Nyland v. Northern Packing Co.

218 N.W. 869, 56 N.D. 624, 1928 N.D. LEXIS 180
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1928
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 218 N.W. 869 (Nyland v. Northern Packing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nyland v. Northern Packing Co., 218 N.W. 869, 56 N.D. 624, 1928 N.D. LEXIS 180 (N.D. 1928).

Opinion

Burke, J.

Certified question of law from the district court of Grand Dorks county. The facts are stipulated in substance as follows: This action was commenced September 2, 1926. Tbe plaintiff working in tbe course of bis employment in defendant’s packing plant was injured'November 11, 1924. Plaintiff was taken to tbe hospital and received medical treatment from tbe 11th day of November until December 25, 1924. He returned to bis work at tbe packing plant on Debruary 11, 1925, and for seventeen weeks after bis return be was not engaged in bis regular labor duties at tbe plant, but on June 11, 1925, be again assumed bis regular duties and has been continuously in tbe employment of tbe defendant, receiving from tbe defendant bis regular weekly wage of $24 per week including the time he was disabled and up to tbe present time. Tbe defendant paid tbe hospital and doctor bill, amounting to $274.40. At tbe time of tbe injury tbe defendant was not within tbe provisions of tbe compensation act, not having paid the required premiums during tbe years 1920 to 1926 inclusive and which premiums are now in litigation, in an action by tbe compensation bureau against tbe defendant. Defendant is within tbe provision of tbe compensation act for tbe year 1927, and it is agreed that exhibit “A” is a history of claims filed by tbe plaintiff against tbe Northern Packing Company with tbe compensation bureau.

Exhibit “A” shows that on August 31, 1925, tbe plaintiff filed a claim with the compensation bureau for injuries received while in the employment of tbe Northern Packing Company. This claim was dismissed on January 13, 1926, for tbe reason, that tbe defendant bad not contributed to tbe compensation fund. On Debruary 13, 1926, tbe plaintiff again filed bis claim with tbe bureau where it is being considered by tbe bureau under section 11 of tbe compensation act, and is still pending. Thereafter, and on tbe 20th day of December, 1926, *626 and while said claim for damages was pending before the compensation bureau, the plaintiff brought this action in the district court of Grand Forks county, and the question of law certified to this court is as follows: Did the filing of plaintiff’s claim, and action had thereupon before the bureau, constitute an election by plaintiff and operate as a bar to the prosecution of this action, prior to, and until action upon and liquidation of such claim by the bureau? It is the contention of the plaintiff, that the filing of the claim with the compensation bureau was a mere nullity, for the reason, that the claim was filed later than one year after the injury happened.

We are of the opinion that there is no merit in this contention. The plaintiff’s claim before the bureau is not a claim against the compensation fund, but a claim against the employer. If allowed it will not be paid out of the compensation fund, but must be paid by the employer within thirty days after receiving notice of the amount as fixed and determined by the bureau. The time for filing claims for compensation as provided in section 15 of the act relates to claims against the compensation fund, only, and not to an award against the employer who has not complied with the law. This brings us to the certified question of law, viz., can the plaintiff maintain this action after having elected to proceed under the Workmen’s Compensation Act?

In the recent case of Tandsetter v. Oscarson, ante, 392, 217 N. W. 661, we held, that the remedy before the bureau of compensation was exclusive. In that case the question was whether the plaintiff could maintain an action against a third party who could not be brought under the compensation act after the plaintiff had received an award from the compensation bureau and we held that he could not, for the reason, that the remedy under' the statute is exclusive, and all other actions are abolished. Under section 11 employers who fail to pay the premiums required are not entitled to the benefits of the act, and are liable to employees for damages by reason of injuries sustained in the course of employment, and in an action therefor the employer cannot avail himself or itself of the common law defenses. This is one remedy available to the employee, or under the same section in lieu of proceeding against his employer by civil action in court, he may file his application with the Workmen’s Compensation Bureau for an award of compensation in accordance with the terms of the act, and the bureau *627 shall hear and determine such application for compensation in like manner as in other claims before the bureau; but the amount of compensation determined . . . and allowed by the bureau shall be paid by such employer to the person entitled thereto within thirty-days after receiving notice of the amount thereof as fixed and determined by the bureau. If the employer fails to pay within thirty days the award shall constitute a liquidated claim for damages against such employer in the amount so ascertained and fixed which together with further costs and attorneys’ fees may be allowed and recovered in an action in the name of the state for the benefit of the person or persons entitled thereto.

This court had occasion to construe § 11 of the compensation act in the ease of State ex rel. Dushek v. Watland, 51 N. D. 710, 39 A.L.R. 1169, 201 N. W. 680, and therein held, that “an employee injured in the course of his employment whose employer has failed to comply therewith, is afforded one of two remedies (1) he may maintain a civil action against his employer for the damages suffered, or (2) he may in lieu of such action apply to the Workmen’s Compensation Bureau for compensation under the act. In case the latter remedy is pursued the Workmen’s Compensation Bureau is required to proceed in like manner as in other claims before the bureau. In other words, the bureau proceeds to determine the question of liability in precisely the same manner as though the employer had complied with the act, and the claim of the injured employee was made against the Workmen’s Compensation Fund.”

The court quotes from the case of Fassig v. State, 95 Ohio St. 232, 116 N. E. 104, 13 N. C. C. A. 845, as follows:

“The suit for the liquidated or stipulated amount is not a suit at common law by the employee for damages, sustained. The employee has waived the right to bring such a suit by claiming compensation. A suit for damages is one for the recovery of an unliquidated sum in an action at law. The suit by the state for the amount of compensation under § 2Y (which is identical with § 11 of the N. D. Compensation Act) is not one for negligence of any kind . . . it is simply based on the fact of injury in the course of employment. The recovery in the damage suit is presumed to wholly compensate the injured person, but when he elects to accept compensation which is fixed in accordance *628 with schedule the statute properly fixes the measure of recovery.” It is clear from this decision that the remedies are inconsistent with each other, one being an application to the bureau for liquidated damages for an injury in the course of employment, the other remedy being an action in court for unliquidated damages. But aside from the question of inconsistent remedies we are of the opinion that when a workman pursues his remedy under the Workmen’s Compensation Law of this state, that such remedy is exclusive of all others, and all other rights of action are abolished.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
218 N.W. 869, 56 N.D. 624, 1928 N.D. LEXIS 180, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nyland-v-northern-packing-co-nd-1928.