Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Co. v. Mathews

1933 OK 30, 20 P.2d 141, 162 Okla. 283, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 583
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 24, 1933
Docket23595
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 1933 OK 30 (Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Co. v. Mathews) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Co. v. Mathews, 1933 OK 30, 20 P.2d 141, 162 Okla. 283, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 583 (Okla. 1933).

Opinion

SWINDALL. J.

On November 27, 1924. C. ,1. Mathews, was an employee of the Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Company, a corporation, carrying on and conducting a retail department store in Oklahoma City, Okla. On that dato he received an accidental injury which occurred when ho stepped on tho platform of a hand lift elevator trying to get a box loose that was caught on the side, cable slipped off, and he fell in the pit about twelve feet deep. Tho accidental injury was reported by the employer to the State Industrial Commission on form 2 furnished by the Commission. Tho Commission was also notified on form 0 by the insurance carrier that compensation was started on the 30th day of November, 1924. giving the date of the injury, amount of first payment from November 30, 1924, to December 6, 1924, and *284 tlió average monthly wage paid the' employee. On December 12, 1924, the attending'physician filed his report;, on December 13, 1924, the employer filed its supplemental' report on form 5 furnished by the Commis-. sion; .on December 19, 1924, the employee filed with ■ the Commission on form 3 furnished by the CMnmiission notice of injury and claim for compensation in which he states his occupation to be receiving clerk for Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Company, cause of accident “fell down elevator shaft, ” • nature and extent of injury “fracture of 8th rib, right side, front.” On February ,6, 1925, there was filed with the Industrial Commission a final receipt and report, giving the date when the injury occurred, when compensation began, average weekly wages, rate of compensation paid, total paid employee, date disability ended, January 12, 1925; period of disability 6 weeks and 2 days; total hospital and medical expenses «$91. The remainder of the instrument, omitting signature, reads as follows:

“Received of Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Company, the sum of sixty-one & 55/ 100 dollars («$61.55) making in all, with weekly payments already received by me, the total sum of seventy-three & 09/100 dollars ($73.09) in' settlement and satisfaction of all claims for compensation or damages, on account of injuries suffered by me by reason of accident on or about the 24th day of Nov. 19124, while in the employ of Rorabaugh-Brown D. G. Co.”

Them follows an instrument styled “Approval of Settlement,” signed by the three members of the State Industrial Commission and attested by the secretary. It is as follows:

“It is ordered: That the final payment of $61.55, making an aggregate sum of $73.69 heretofore paid as compensation in this cause, be and the same is hereby approved on this Feb. 9, 1925.”

After this settlement, and about the 4th day of November, 1929. there was commenced a case in the district court of Oklahoma county, Okla., by C. J. Mathews, an incompetent, by Freeda Mathews Hughes, guardian, as plaintiff, against Rorabaugh-Brown Dry Goods Company. In that ease the plaintiff for his cause of action against the defendant among other things alleged:

“That the plaintiff, Charles J. Mathews, is an incompetent, and that on the 14th day of October, 1929, at the county of Oklahoma, state of Oklahoma, the said Charles' ,T. Mathews being a resident of said county, was by the county court of said county and state, after due notice and hearing, adjudged to be an incompetent person, and that ou the 14th day of October, T929, Freeda Mathews Hughes,'was, by said- county court,appointed as the guardian of -the person and,, curator of the estate of said Charles j. Mathews. ”

The pláífiti-ff charged the defendant with negligence. Relative to the settlement approval in the Industrial Commission, the plaintiff alleged:

“That when the plaintiff was injured in November, 1924, as above alleged, this defendant knew that this plaintiff’s employment was not covered by the Compensation Act, but for the purpose of deceiving this plaintiff and of depriving him of his rights, this defendant did make a report to the Industrial Commission on December 12, 1924, and had this plaintiff sign a copy of said report and a claim for compensation on December 18, 1924. Then to further mislead this plaintiff this defendant did furnish medical care for this i>laintiff; that he paid this plaintiff his full salary during his absence and while he wa-- ill; that ihe plaintiff was put back to- work around the middle of January, 1925; even at that time plaintiff was unable to come to the store alone, but some of the defendant’s employees at the defendant’s instructions would come after the plaintiff and take him to Ihe store, that the plaintiff was unable to do his regular work, but was given lighter work and only stayed for a few hours in the store.”

This petition was verified by the guardian of the plaintiff as true and correct. (Record p. 83.) The defendant .filed a motion to require election and to make more definite and certain and to strike. This motion was overruled in part and sustained in part. The defendant then demurred to the petition of plaintiff and the demurrer was overruled by the court. The defendant then answered, in which - it denied the allegations of plaintiff’s petition except certain allegations admitted and others disposed of by special pleas. They plead assumption of risk, contributory negligence, and in the 6th paragraph of its answer allege that:

“This defendant further alleges and states that on and prior to November 23, 1924, in the transaction of its business, the defendant operated a number of elevators, one of which was a freight elevator, described in plaintiff’s petition and which plaintiff was employed to operate, and that it. maintained offices in the building used by it, for the transaction of its business, and had in. its employ more than two employees engaged in the operation of its elevators, and that it was engaged in a hazardous occupation as defined by the Workmen’s Compensation Law of the State ‘ of Oklahoma, and that on or about August 13, 1924, it complied with the Workmen’s Compensa- *285 lion Law of the State of Oklahoma, by procuring from Union' Indemnity Company, a company engaged in the business, and authorized to issue Workmen’s Compensation policies in the state of Oklahoma, insuring the payment to employees of the defendant sustaining accidental personal injuries, and benefits provided by said Workmen’s Compensation Law and that said policy was in full force and effect on both the 23rd and 24th days of November, 1024, and by reason thereof, _ this Honorable Court is without jurisdiction of the subject-matter of this action and plaintiff is not entitled to recover from this defendant.”

The plaintiff for reply denied each, every, and all of the material allegations of defense offered in defendant’s answer. Upon the issues joined, the case in the district court of Oklahoma county was called for trial, and the plaintiff produced his evidence and the defendant demurred to the same; and, on March 24, 1930, the demurrer' was by the district court of Oklahoma county considered and sustained, and the following judgment rendered upon the demurrer :

“It is.

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Bluebook (online)
1933 OK 30, 20 P.2d 141, 162 Okla. 283, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 583, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rorabaugh-brown-dry-goods-co-v-mathews-okla-1933.