Newman v. Rice-Stix Dry Goods Co.

73 S.W.2d 264, 335 Mo. 572, 94 A.L.R. 751, 1934 Mo. LEXIS 415
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 19, 1934
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 73 S.W.2d 264 (Newman v. Rice-Stix Dry Goods Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Newman v. Rice-Stix Dry Goods Co., 73 S.W.2d 264, 335 Mo. 572, 94 A.L.R. 751, 1934 Mo. LEXIS 415 (Mo. 1934).

Opinions

This case, which comes to the writer on reassignment, originated before the Workmen's Compensation Commission. Plaintiffs are the widow and the two minor children of Roy M. Newman, deceased, who was killed in an automobile collision May 28, 1931. At and prior to the time of his death Newman was in the employ of defendant dry goods company as a traveling salesman, having been so employed for many years. The Consolidated Underwriters was the employer's insurer. Claim was filed before the commission on July 15, 1931. It was first heard by a referee who awarded compensation. The employer and insurer applied for a review by the full commission and the claim was then heard by the commission, which body awarded compensation as follows: "For burial expenses the sum of $150; for death benefits, to Louise C. Newman the sum of $20.00 per week for 461.5 weeks, until prior death or remarriage, and then to Elizabeth Ann Newman and Roy William Newman share and share alike." The employer and insurer appealed to the circuit court which affirmed the award of the commission *Page 577 and from that judgment they have appealed to this court. The amount of the award, aggregating more than $7500, gives this court appellate jurisdiction. Aside from the question of timely notice to the employer of Newman's death the chief controversies presented are whether or not Newman's earnings brought him within the Compensation Act and whether or not the accident which resulted in his death arose out of and in the course of his employment.

Newman's territory extended generally from the Missouri River south to Eldorado Springs, Missouri, between Jefferson City, which it included, and the Kansas state line. He lived with his family at Sedalia in his territory and made his headquarters there. He covered his territory on an average of once a week. Sometimes he traveled by bus or train but more often used an automobile which he owned. He chose his own times of calling upon his customers and the means and routes of travel to reach them. He paid as they were incurred the expenses, such as hotel bills, railroad or bus fare, sample rooms, etc., incident to the performance of his duties when away from Sedalia calling on customers and each week submitted to his employer a statement of such expenses so paid and received from the employer reimbursement thereof. He received no allowance for traveling or hotel expenses nor, except for his salary, for living expenses when at Sedalia. He was paid for his work a salary of $200 a month which the company set aside for him in what it called his drawing account, sometimes referred to as his personal account. Salary payments as drawn by him from time to time were charged against that account. The expenses were shown on the company's books in a separate account called the expense account or trip account. In addition he received at the end of the company's fiscal year, November 30, what the company officials in their testimony called a bonus, if justified by the amount of his sales, which was computed thus: Two and a half per cent of the amount of his sales during the preceding twelve month period was ascertained and if such sum exceeded the amount of his salary and expenses paid by the company he received the difference as a bonus or compensation in addition to his guaranteed salary. If his salary and expense account amounted to more than said two and a half per cent he was not required to account for the difference.

The company held periodical sales at its store in St. Louis. It was the duty of its salesmen, including Newman, to urge their customers to attend those sales and to be present themselves if they had customers in attendance to wait upon such customers and do whatever they could to further the company's business and interests in the salesmen's respective territories, and they customarily did so attend. Mr. Wilson, division sales manager having supervision of Newman's territory, testified that he had authority to require salesmen to attend. One such sale was held during the week beginning Monday, May 25, *Page 578 1931. Several of Newman's customers were there and he attended the sale, waiting upon them and making a number of sales, until late in the evening of May 27, when he finished with them and notified his sales manager that he would go home the next morning, which was satisfactory to said manager. Newman's wife and children had accompanied him to St. Louis. They left together for Sedalia the next day. Near Tipton, west of Jefferson City, Newman's car was struck by a gravel truck which was traveling on the wrong side of the road and he received injuries from which he died almost immediately.

[1] I. It is urged by appellants that the award cannot be sustained because the record does not show that written notice of Newman's death was given to the employer within thirty days after the accident and the commission did not make a finding that there was good cause for failure to give it or that the employer was not prejudiced by failure to receive it. The referee found that the employer had notice but appellants say there was no evidence upon which to base such finding. Respondents argue that the referee's finding is conclusive and further that appellants waived the want of notice, if any. Appellants contend that the giving of such notice, or, if it has not been given, a finding by the commission of statutory grounds excusing the failure, is jurisdictional and cannot be waived. So far as we have been able to find the precise question thus presented has not been decided by this court.

The statute, Section 3336, Revised Statutes 1929 (12 Mo. Stat. Ann., p. 8268), provides:

"No proceedings for compensation under this chapter shall be maintained unless written notice of the time, place and nature of the injury, and the name and address of the person injured, shall have been given to the employer as soon as practicable after the happening thereof but not later than thirty days after the accident, unless the commission shall find that there was good cause for failure to give such notice, or that the employer was not prejudiced by failure to receive such notice. No defect or inaccuracy in such notice shall invalidate the same unless the commission shall find that the employer was in fact misled and prejudiced thereby."

As above stated, the referee found that the employer had notice. The full commission, at the hearing before it, made no specific finding of facts. Its finding is general, merely reciting that the parties had submitted their disagreement or claim to the "undersigned members" of the commission who, "after hearing the parties at issue, their representatives, witnesses and evidence. . . . find and award compensation . . .," followed by statement of the amount awarded and the further statement, "affirming on review award dated October 14, 1931" (that of the referee). *Page 579

In State ex rel. Buttiger v. Haid, 330 Mo. 1030,51 S.W.2d 1008, this court held, quashing the opinion of the St. Louis Court of Appeals in Buttiger v. Ely-Walker Dry Goods Co., 42 S.W.2d 982, that while the commission ought to make specific findings of the facts yet if it has made an award without making such specific findings the court will presume that it found the facts absent which it could not have made the award. "The commission could not have made the award without finding that there was a good cause for failure to give the written notice, or that the employer was not prejudiced thereby, or both." [330 Mo. l.c. 1033, 1034, 51 S.W.2d l.c.

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Bluebook (online)
73 S.W.2d 264, 335 Mo. 572, 94 A.L.R. 751, 1934 Mo. LEXIS 415, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/newman-v-rice-stix-dry-goods-co-mo-1934.