Martin v. State

18 So. 2d 613, 205 La. 1052, 1944 La. LEXIS 727
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedMay 22, 1944
DocketNo. 36706.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 18 So. 2d 613 (Martin v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. State, 18 So. 2d 613, 205 La. 1052, 1944 La. LEXIS 727 (La. 1944).

Opinion

ROGERS, Justice.

Plaintiff brought this suit against the State of Louisiana claiming compensation for alleged permanent and total disability under Act No. 20 of 1914, as amended (the Workmen’s Compensation Law), subject to a credit for certain payments made to him subsequent to his injury. Plaintiff alleges that he was employed by the State of Louisiana as a gardener and that his disability is due to accidental injury he suf fered while working on the grounds of the State Capitol at Baton Rouge.

Plaintiff’s suit was dismissed in the district court on an exception of no cause or right of action predicated on the alleged nnconstitutionality of Act No. 20 of 1914 so far as its provisions purport to authorize the institution of a suit against the State. Plaintiff appealed.from the judgment to the Court of Appeal for the First Circuit and that court, for lack of jurisdiction because of the constitutional question involved, transferred the appeal to this Court. Martin v. State, La.App., 7 So.2d 669.

The suit is brought against the State of Louisiana in its sovereign capacity and is founded on plaintiff’s alleged employment by the State as distinguished from any political subdivision or incorporated public board or commission performing any function of State government.

The State of Louisiana was cited and served through Honorable Sam Houston Jones, Governor, and also Honorable Eugene Stanley, Attorney General. The State appeared and filed an exception of no cause or right of action based generally on the proposition that the suit is one against the sovereign state itself and not against any of its political subdivisions, public boards or commissions; that the bringing of the suit is without constitutional sanction because Act No. 20 of 1914, under which the suit is brought, does not contain any of the provisions prescribed for such a suit by Article 192 of the Constitution of 1913, nor do the amendments to the act that were adopted prior to the effective date of the Constitution of 1921 satisfy any of the requirements of the article; that neither the act nor any of its amendments comply with the provisions of section 35 of Article 3 of the Constitution of 1921, and further in view of the provisions of Section 1 of Article 22 of the Constitution of -1921, Act No. 20 of 1914 and all its amendments so far as they purport to authorize the bringing of a suit against the State of Louisiana, are unconstitutional.

Section 1, paragraph 1 of Act 20 of 1914 provides specifically that the provisions of the law shall apply, among others, to “every person in the service of the State * * and that “for such employee and employer the payment of compensation, according to and under the terms, conditions and provisions hereinafter set out in this act, shall be exclusive, compulsory and obligatory * * Defendant does not question the correctness of the allegation *1055 of the petition that plaintiff was an employee and not an official of the State, but, under its exception, contends that the statutory provisions hereinabove referred to were unconstitutional when adopted, were not made constitutional by any saving clause contained in the Constitution of 1921, and are plainly violative of the provisions of our present constitution.

Article 192 of the Constitution of 1913 was in effect when Act No. 20 of 1914 was adopted. This article provides as follows:

“Whenever the General Assembly shall authorize a suit against the State it shall provide in the act authorizing the same, that such suit be instituted before the District Court at the State Capital; that citation to answer such suit shall be served both upon the Governor and the Attorney-General; that the Supreme Court of the State shall have appellate jurisdiction in such suit, without regard to the amount involved; that the only object of such suit, and the only effect of the judgment therein, shall be a judicial interpretation of the legal rights of the parties for the consideration of the General Assembly in making appropriations; that the burden of proof shall rest upon the plaintiff or claimant to show that the claim sued upon is a legal and valid obligation of the State, incurred in strict conformity to law, not in violation of the Constitution of the State or of the United States, and for a valid consideration, and that all these things shall be affirmatively declared by the Supreme Court before any judgment is recognized for any purpose against the State.”

Defendant contends that a mere reading of the constitutional article and the statutory provisions show by comparison that the statutory provisions do not comply with the constitutional requirements, which, in effect, prohibit the bringing of any suit against the State. Plaintiff denies the correctness of this contention and strenuously insists that a comparison of the various provisions of Act No. 20 of 1914, as amended, with Article 192 of the Constitution of 1913 will demonstrate that the statute does comply, both generally and specifically, with the article of the Constitution.

In support of his contention, plaintiff relies on the provisions of Act No. 20 of 1914, as amended, setting up generally the machinery for the judicial enforcement of workmen's compensation claims. Plaintiff also refers to that part of Article 192 of the Constitution of 1913 reading as follows: “The only object of such suit, and the only effect of the judgment therein, shall be a judicial interpretation of the legal rights of the parties for the consideration of the General Assembly in enacting appropriations; * * And also section 18 of Paragraph 4 of Act No. 20 of 1914, as amended, Act No. 85 of 1926, providing that “the judgment rendered by the Court shall have the same force and effect and may be satisfied as other judgments of the same Court.”

Counsel for plaintiff agree that a judgment against the State can not be collected unless an appropriation is made by the Legislature to pay the judgment, but counsel argue that the language which we have quoted from the statutory provision means that the judgment for compensation shall have the same effect which the constitution and laws give to it, and that this is merely *1057 a suit to have the rights of an injured state employee adjudicated by the courts so that the Legislature might be guided by the judgment in determining whether or not to make an appropriation for the payment of the judgment.

Article 192 of the Constitution of 1913 deals specifically with the grant of power to the Legislature to authorize suits against the State. The procedure and the effect of the judgments in such suits is set forth in detail. It will be noted that, according to the provisions of the article, whenever the Legislature authorizes a suit against the State, it must provide, among other things, that the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction in such a suit, without regard to the amount involved, and that all things necessary to constitute a valid judgment against the State must be affirmatively declared by the Supreme Court before the “judgment is recognized for any purpose against the State.”

There is nothing in Act No. 20 of 1914 and its amendments which conforms to the foregoing requirements of the constitutional article. That article exacts as one of the prerequisites for the bringing of a suit against the State that irrespective of the amount involved, the appellate jurisdiction shall be vested in the Supreme Court.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bynum v. Maryland Casualty Company
102 So. 2d 547 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1958)
Gilmore v. State
79 So. 2d 192 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1955)
Stepan v. Louisiana State Board of Education
78 So. 2d 18 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1955)
Fouchaux v. Board of Com'rs
53 So. 2d 128 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1951)
Martin v. State
25 So. 2d 251 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1946)
Crain v. State
23 So. 2d 336 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1945)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 So. 2d 613, 205 La. 1052, 1944 La. LEXIS 727, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-state-la-1944.