Ray v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.

517 S.W.2d 194, 1974 Tenn. LEXIS 546
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 16, 1974
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 517 S.W.2d 194 (Ray v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ray v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 517 S.W.2d 194, 1974 Tenn. LEXIS 546 (Tenn. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

HARBISON, Justice.

This is an action for workmen’s compensation benefits resulting from an occupational disease. The primary issue is whether or not the action can be maintained under the workmen’s compensation law of this state.

The facts of the case are undisputed, and the suit was dismissed by the trial court on motion for summary judgment filed by the appellee.

The complaint alleges that appellant was employed by Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation at a job site in New Madrid, Missouri on two different occasions in 1972. It is alleged that the employment was secured through the hiring hall of a union in Memphis, Tennessee, where appellant resides. The complaint alleges that both the employer and the employee had accepted and were subject to the terms and provisions of the Tennessee Workmen’s Compensation Act.

The only defendant named in the action was the workmen’s compensation insurance carrier for the employer, although it was alleged in the complaint, and not denied, that the employer had an office and place of business in Tennessee. The complaint alleges that appellant became totally disabled from work on or about October 15, 1972 as the result of the occupational disease known as asbestosis, which is one of the occupational diseases covered under the Tennessee Workmen’s Compensation Act, T.C.A. § 50-1101.

The defendant questioned the jurisdiction of the court, contending among other things that the Tennessee workmen’s compensation law was not applicable and that the claim of the appellant was subject to the workmen’s compensation law of Missouri. A number of other defenses were asserted, such as lack of notice and the statute of limitations under the workmen’s compensation laws of both Tennessee and Missouri.

A number of depositions and exhibits were filed by the appellee in support of its motion for summary judgment, and there were no counteraffidavits or exhibits submitted by appellant. Among the materials filed in support of the motion were the discovery deposition of appellant himself, that of the business agent of the Memphis local, and a copy of the workmen’s compensation law of Missouri.

Appellant is 45 years of age and has lived in Memphis all of his life. During most of his adult life he has been an insulation worker. He has followed this occupation with a number of employers, and has been a member of an asbestos workers’ union for many years.

There is no dispute in the record but that the actual contract of employment in this case was made on the job site in New Madrid, Missouri. Both appellant and the business agent of the union testified that there was no hiring done in the State of Tennessee. When the project superintendent for the employer needed men on the construction job in question, he notified the business agent of the union, and the agent in turn made available to union members information concerning the job opportunity. The agent testified, however, that he had no authority to make a contract of employment for the employer, and that the employer had the right to reject *196 any applicant who presented himself for employment at the job site. Appellant himself testified that he received information that insulation workers were needed on the job in question, and that he went to New Madrid, where he signed the necessary employment forms, including the forms authorizing the withholding of income taxes and social security benefits. He stated:

“I was hired in New Madrid on the job.”

Appellant was first employed during the period from February 21, 1972 to March 19, 1972. He testified that he was having difficulty breathing and suffered from loss of strength, so that he left the job in March and returned to Memphis for medical treatment. He underwent a lung biopsy and other medical care. Improving to some extent, he worked in Memphis during the summer of 1972 for two different employers, these jobs having been obtained through the union. He then returned to the New Madrid job and was re-employed from August 15, 1972 until October 11, 1972. Again, due to difficulty in breathing and loss of strength, appellant left the job and returned to Memphis.

There is no dispute but that all of the work done by appellant for the employer was performed in the State of Missouri. He has, however, asserted a claim for workmen’s compensation benefits under the statutes of the State of Tennessee.

The question presented, therefore, is whether or not the Tennessee workmen’s compensation law has application, where the contract of employment occurred in another state, the work was performed there, and the disability occurred there. There is no contention that appellant ever worked for this employer at any time other than during the period specified above, or at any place other than in the State of Missouri.

The trial court dismissed the action, finding that there were insufficient contacts with the State of Tennessee to enable the court to apply the Tennessee law to the claim. He held that the claim should have been asserted under the law of the State of Missouri.

The subject of which of several possible compensation laws should be applied to a particular claim is discussed in depth in 3 Larson, Workmen’s Compensation Law, ch. XVI (1972). It is there noted that any one of a number of states may have a legitimate interest in a particular workmen’s compensation claim, among these being the state where the contract of employment was made, the place where the work was performed, or the place of injury. At § 87.60 of the text the following statement is made:

"The place of the employee’s residence, although having a very real interest as the community which might have to support a disabled and uncompensated workman, has never either by judicial decision or statute been held entitled to apply its statute on the strength of the residence factor alone.”

The Tennessee workmen’s compensation statute has extraterritorial application when a compensable accident occurs outside of the state, if the contract of employment was made in Tennessee, unless otherwise expressly provided by the contract of employment. T.C.A. § 50-917. This Court has also permitted recovery under the Tennessee Workmen’s Compensation Act where the accidental injury occurred within the boundaries of the state, even though the contract of employment was made in another state. Millican v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 224 Tenn. 604, 460 S.W.2d 842 (1970); Hudnall v. S & W Construction Company of Tenn., Inc., 60 Tenn.App. 743, 451 S.W.2d 858 (1969). In some cases a question of fact is presented as to the place of injury or disability, and the findings of the trial court *197 in that regard, if based upon material evidence, will not be disturbed on appeal. Brewer v. Pocahontas Coal Company, 221 Tenn. 130, 425 S.W.2d 582

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Madden v. Holland Group of Tennessee, Inc.
277 S.W.3d 896 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 2009)
Vickery v. North Dakota Workers Compensation Bureau
545 N.W.2d 781 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1996)
Ferguson v. Ram Enterprises, Inc.
900 S.W.2d 19 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1995)
Matthews v. St. Paul Property & Liability Insurance
845 S.W.2d 737 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1992)
Perkins v. BE & K, Inc.
802 S.W.2d 215 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1990)
Iowa Beef Processors, Inc. v. Miller
312 N.W.2d 530 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1981)
Smith v. Rockwell International Corp.
581 S.W.2d 954 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1979)
Argonaut Insurance Co. v. Vanatta
539 S.W.2d 35 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1976)
Thomas v. Transport Insurance Co.
532 S.W.2d 263 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
517 S.W.2d 194, 1974 Tenn. LEXIS 546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ray-v-aetna-casualty-surety-co-tenn-1974.