Olentine v. Calloway

1931 OK 19, 295 P. 608, 147 Okla. 137, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 727
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 27, 1931
Docket21413
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 1931 OK 19 (Olentine v. Calloway) 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
Olentine v. Calloway, 1931 OK 19, 295 P. 608, 147 Okla. 137, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 727 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

CULLISON, J.

This is an original proceeding in this court to review an order and award of the State Industrial Commission entered May 6, 1930, in favor of Ed. Calloway, claimant herein, and against W. O. Olentine and the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, a corporation, insurance carrier.

The facts in the case are, briefly, these:

The petitioner, W. O. Olentine, was engaged by the State Highway Department to cut a right of way. Claimant, while in the employ of the petitioner, W. O. Olentine, was engaged in cutting down a tree, and while so engaged a saw slipped and was thrown in such a manner as to strike claimant’s knee, • cutting in under the kneecap to the bone. The claimant filed a claim with the State Industrial Commission, setting up the aforesaid injury, and asking for compensation therefor. On November 17, 1928, a hearing wras had before the Commission at Sallisaw, Okla., and based on the evidence taken at such hearing, the Industrial Commission, on November 17, 1928, made and entered its order denying the claimant compensation for the reason claimant failed to show by competent testimony that any disability resulted from the injury arising out of and in the course of his employment with W. O. Olentine. Thereafter, the claimant filed a petition for rehearing, which was by the Commission denied, December 17, 1928. No appeal was taken from either of these orders.

*138 Thereafter, and on April 22, 1930, more than a year after the order of November 17, 1W2S, denying claimant compensation, claimant filed a motion to reopen the case. On April 23, 1930, the Commission reopened the case, evidence was taken, and on May 6, 1930, the 'Commission entered its order and award, wherein the Commission found that claimant was entitled to eight weeks’ compensation for temporary total disability and 35 weeks’ permanent partial ’disability, computed from the 15th of August, 1927, the date of the injury, less the five-day waiting period, and ordered the petitioner or his insurance carrier to pay claimant compensation for the above-named period.

To review such order and award petitioners appeal to this court.

Under the view that we take in this case, it is necessary to consider only the first proposition raised by the petitioners, namely:

“The Commission had no jurisdiction to reopen the case and award compensation because the order of November 17, 1928, was final and conclusive.”

In support of the above proposition, petitioners say:

“That the order of this Commission dated May 6, 1930, is invalid, erroneous and illegal, for the reason that this Commission was without jurisdiction to hear this cause or take any proceedings looking to a hearing or further determination of this cause subsequent to an order of this Commission dated November 17, 1928, by which the relative rights of the parties were determined in this cause. Your movants show to the Commission that claimant did not prosecute an appeal from the order of the Industrial Commission dated November 17, 192S, and said order became final and binding upon all parties. Your movants further show to the Commission that, upon the 17th day of December, 1928, the State Industrial Commission made and entered its order overruling and denying a petition for rehearing filed and presented by claimant, and that no appeal was prosecuted to the Supreme, .Court by claimant from said order, and said order became final and is binding upon the claimant and all parties to this cause, and upon this Industrial Commission.”

At the conclusion of the first hearing, the Commission, in rendering its judgment, said:

“Having reviewed the testimony taken at said hearing, examined all the records on file in said cause, and being otherwise well and sufficiently advised in the premises, the Commission is of the opinion that claimant has failed to show by competent testimony that any disability resulted from an alleged injury sustained on August 17, 1927, arising out of and in the course of his employment with W. O. Olentine.”

That section of our statutes under which the Commission sought to reopen the case at bar and award compensation is section 7296, C. O. S. 1921, which provides:

“Sec. 7296. Review of Awards. Upon its own motion or upon the application of any party in interest, on the ground of a change in conditions, the Commission may at any time review any award, and, on such review, may make an award ending, diminishing or increasing the compensation previously awarded. * * *” (Emphasis ours.)

We are of the opinion, and the authorities so hold, that the word “award,” as used in legal parlance, is synonymous with the words! “decision;,” “determination,’!’ aqd “judgment.” Bouvier’s Law Dictionary, vol. 1; Black, Legal Dictionary; Webster, New International Dictionary; Frankfort Gen. Ins. Co. v. Conduitt, 74 Ind. App. 584, 127 N. E. 212; Davis v. Aetna Life Ins. Co. (Ga. App.) 151 S. E. 812.

Paraphrasing the language of section 7296. the direction of the Legislature is simply this: The Industrial Commission, upon its own motion or upon the application of any party in interest, on the ground of a change in conditions, may at any time review any judgment (decision or determination), and, on such review, may render a judgment (decision or determination) ending, diminishing, or increasing the compensation previously awarded.

What jurisdiction and power is vested in the Industrial Commission under section 7296, supra? The jurisdiction and power (on the ground of change of condition) to end, diminish, or increase — what? “Compensation previously awarded.”

“Compensation,” as defined by our Legislature in section 7284, C. O. S. 1921 (Workmen’s Compensation Law), means: “The money allowance payable to an employee as provided for in this act.”

The record herein shows beyond doubt that at the first hearing the Commission did not allow the claimant any compensation; no “money allowance” was granted to him, and the award was a final decision or judgment against claimant, from which he failed to appeeal, as provided by law.

The Commission had no jurisdiction whatever to modify or change any previous award (decision, determination, or judgment) in this case; the necessary condition precedent — that there has previously been compensation granted claimant which may *139 be ended, diminished, or increased — is lacking.

The jurisdiction and power of the State Industrial Commission under section 7296, supra, to review awards on the ground of a change in condition is limited. It is only authorized to end, diminish, or increase the compensation previously awarded. The word “award,” as used in section 7296, supra, authorizing the State Industrial Commission, upon its own motion or upon the application of any party in interest, on the ground of a change in condition, to at any time review any award, and on such review to make an award ending, diminishing, or increasing the compensation previously awarded, means the decision, determination, or judgment for money, hospitalization, crutches, or other compensation in favor of an employee, provided for in the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 19, 295 P. 608, 147 Okla. 137, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 727, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/olentine-v-calloway-okla-1931.