Pacific Indemnity Co. v. Workmen's Compensation Appeals Board

258 Cal. App. 2d 35, 65 Cal. Rptr. 429, 33 Cal. Comp. Cases 285, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 2385
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 18, 1968
DocketCiv. 31871
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 258 Cal. App. 2d 35 (Pacific Indemnity Co. v. Workmen's Compensation Appeals Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pacific Indemnity Co. v. Workmen's Compensation Appeals Board, 258 Cal. App. 2d 35, 65 Cal. Rptr. 429, 33 Cal. Comp. Cases 285, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 2385 (Cal. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

STEPHENS, J.

This cause arises by way of petition for writ of-review to inquire into and determine the lawfulness of an opinion and order denying reconsideration of order awarding workmen’s compensation payment, under., an insurance policy issued by Pacific Indemnity Insurance Company (here *37 inaftér called Pacific). Labor Code section 5950 provides for such review.

Facts

In March 1964, one Nathanson sold certain real property known as the Fountain Lonae Apartments (hereinafter called Fountain Lonae) to Bernard Aptaker, dba Aptaker Properties and/or Aztec Holdings, Inc., a California corporation (hereinafter referred to as Aptaker). As part of the sale price Nathanson took the buyer’s note, secured by a trust deed on the property junior to an existing encumbrance. Later that year, Aptaker sold the Fountain Lonae to the Mitchells, taking in turn purchasers’ note secured by a third trust deed.

In March 1965, Mrs. Brown, the claimant in the proceedings here involved, commenced her employment at the Fountain Lonae. At that time, a Mrs. Taylor was the manager, and the Mitchells were the owners of the apartment house. In or about May 1965, Nathanson commenced a foreclosure action under the second deed of trust and on or about June 11, 1965, Messrs. Stoll and Fox were appointed coreceivers. This receivership will hereinafter be referred to as the first receivership. The first receivership continued until September 15, 1965, at which time Aptaker again became the owner of Fountain Lonae, the Mitchells’ interest apparently having been foreclosed and his third trust deed merged into Aptaker ’s title. By some train of events, not made entirely clear by the record, the Mitchells were severed from the title and Nathanson maintained his second trust deed.

During the period of the first receivership, and specifically on August 1, 1965, Aptaker obtained a policy of workmen’s compensation insurance from Pacific. The policy number was PEG 48920, and covered specifically listed properties belonging to Aptaker for a period of one year. The Fountain Lonae was not included in the list of properties covered by the policy as first issued. There is no question but that the policy insured multiple ventures of Aptaker, some in his own name, others in the fictitious name, and others in the corporate designation. After the issuance of the policy, an “Extension Schedule Endorsement No. 2’’ issued and was attached to the policy. This endorsement extended the coverage of the policy to apartment houses and buildings not otherwise classified, and was retroactive in effect to August 1, 1965. Still later, another endorsement, “No. 5,” was issued and attached to *38 the policy. Endorsement No. 5 added “Los Angeles listed locations and elsewhere in the State of California.” This endorsement No. 5 was retroactive in effect to August 16, 1965.

There is no question but that policy number PEC-48920 covered Mrs. Brown and all other employees at Fountain Lonae during the operation thereof by Aptaker commencing on September 15,1965. 1

In November 1965, Nathanson obtained the appointment of Messrs. Stoll and Fox as coreceivers through a new foreclosure action, number C 872061. This is the “second receivership” of the Fountain Lonae, and this receivership’s existence was from November 5,1965, to March 14,1966. On March 14, 1966, the court terminated the receivers’ possession of the property, ordered them to turn it over to Nathanson and to account. At the time of the proceedings here reviewed, they had not accounted.

During the second receivership Mrs. Brown was an employee at Fountain Lonae. Throughout this period, Mrs. Brown (as were all other employees at Fountain Lonae) was paid by Stoll and Fox, the coreceivers. The coreceivers did not apply for workmen’s compensation insurance in their own right during either receivership. The record establishes that during the second receivership the coreceivers appointed managers of the Fountain Lonae other than those Aptaker had employed.

On January 11, 1966, Mrs. Brown sustained an injury in the course of her employment, occasioned by the collapse of wooden stairs on the Fountain Lonae premises. 2 Mrs. Brown filed an application for industrial injuries with the Workmen's Compensation Appeals Board on April 11, 1966. It is as a result of the findings and award and order of the referee, adopted by the appeals board on this application, that the cause is before us for review.

The referee found that Mrs. Brown was an employee of Stoll and Fox, coreeeivers, at the time of injury; that Aptaker was neither a necessary nor proper party to the petition of applicant, and that he is entitled to be dismissed and dis *39 charged. With this we agree. 3 Further, the referee found as a fact that “at said time of injury, workmen’s compensation coverage was afforded to said employer by policy No. PEC 48920 issued by defendant Pacific Indemnity Company, a corporation, and said defendant is estopped from denying that such coverage was in full force and effect at said time. ’ ’ The Workmen’s Compensation Appeals Board adopted the finding of the referee and ordered that the petition for reconsideration be denied. With this we cannot agree.

We are presented with two questions posed by petitioner Pacific: “ (a) Did the appeals board exceed its jurisdiction in holding that the policy of insurance issued to Bernard Aptaker . . . afforded coverage to Peter R. Stoll and Gerson Fox, coreceivers of the Fountain Lonae Apartments at the time the employee sustained her injury” and “ (b) Were the four elements essential to equitable estoppel present to support the findings of the appeals board that petitioner was estopped to deny workmen’s compensation coverage under the above policy to the co-receivers, Peter R. Stoll and Gerson Fox?’ ’

The answer to question (a) requires an analysis of the policy involved.

As we have noted, the policy in question extended the benefit of coverage to employees at Fountain Lonae during all such time as Aptaker was the employer. At no time pertinent to this case was the policy terminated unless such termination was by virtue of the material change in the identity of the insured employer. 4

We have been unable to find any California court deter- *40 ruination wherein a receiver has been held liable as an employer within the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Labor Code section 3300 defines “employer.” Subdivision (c) includes “Every person including any public service corporation, which has any natural person in service. ’ ’

In Freeman v. Lynch (1924) 12 I.A.C. 84, the commission held that one hired by the agents of a receiver of a bankrupt business was in the employ of the receiver. 1 Hanna, The Law of Employee Injuries and Workmen’s Compensation, page 238, states: “A receiver in equity is liable for the payment of compensation for injuries occurring during his incumbency.” The case of Burla v. MacMullen, 18 I.A.C.

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258 Cal. App. 2d 35, 65 Cal. Rptr. 429, 33 Cal. Comp. Cases 285, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 2385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pacific-indemnity-co-v-workmens-compensation-appeals-board-calctapp-1968.