Mulcahy v. Travelers Insurance

42 Mass. App. Dec. 141
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedFebruary 8, 1968
DocketNo. 11733
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 42 Mass. App. Dec. 141 (Mulcahy v. Travelers Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mulcahy v. Travelers Insurance, 42 Mass. App. Dec. 141 (Mass. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

Sloan, J.

This is a petition brought, pursuant to and! under the provisions of G.L. (Ter. Ed.) c. 115, § 5, by the Veterans Agent of the City of North Adams to enforce a lien in the amount of $2755.28 against the Travelers Insurance Company, hereinafter referred to as Travelers. On application of the Travelers, Joseph A. Maruco was made a third party defendant.

The trial justice “found for the defendant or respondent Travelers Insurance Company.”

The pertinent facts as set forth in the “Agreed Statement of Facts” are as follows: On December 30, 1960 one Joseph Maruco an employee of the Mullen Construction Company suffered an injury compensable under the Work[145]*145men’s Compensation Act. Travelers as the insurer of the Mullen Construction Company accepted the claim of Maruco on January 21,1961 and commenced payments on January 21, 1961. From January 21, 1961 through February 4, 1966 Travelers paid Maruco in weekly instalments of $81.00 total disability and 'dependency compensation in the amount of $21,505. During this period Travelers paid $4,237.35 for medical expenses incurred by Maruco.

Pursuant to lump sum agreement dated February 4, 1966 and approved by the Division of Industrial Accidents on March 9, 1966, $5,-350.00 was paid directly to Maruco and $1,000.00 paid directly to his counsel, one J. Norman O’Connor.

On September 12, 1963 Maruco had applied to the petitioner for veterans benefits and from that date to some time in 1966, received from the petitioner the sum of $2,755.28, the amount which is the subject matter of this suit.

On September 12, 1963 Maruco executed an assignment to the petitioner and the Commissioner of Veterans services for the Commonwealth of

“the financial proceeds to be realized and financial damages to be recovered, in all claims and demands which I now have or at any time may have against Mullen Construction Company, Troy, New York and/ or Travelers Insurance Company, 30 North Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts on account [146]*146■ of unemployment, accident or illness, in ■the nature of Workmen’s Compensation, Accident or Health Insurance, or otherwise, or by legal responsibility of the aforesaid Mullen Construction Company and/or Travelers Insurance Company, as a tortfeasor and his — its insurer or guarantor, if any, said claims and demands to be prosecuted by me, or at the election of the said Veteran’s Agent or Commissioner by the said elector in my name, whether by settlement, arbitration, court action or otherwise.”

“Said financial proceeds to be realized or financial damages to be recovered are predicated upon an accident which occurred on December 20, 1960 while at work and working for the Mullen Construction Company when Mr. Maruco was struck in the face by a binder strap. ’ ’

On September 17, 1963 the petitioner sent written notice of and a copy of the assignment to Travelers, both of which it received.

On September 20, 1967 the single justice “found for the defendant or the respondent Travelers Insurance Company.”

At the outset, we note that the report is entitled “Petitioners Report”. It may be pointed out that matters come before the Appellate Division not by means of a “Petitioners Report”, a “Plaintiffs Report” or a “Defendants Report” but by a report of the justice who [147]*147heard and decided the case. Pacillo v. Joseph, 13 Mass. App. Dec. 168; La Rosa v. Howard D. Johnson Co., 15 Mass. App. Dec. 149; Perry v. Hanover, 314 Mass. 167.

This case was heard on an “Agreed Statement of Facts”. Whether it be labelled an “Agreed Statement of Facts” or a “Statement of Agreed Facts” it amounts to and should be entitled a11 Case Stated”. Murphy v. Plymouth Ntl. Bank, 22 Mass. App. Dec. 36; Simmons v. Cambridge Savings Bank, 23 Mass. App. Dec. 186; Shane v. Goldstein, 25 Mass. App. Dec. 5; Stedman v. Gardner, 25 Mass. App. Dec. 69; Rogers v. Att. General, 347 Mass. 126.

It was the duty of the trial judge and it is our duty to order the correct judgment on the Case stated. Commonwealth v. Alleged Gaming Apparatus, Etc., 335 Mass. 223, 225; Kimball Co. v. Medford, 340 Mass. 727.

The parties, not having expressly provided otherwise in the ease stated, the trial judge could and the Appellate Division can draw inferences from the case stated. Gr.L. (Ter. Ed.) c.231, § 126; Murphy v. Boston, 337, Mass. 560.

The parties in their briefs have raised three issues.

1. Were the payments of veterans benefits by the petitioner to Maruco legal when they were made at a time when Maruco and his dependents were being supported by Workmen’s Compensation Benefits.

[148]*1482. Do the statutory provisions in effect on the date of the accident December 30, 1960 govern or those in effect at the time of the execution of the assignment, September 12, 1963?

3. Did the Industrial Accident Board by stating in its approval of the lump sum settlement that payments be “made directly” to Maruco and Ms Attorney relieve the Travelers from its obligations, if any, under the assignment?

The Travelers argues that since Maruco and Ms dependents were receiving the maximum benefits under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, he and Ms family were receiving income sufficient for their support — and therefore payments of Veterans benefits was unnecessary and in fact illegal.

Travelers argues that it was the intent of the legislature in enacting the Workmen’s Compensation Laws that the workmen and ¡hi® dependents receive payments sufficient to support them completely.

The short answer to tMs argument is that there is nothing 'in the Case Stated that shows or indicates that the workmen’is compensation payments to Maruco were completely sufficient for his support, however, the intent and purpose of the Workmen’s Compensation Act was not to furnish support to the employee and Ms dependents but to compensate an injured em[149]*149ployee for1 the impairment of his earning capacity. Kaczmarczyks Case, 328 Mass. 9.

The general purpose of the Workmen’s Compensation Act was to substitute its provisions for the pre-existing remedies under the law respecting injuries sustained in industrial disputes. In re Cox, 225 Mass. 220.

That the legislature did not intend that an injured employee be restricted solely to workmen’s compensation is shown by the provisions of Gr.L. (Ter. Ed.) c. 152, § 38 enacted in 1911 and remaining unchanged since. This section provides “No savings or insurance of the employee independent of this chapter shall be considered in determining the compensation payable thereunder, nor shall benefits derived from a/ny other, source than the insurer be considered in such determination”. (Emphasis added).

Our Supreme Court has said:

“But one may have income other than earnings, and such income does not affect his right to compensation”. Case of Federico, 283 Mass. 430.

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42 Mass. App. Dec. 141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mulcahy-v-travelers-insurance-massdistctapp-1968.