People ex rel. Oelsner v. Andrus

219 Ill. App. 205, 1920 Ill. App. LEXIS 139
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 6, 1920
DocketGen. No. 25,290
StatusPublished

This text of 219 Ill. App. 205 (People ex rel. Oelsner v. Andrus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People ex rel. Oelsner v. Andrus, 219 Ill. App. 205, 1920 Ill. App. LEXIS 139 (Ill. Ct. App. 1920).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Taylor

delivered the opinion of the court.

The record in this cause presents two questions of law: First, has the superior court of Cook county jurisdiction of a petition for a writ of mandamus which requests that court to command the Industrial Commission of the State of Illinois to review a proceeding where the commission has held that—as no statement of facts or stenographic report was filed within 20 days, as provided in paragraph (b) of section 19 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act [Callaghan’s 1920 Stat. [¶] 5475(19) ]—it has no jurisdiction? Second, a question upon the interpretation of a statute—is paragraph (b), supra—complied with where a petition to review the decision of an arbitrator has been filed with the commission in apt time, but the authenticated stenographic report, though filed before a hearing’upon the petition, was not filed until more than 20 days after service of notice of the decision of the arbitrator?

The matters involved arise by reason of the overruling of a demurrer to a. petition for a writ of mandamus filed by the relator, Rudolph Oelsner. The respondents (plaintiffs in error) are the members of the Industrial Commission of Illinois.

The petition for the writ of mandamus alleges, inter alia, the following: That one Lange made an application for adjustment of claim for recovery of compensation for injury 'sustained by reason of an accident arising out of and in the course of the employment; that a hearing was had before an arbitrator; that the arbitrator filed his decision upon the application.

That the decision found that Lange, the employee, and the employer (the relator) were opérating under the Workmen’s Compensation Act; that Lange sustained accidental injuries arising out of and in the course of the employment, and allowed compensation; that Lange left him surviving his widow and certain children.

That compensation has been paid amounting to $608.35; that on February 7, 1919, notice of the decision of the arbitrator, dated January 21, 1919, was served on the attorneys for the employer (the relator) ; that on the 12th day of February, 1919, the employer (the relator) filed his petition for review of the decision of the arbitrator. '

That in. the petition for review it was stated that the employer intended to introduce additional evidence before the Commission; that on March 4, 1919, a stenographic report of the proceedings at the hearing before the arbitrator was filed after having been duly authenticated by the attorneys.

That on March 11, 1919, notice was served that the hearing upon the petition of the review was set for March 24, 1919, and that on that date it was continued to March 27, 19)9, on which day it came on for hearing, and that attorneys representing the employer and the employee were present, and that the attorney for the employer represented that he wanted to submit additional evidence on behalf of the employer (the relator).

That James A. Culp, one of the members of the Industrial Commission, stated that the stenographic report of the proceedings was filed 25 days after notice of the decision, and, as it had been filed 5 days late, the Industrial Commission was without jurisdiction to hear the petition for review; that the attorney for the employer desired then and there to offer additional evidence, and that said Culp, one of the commissioners, stated that the Commission was without jurisdiction and that he would not hear any argument or permit any offer of evidence to be made.

That on March 31, the attorney for the employer made a demand to submit the controversy to not less than a majority of the members of the Industrial Commission and to submit such additional evidence. That the attorney for the employer offered to show that the employee executed a receipt in full settlement of compensation under the provisions of the Compensation Act, and that such receipt was filed with the Industrial Board.

That on April 9, 1919, the employer (the relator) by his attorney appeared before the Industrial Commission for the purpose of making an argument on the question of jurisdiction of the Industrial Commission, and the attorney for the employee appeared and moved the Industrial Commission to dismiss the petition for review for want of. jurisdiction; that on April 10, 1919, the members of the Industrial Commission ordered the petition to review the decision of the arbitrator to be dismissed, and that the award of the arbitrator stand as and for the decision of the Industrial Commission.

That this was done on the ground that the stenographic report in said cause was not filed within 20 days from the date of the service of notice of the decision of the attorneys for the employer; that the action of the members of the Industrial Commission in refusing to permit the employer to submit additional evidence and to make the argument to not less than a majority of the members of theTndustrial Commission was arbitrary, and that in refusing to review the decision of the arbitrator, the action is contrary to paragraph (e) of section 10 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act [Callaghan’s 1916 Stat. fl 5475(10)].

The petition for the writ of mandamus prayed that a writ be issued commanding the respondents to reinstate and hear the petition of the relator for a review of the decision of the arbitrator.

The respondents demurred to' the petition. Their demurrer was overruled, and a writ of mandamus ■ordered issued. The matter now comes before us upon a writ of error, sued out by the respondents, and challenging the judgment of the trial judge.

Two questions are involved: (1) Did the commission have jurisdiction, and (2) assuming it had jurisdiction, will mandamus lie?

(1) As to jurisdiction: It is contended by the respondents that they are not, under the law, entitled to take jurisdiction of a petition to review the decision of an arbitrator where, a properly authenticated stenographic report is not filed within 20 days after notice of the decision of the arbitrator has been served though such a report is filed before the hearing upon the petition. And they state in their brief that the Supreme Court has not decided whether the filing of such a document within 20 days is jurisdictional. The language of the statute [Callaghan’s 1920 Stat. j[ 5475(19) (b)] that is involved is as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
219 Ill. App. 205, 1920 Ill. App. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-oelsner-v-andrus-illappct-1920.