Phillips v. Industrial Commission

61 N.E.2d 233, 75 Ohio App. 131, 43 Ohio Law. Abs. 143, 30 Ohio Op. 430, 1944 Ohio App. LEXIS 408
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 3, 1944
Docket6397
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 61 N.E.2d 233 (Phillips v. Industrial Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phillips v. Industrial Commission, 61 N.E.2d 233, 75 Ohio App. 131, 43 Ohio Law. Abs. 143, 30 Ohio Op. 430, 1944 Ohio App. LEXIS 408 (Ohio Ct. App. 1944).

Opinion

OPINION

By ROSS, P. J.

The plaintiff was awarded participation in the State Insurance Fund by the Court of Common Pleas of. Hamilton County, Ohio,

The ease was tried to the Court without the intervention of a jury. The appeal is on questions of law from the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas. The Court journalized its finding. Motion for judgment in favor of the defendant was made, notwithstanding the finding of the Court in favor of plaintiff, and overruled.

From the evidence, it appears that the claimant on the 21st day of February, 1930, suffered a severe injury to his jaw, when the handle of a waste paper-bailer slipped and struck him in the face. He was confined to a hospital for sixteen days. At the trial, the plaintiff still complained of pain in his jaw, and stated that some of his teeth had been knocked out by the blow from the bailer handle, and the others extracted because, of infection in his gums.

Shortly after leaving the hospital, the plaintiff had occa *145 sion to visit a grocer. He complained of pain in his jaw, and the grocer recommended the use of Jamaica Ginger. The plaintiff purchased a small bottle and drank the same. Shortly ’hereafter, he became afflicted with a species of paralysis, commonly known as “jake legs” and the result is that he now walks with two canes.

He applied for compensation and was given compensation on a temporary total basis to May 4, 1930, and on a temporary partial basis to March 1, 1942.

The procedural history of plaintiff’s connection with the Industrial Commission is as follows:

“March 20, 1939. An application to modify the award was filed and on February 14,1940 said application was granted allowing claimant $9.00 per week on a temporary, partial basis to January 1, 1941.
“March 20, 1940. An application to further consider the claim was filed and on said application on April 26, 1940, the Commission ordered that the previous order of February 14, 1940, be modified and ordered the payment of $4.00 per week on a temporary, partial basis to January 25, 1941, and further finding that the disability resulting from “Jake” paralysis is not a result of the injury for which the claim was filed.
“June 1, 1940. Plaintiff filed an application to modify and for a rehearing, basing said application upon the order of April 26, 1940. The application to modify was denied on November 1, 1940 and the application filed on June 1, 1940 for a rehearing was on November 20, 1940, dismissed because the claim had been considered since the order of April 26, 1940.
“Nov. 27, 1940. Plaintiff filed an application for a rehearing and on December 16, 1940 the said application was dismissed for the reason that the order from which said application was filed is not appealable and does not deny jurisdiction of the claim.
“July 21, 1941. Plaintiff filed an application to modify the award and on October 30, 1941, the Commission dismissed the application for modification filed July 21, 1941 and set aside its order of June 1, 1940, wherein the Commission dismissed the application for a rehearing and then granted plaintiff a rehearing and assigned the claim for the taking of testimony.
“The plaintiff offered his testimony on rehearing on February 5, 1942, at which time he testified that he was receiving compensation from the Industrial Commission and that his only desire was to secure more compensation.
*146 “Oct. 26, 1942. The Commission denied claimant’s right to participate in the Fund after rehearing of this action for the reason that proof on file does not show that claimant’s present disability is due to the injury of February 21, 1930.”

It is the contention of the Commission that this procedure does not present a basis for jurisdiction in the court of common pleas to review the conclusions of the Industrial Commission on rehearing, for the reason that it had no jurisdiction over the subject-matter of the action.

It is clear that the evidence presented on rehearing and before the court of common pleas shows that at the present time the claimant is almost entirely incapacitated to do any kind of work. It is also clear that the Commission refuses to recognize this present incapacity as due to the original injury received, when claimant was struck on the jaw by the handle of the bailer.

The proceeding in the court of common pleas is based upon the action of the Commission upon claimant’s application to modify a previous award filed July 21, 1941.

As far as the record shows, the Commission has refused to exercise jurisdiction, although it did grant a rehearing of its action upon the application to modify the award. The entry of the Commission made October 26, 1942 reads:

“FINDING OF FACTS AND MINUTES
“This day this claim comes on to be heard on the transcript of testimony and evidence on rehearing and report of the Referee, and was considered by the Commission.
“On consideration thereof, the Commission finds:
“It is ordered that the claim be disallowed on rehearing, for the reason that proof on file does not show that claimant’s present disability is due to his injury of February 22, 1930.”

The effect of this final order of the Commission was to deny claimant further participation in the Workmen’s Compensation Fund, for the reason that his present disability is not due to the original injury. If it.is, he is entitled to participate. If it is not, he is not entitled to participate. A question similar to that here considered has been passed upon by this Court. In Logsdon v. Industrial Commission, No. 869, Butler County Court of Appeals, decided by this Court November 27, 1943, 40 Abs 602, certified to the Supreme Court, 143 Oh St, 508, at least two of the Judges of this Court, while disagreeing upon other matters, were unanimous in their con *147 elusion upon the question of jurisdiction, as expressed in the-first paragraph of the syllabus in the case of Furnis v. Industrial Commission, 71 Oh Ap, 146:

“A finding by the Industrial Commission upon rehearing under §1463-90 GC, (111 Ohio Laws, 227), that a claim for compensation be disallowed for the reason that claimant’s present disability is not the result of the injury constitutes, in law, a finding that the commission had no authority to inquire into the extent of disability or amount of compensation claimed, and was an appealable order.”

The Logsdon case was certified for conflict with the Furnis case, because of the submission of issue of permanent and total disability to the jury.

To say that the Commission exercises jurisdiction when it emphatically states it does not and can not, because the present condition of claimant is not due to the injury, is to ignore the effect of the final order.

The Commission has denied jurisdiction, because of the positive finding that the claimant is not entitled tó compensation for his present condition.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 N.E.2d 233, 75 Ohio App. 131, 43 Ohio Law. Abs. 143, 30 Ohio Op. 430, 1944 Ohio App. LEXIS 408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phillips-v-industrial-commission-ohioctapp-1944.