Merrick & Coe v. Modlin

1922 OK 510, 211 P. 510, 88 Okla. 83, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 333
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 3, 1922
Docket12826
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1922 OK 510 (Merrick & Coe v. Modlin) 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
Merrick & Coe v. Modlin, 1922 OK 510, 211 P. 510, 88 Okla. 83, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 333 (Okla. 1922).

Opinion

KENNAMER, J.

Merrick & Coe instituted this action originally in this court to have -reviewed an award -made on the 13tih day of October, 1921, by the Industrial Commission awarding C. C. Modlin $12.40 per week until termination of his .disability, not to exceed the limitation prescribed by law.

It appears from the brief of counsel for the petitioners that the respondent C. C. Modlin received an accidental injury on or about the 11th day of March, 1921, while employed by Merrick & Coe, a copartnership, engaged in tihe work of drilling oil wells. There is no reference in the record, or the order making the award, as to what kind of injury the respondent Modlin received. We-suggest here, it would at least be the better practice of the State Industrial Commission in preparing its awards to briefly state the Character of injury received by a claimant. We do find in the brief of the petitioners a reference to the testimony of Dr. Long indicating that the claimant received an injury involving the upper part of the great sciatic nerve, and as a iesult of the injury the claimant has an inflammation of the- nerve known as traumatic neuritis.

(The petitioners only argue two propositions for a reversal of the award made by the respondent State Industrial Commission.

It is contended by counsel for the petitioners that where the employers have not complied with chapter 14, Session Laws 1019, In respect to providing compensation insurance for their employes, that in this situation the injured employe receiving an accidental injury in the course of Ms employment must enforce any claim that he may have against his employer in an action at law in a proper court, and that the Industrial Commission has no jurisdiction in such cases. We are unable to. agree with counsel in this contention. No contention is made but that the respondent, Mod-iin, the claimant before the Industrial Commission, was engaged in such employment as is recognized and designated by the Workmen’s Compensation Law as a hazardous occupation. Section 2, c. 14, Session Laws 1919, p. 15, reads:

“ ‘Hazardous employment’ shall mean manual or mechanical work or labor connected with or incident to one of the industries, plants, factories, lines, occupations -or trades, mentioned in section 2 of this act, but shall not include any one engaged in agriculture, horticulture, or dairy or stock -raising, or in operating any steam railroad engaged in interstate commerce.”

Section 1 of c. 14, Session Laws 1919, amendatory of section 2, art. 1, c. 240, Session Laws 1915, in part reads:

“Compensation provided for in this act shall be payable for injuries sustained by employes engaged in the following hazardous employments, t.o wit: * * *”

Then follows the designation of numerous classes of work as hazardous industries. The language of the act is plain, and specifically provides that the compensation provided for in the act should be payable for injuries sustained by employes engaged in such hazardous employment.

*84 Section 4, c. 14, Session Laws 1919, amend-atory of section 1, art. 2, c. 246, Session Laws 1915, in part reads:

“Every employer subject to the provisions of this act shall pay or provide as required by this act compensation according to 'the schedules of this article for the disability of his employe resulting from an accidental personal injury sustained by the employe arising out of and in the course of his employment, without regard to fault as a cause of such injury, except where the injury is occasioned by the willful intention of the injured employe to bring about injury to himself or of another, or where the injury results directly from the willful failure of the injured employe to use a guard or protection against accident furnished for his use pursuant ‘to any statute or by order of the State Labor Commissioner or results directly from the intoxication of .the injured employe while on duty. * * *”

It is obvious under the mandatory provisions of the statute that every employe]' subject, to the provisions of the act should pay compensation, as required by the act. according to the schedule for the disability of the injured employe resulting from an accidental personal injury sustained by the employe arising out of and in the course of his employment, unless he provides for payment by means of securing insurance. Tire employer may relieve himself of paying compensation for disability or injury as provided in the act by complying with section 11, c. 14, Session Laws 1919, amendatory of section 1, art. 3, c. 246, Session Laws 1915, making it the duty of the employer to secure compensation to his employes—

“By ..insuring and keeping insured the payment of such compensation with, any stock corporation or mutual association or by exchanging Contracts of indemnity or inter-insurance, under reasonable regulations prescribed by tbe commission providing for and securing the payment of the compensation provided in this act, or other concerns authorized to transact the business of workmen’s compensation insurance in this state.

If the employer fails to provide such insurance, under section 5, c. 14, Session Laws 1919, amendatory of section 2, art. 2, c. 246, Session Laws 1915, the injured employe receiving an accidental injury while engaged in such hazardous employment, if he elects to do so', may maintain an action in tbe proper court to recover damages on. account of such injury, and ‘the employer is precluded from pleading dr proving as a defense that the injury was caused by tbe negligence of a fellow servant or that the employe assumed the risk of his employment, or that' tbe injury was due to the contributory negligence of tbe employe. This remedy is cumulative for the benefit of the injured employe. It is obvious from an examination of this section- of the statute that the part of the section providing that the injured employe may maintain an action in the court for damages on account of an injury received in the course of his employment, for which the employer has not secured the payment by complying with the terms of the act in providing insurance, only qualifies the operation of the first clause in the section 'Of the statute providing that the liability prescribed in tile act providing compensation for disability caused by an accidental injury should be exclusive. It is plain the remedy for such injuries as are provided for in the aot is exclusive, with the exception that if the employer has failed to comply with the provisions of the act in securing compensation to the injured employe in case of disability resulting from accidental injury, such employer is subjected to the additional remedy for -damages which the injured employe may enforce in an action at law in a court of competent jurisdiction, and in such action the delinquent employer in not providing the insurance, as prescribed by the act, is precluded from interposing such a defense as assumption of risk or contributory negligence. We conclude from the plain language of the various sections of the Workmen’s Compensation Law that this intention is clearly manifest.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 510, 211 P. 510, 88 Okla. 83, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merrick-coe-v-modlin-okla-1922.