Peak v. Industrial Accident Commission

187 P.2d 905, 82 Cal. App. 2d 926, 1947 Cal. App. LEXIS 1297
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 18, 1947
DocketCiv. No. 13609
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 187 P.2d 905 (Peak v. Industrial Accident Commission) 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
Peak v. Industrial Accident Commission, 187 P.2d 905, 82 Cal. App. 2d 926, 1947 Cal. App. LEXIS 1297 (Cal. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

BRAY, J.

Petitioner, claiming to have sustained injuries in the course of his employment by the Reliance Trailer and Truck Company, filed with the Industrial Accident Commission an application for adjustment of claim. After hearings thereon, the commission found that he had sustained such injuries and that they caused temporary total disability from September 8 to and including November 30, 1945, in addition to one day in February and two days in March, 1946. An award was made of compensation for said periods at the rate of $30 per week, together with further medical treatment to cure and relieve him from the effects of the injury. Petitioner applied to the commission for a rehearing of his application, which was denied. He now seeks to have this court review and annul the commission’s award.

Petitioner is acting in propria persona, and in his briefs airs every possible complaint, proposes innumerable questions, without citing authority, on matters well established by law, and in general makes it rather difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. We have considered all points raised by petitioner, most of which are without merit and [928]*928do not justify discussion here. There are, however, seven points worthy of consideration, one, major, the others, minor.

1. The Dr. Tyler Report

Petitioner was injured “in the latter part of August.” He was treated by his employer’s physician for several days. He claims that upon his arrival home on September 1, 1945, he could not walk and that “on Monday” (apparently September 3) he called a Dr. Tyler, who ordered him to the hospital at once. While at the hospital Dr. Tyler continued to treat him. Petitioner claims that his total temporary disability commenced on September 1. The commission found that it commenced September 8. At the time of making its award, the commission had on file and before it a letter or report of Dr. Tyler, dated September 27, in which the doctor stated that he had seen petitioner (apparently for the first time) on September 8. That the finding by the commission as to the date of the commencement of disability is based upon this report, is admitted by the commission’s answer. “Dr. Tyler in his report of September 27, 1945, states that he called on Mr. Peak September 8, 1945, and that he placed him in the hospital at that time. ... In view of Mr. Peak’s inaccuracy as to dates generally, the Commission very properly took as a fact the statement of Dr. Tyler who had his records to which to refer.” This report is also referred to by the commission as support for other findings.

Petitioner swears positively that he never received a copy of this report. There is nothing in the record to show to the contrary. There is a letter dated April 7, 1947 (defendants’ Exhibit No. 2) sent by the insurance carrier to the commission in which it encloses certain medical reports, including the one in question, to the commission. This letter states “Copies of these reports are being forwarded to Mr. George Peak, 1601 Fifth Street, San Rafael.” There is no affidavit of mailing nor any positive statement that the reports actually were mailed to petitioner. On April 29, petitioner wrote the referee: “I have just received from the California Casualty Indemnity Exchange some Medical Reports, very fragmentary, . . . and none at all from Dr. Tyler the physician who ordered me to the hospital in September 1945 . . . Am I correct in my understanding that they were to furnish me with copies of all the medical reports they wished to file in the matter?”

The commission contends that when the following colloquy [929]*929took place the failure of petitioner to say that he did not get Dr. Tyler’s report constituted either an admission that he had received it, or a waiver of his failure to get it. “Referee: Medical file of the California Casualty Indemnity Exchange under covering letter dated April 7, 1947, received into evidence as Defendants’ Exhibit #2. Mr. Peak: Did Dr. Dr. DeLancey send in a report? Mr. Puller [for the commission] : We have Dr. C. A. De-Lancey ’s report. Did you get copies? Mr. Peak.- Have you got Dr. Tyler’s report of the x-rays? Mr. Puller: If you mark which ones you didn’t get I will jot it down and see that copies are sent. Mr. Peak: I didn’t get Dr. Williams, none of Dr. DeLancey’s or Dr. McCarthy. Have you got one of Dr. Sale?”

This colloquy does not have the effect contended by the commission. Neither the letter of the carrier, nor this colloquy, can overcome the petitioner’s positive averment that he did not receive the Tyler report. Therefore, we must assume that he did not receive it.

Section 5703 of the Labor Code provides: “The commission may receive as evidence . . . and use as proof of any fact in dispute, the following matters, in addition to sworn testimony presented in open hearing: (a) Reports of attending or examining physicians.”

Section 5704 provides: “Transcripts of all testimony taken without notice and copies of all reports and other matters added to the record, otherwise than during the course of an open hearing, shall be served upon the parties to the proceeding, and an opportunity shall be given to produce testimony in explanation or rebuttal thereof before decision is rendered.” (Emphasis added.)

Section 1 of rule XI, Rules of Practice and Procedure of the commission, provides: “Where written evidence is filed in lieu of oral evidence, in the form of medical reports, . . . sufficient correct copies thereof shall be prepared by the party filing and shall be served upon the adverse parties before or at the hearing.” (Emphasis added.) Rule VIII, section 5, provides: “Copies of all . . . reports . . . shall be served on all adverse parties by the parties filing same. . . . Proof of such service may be made by either affidavit of service or by a written statement endorsed upon such pleading, report or document, or in a letter of transmittal setting forth the [930]*930names and addresses of the persons served, the date of service and the fact as to whether such service was made personally or by mail.” There is no such proof in this record. Rule XIX entitled “Medical Reports” provides: “ . . . all parties to the application must . . . send to the Commission copies of all medical reports of all doctors appointed by them and all other medical reports that they may have in their possession or under their control relating to the dispute or controversy and send copies of such reports to the adverse party.’s attorney or representative, if there be one; otherwise to said party. ’ ’

In Southern California Edison Co. v. Industrial Acc. Com., 75 Cal.App. 709 [243 P. 455], referring to the use by the commission of excerpts from expert testimony received by it in other cases, under a section of the Workmen’s Compensation Act which has been reenacted into the present sections 5703 and 5704 of the Labor Code, the court said (p. 716) : “But the record does not show that there was a compliance with the provisions of the foregoing section, for manifestly to meet its requirements it would be necessary to attach to or make a part of the record in the instant ease any such excerpt of expert testimony received in any other case, and in addition it would be necessary to have it appear in the record that copies of such testimony were served upon the parties in this proceeding.” (Emphasis added.)

Petitioner makes some reference to other medical reports which were filed with the commission, of which he claims he did not receive copies.

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Bluebook (online)
187 P.2d 905, 82 Cal. App. 2d 926, 1947 Cal. App. LEXIS 1297, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/peak-v-industrial-accident-commission-calctapp-1947.