Sciola's Case

128 N.E. 666, 236 Mass. 407, 1920 Mass. LEXIS 861
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedOctober 28, 1920
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 128 N.E. 666 (Sciola's Case) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sciola's Case, 128 N.E. 666, 236 Mass. 407, 1920 Mass. LEXIS 861 (Mass. 1920).

Opinion

Jenney, J.

Frederick Sciola, while in the employ of the W. E. Tillotson Manufacturing Company, on May 24, 1918, received an injury in the course of his employment. It is agreed that he was entitled to compensation under the provisions of the workmen’s compensation act. On October 31, 1918, a member of the Industrial Accident Board after due hearing so found. There was no finding that the injury was caused by the serious and wilful misconduct of the employer. A claim of review having been filed, the Industrial Accident Board on November 23, 1918, affirmed and adopted the decision of the single member. The only issuable question, as clearly appears from that decision, was whether the injury had been caused by the serious and wilful misconduct of the employer. On November 30, 1918, the employee filed in the Superior Court uncertified copies of the decision of the board and all papers in connection therewith, and on September 3, 1919, a decree was entered in that court reciting that the injury was due to the serious and wilful misconduct of the employer and ordering the payment of double damages. It did not appear whether the filing of uncertified copies was intentional or was due to inadvertence or mistake. On September 16, 1919, the employer and the insurer appealed from said decree, and on September 19, 1919, [411]*411they moved that it be vacated for the following reasons: (1) that the evidence presented did not warrant a decree that the injury received was due to serious and wilful misconduct for which the employer was responsible; (2) that neither the insurer nor the employer had sufficient notice of the hearing on the motion for the issuance of said decree and no opportunity to be present at the hearing thereon; and (3) that no certified copy of the decision of the Industrial Accident Board was filed in the Superior Court as required by law.

On October 2, 1919, a decree was entered vacating the decree of September 3 for the reason stated, that “no certified copy of the decision of the single member of the Industrial Accident Board or no certified copy of the decision of the Industrial Accident Board was presented to the court as required by law.” No appeal was taken from this decree, and all parties have since proceeded on the basis that the decree ordering the payment of compensation was no longer in force.

On October 1,1919, duly certified copies of the proceedings before the Industrial Accident Board and of its decision were entered in the Superior Court, but were not so entered under any order of the court permitting them to be filed nunc pro tune or in amendment of the papers previously presented, assuming that such order could properly have been made. See Perkins v. Perkins, 225 Mass. 392.

The workmen’s compensation act (St. 1911, c. 751, Part III, § 11, as amended by St. 1912, c. 571, § 14, and by St. 1917, c. 297, § 7) provides that “Any party in interest may present certified copies of an order or decision” of the Industrial Accident Board and “all papers in connection therewith, to the Superior Court,” whereupon “said court shall render a decree in accordance therewith.” No appeal is permitted upon questions of fact or from a decree “based upon an order or decision of the board which has not been presented to the court within ten days after the notice of the filing thereof by the board.” The filing in court of the required papers as a part of its records is a compliance with the statute. McPhee’s Case, 222 Mass. 1. It is clear that the filing of the certified copy of the decision within ten days is not a condition to the acquirement of jurisdiction, but that the limitation of time relates only to cases where the parties may desire to appeal [412]*412generally from the decree of the Superior Court. In many instances the required papers are never filed in the Superior Court and consequently no decree is entered in that tribunal, because the decision of the Industrial Accident Board is generally complied with without any decree of an appellate tribunal. However, such a necessity may arise even after a considerable time has elapsed; and there is no limitation as to the time of presentation, but merely the express provision that there shall be no appeal if the required papers are not presented within ten days. In such case it is the duty of the Superior Court to enforce the award of the board, unless there is legal reason to the contrary. Young v. Duncan, 218 Mass. 346. Hunnewell’s Case, 220 Mass. 351, 353. Brown’s Case, 228 Mass. 31. Dempsey’s Case, 230 Mass. 583, 587. Although no appeal lies, “In cases of errors of law apparent on the face of the record, they may be corrected by certiorari, or perhaps by some other appropriate remedy.” Young v. Duncan, supra, at page 354. Swan v. Justices of the Superior Court, 222 Mass. 542.

The statutory requirement as to the presentation of certified copies is a condition precedent to the jurisdiction of the Superior Court.

As was said in Commonwealth v. Dunham, 22 Pick. 11,17, the right of appeal is conditional and depends “upon a compliance with conditions requisite to a due administration of the law, and necessary to prevent disorder and an evasion of justice.” Where such conditions have not been complied with, the “claim of an appeal . . . [is] inoperative and void.” The clear words of the statute require the submission of copies which bear the requisite evidence of authenticity. Tibbetts v. Handy, 145 Mass. 537. McPhee’s Case, supra. Humphrey’s Case, 226 Mass. 143. It has been held that full compliance with the conditions of the statute is an essential prerequisite “to the jurisdiction” of the Industrial Accident Board and that- “its authority and the statutory limitation upon the exercise of it cannot be enlarged, diminished or destroyed by express consent or waived by acts of estoppel.” Levangie’s Case, 228 Mass. 213, 217. Like limitations prevail upon the jurisdiction of the Superior Court on appeal. Sterling’s Case, 233 Mass. 485. See also Martin’s Case, 231 Mass. 402; Littlejohn v. Littlejohn, ante, 326.

[413]*413It follows that the Superior Court was without jurisdiction to enter the decree of September 3, and that said decree was of no effect. Because of its invalidity, no appeal could be taken therefrom. While it was decided in Sterling’s Case, supra, that petitions and motions to vacate a void decree were denied rightly for procedural reasons, the court is not bound to give any effect to a decree entered wholly without jurisdiction. Fourth National Bank of Boston v. Mead, 214 Mass. 549. Eaton v. Eaton, 233 Mass. 351, 364.

On April 15, 1920, an interlocutory decree was entered remanding the case to the Industrial Accident Board for further hearing, in order that the general safety rules and regulations and machinery standards established by the State board of labor and industries, hereinafter referred to as the rules, might be received in evidence and considered upon the issue of whether the injury sustained by the employee was due to serious and wilful misconduct on the part of the subscriber.

The employer’s appeal from this decree is now presented for decision. The questions to be decided are: (1) whether the trial judge had the right to make this order; and (2) whether the appeal is properly before this court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
128 N.E. 666, 236 Mass. 407, 1920 Mass. LEXIS 861, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sciolas-case-mass-1920.