from the insurer.

Weeks & Bagwell answered, and alleged that they had paid nursing charges, itemizing them, to the extent of $1,295, and prayed for judgment therefor against the insurer.

St. Anthony’s Sanitarium answered and alleged that it had furnished hospital services and medicines to Wilmoth, itemizing their bill, in the sum of $684.35, except the sum of $41.75, pleaded as paid for a special nurse from July 3 to August 18,1926, and crediting their bill with the sum of $542.25, and praying for the recovery of the balance $142.10.

Each of the above-named nurses answered, alleging that they had each performed the services for Wilmoth at his instance and request, and praying for the recovery therefor.

The plaintiff in error, in its first supplemental petition, by way of plea in abatement to the actions of Weeks & Bagwell and Dr. Carroll, pleaded a lack of jurisdiction in the trial court to try the case before the said defendants had presented their respective claims to the board for adjudication. The trial court overruled this plea and also overruled plaintiff’s general demurrer and special exception. *417 Plaintiff further specially pleaded payment of compensation to Wilmoth for 27 weehs at the rate of $17.31 per w'eek, and asked to be given credit therefor.

The case was submitted to a jury on special issues, and upon their answers to the issues, the trial court rendered judgment, first, in favor of Wilmoth in the sum of $17.-31. per week for a period of 400 weeks, to be paid in a lump sum; that the amount of said lump sum judgment for the sum then due, after allowing for weekly payments made by insurer, and allowing 6 per cent, interest on overdue payments in the sum of $5,377.01, was ordered to be paid by the insurer; and, further, that the insurer pay out of the sum so adjudged to be due said Wilmoth, to J. S. Stallings and Cooper & Lumpkin, attorneys, the sum of $1,209.82, which shall be considered a payment upon said judgment and shall pay over the balance thereof to the said Wilmoth.

The court further decreed recovery in favor of Lumpkin and Marsalis in the sum of $876, with interest, and in favor of said St. Anthony’s Sanitarium for the sum of $142, and disposed of the answers of the nurses above named by dismissing same, for the reason .that their claims were then owned and possessed by Weeks & Bagwell, and, further, that Weeks & Bagwell recover the sum of $1,-295, paid out by them on said nurses’ claims; also rendered judgment in favor of Dr. W. A. Carroll for $60.

Plaintiff in error, by its first proposition, presents alleged error, in that it is charged that the. claim of Weeks & Bagwell was never presented to the Industrial Accident Board before suit was filed on same.

The judgment rendered in favor of Weeks & Bagwell was rendered because of the payment by them of the claims of the nurses, which claims had been presented to and acted on by the Industrial Accident Board; hence the fact that Weeks & Bagwell had paid them and asserted their rights by reason of such payment, in the trial court, did not alter the status of the claims, as having beén duly presented to the Industrial Accident Board. It further appears that'the plaintiff in error knew that all of these services were being performed, and that Wil-moth, Weeks & Bagwell, and the hospital were looking to it for payment of the same; that Bagwell, one of the employers, as late as September 25, 1926, many weeks after the 4 weeks period had elapsed, had written the insurance association about same, and that the association was writing to Weeks & Bagwell and requesting itemized statements of the amounts paid the special nurses, and that before Weeks & Bagwell paid the nurses, they wrote the insurer, explaining to it that it was necessary to pay the nurses weekly in order to keep them on the job, and that they were paying them and would look to

the insurer for reimbursement. We overrule this contention. Texas Employers’ Insurance Ass’n v. Drummond (Tex. Civ. App.) 267 S. W. 335 (writ denied).

It is further presented that the action of the trial court was erroneous in rendering judgment in favor of Weeks & Bagwell and in favor of St.

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Bluebook (online)
1 S.W.2d 415, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lumbermens-reciprocal-assn-v-wilmoth-texapp-1927.