Special Indemnity Fund v. Harold

398 P.2d 827
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 30, 1964
Docket40542
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 398 P.2d 827 (Special Indemnity Fund v. Harold) 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
Special Indemnity Fund v. Harold, 398 P.2d 827 (Okla. 1964).

Opinions

IRWIN, Justice.

On February 27, 1958, Tom Kennemer recovered an award against the Special Indemnity Fund, referred to as Fund, for $12,000.00. On January 4, 1959, Tom Ken-nemer died, due to a cause other than the injury for which he had been awarded compensation, and there was a balance of approximately $5,937.50, yet to be paid to Tom Kennemer on said award.

On February 15, 1962, Della Harold, a non-dependent sister of the decedent, filed a motion for revivor of the award under the terms of Title 85 O.S.1961, sec. 48, and Title 12 O.S.1961, sec. 1072. In said motion she alleged that she was the only surviving heir entitled to have the award revived solely for her benefit; and why she had not filed such motion within one year after the death of the decedent; and why the trial tribunal should permit the revivor action within a reasonable time after the expiration of one year as provided by sec. 1072, supra.

The trial judge found that the cause should be revived in the name of Della Harold and ordered the revivor and the balance of the award be paid to her. This order was affirmed by the Court en banc and the Fund challenges the correctness of the award in this proceeding. The Fund’s two specifications of error will be set forth, considered and determined under two propositions.

PROPOSITION I

The Fund contends that since more than one year elapsed between the death of decedent and the time Della Harold filed her motion for revivor, it was error to revive the award when the same was objected to by the Fund.

The record discloses that shortly after the death of decedent, the sole devisee under the terms of a purported holographic will of decedent contacted an attorney for the purpose of making arrangements for the probate of the holographic will. In March, 1961, Della Harold, who lived in Spokane, Washington, was advised by the attorney that he had the purported holographic will and intended to file it and probate the estate; that there was a balance due on the award and the normal procedure for claiming the award would be for the executrix to make the claim for and on behalf of Della Harold.

The record further discloses that in December, 1961, or January, 1962, it was decided that the will of decedent should not be filed and the estate probated because there was no real property and very little personal property belonging to the estate of decedent; that on January 17, 1962, the attorney wrote to Della Harold and advised her there would be no probate proceedings, and that until Della Harold was notified in January, she had no other notice that probate proceedings had not or would not be filed.

[829]*829Shortly thereafter Della Harold authorized the attorney to file proceedings to have the award of the decedent paid to her; that the Fund was contacted to see if it would consent to the revivor and on its refusal to consent, the motion for revivor was filed on February IS, 1962.

Title 12 O.S.1961, sec. 1072, provides, inter alia, that “An order to revive an action, * * * may be made forthwith, but shall not be made without the consent of the defendant, after the expiration of one year from the time the order might have been first made; * * * Provided, that where the death of a party is not known or for other unavoidable reasons the court may permit the revivor within a reasonable time thereafter.”

Both parties agree that if Della Harold is the proper party to revive and receive the award (this issue to be considered and determined in Proposition II) that the above statutory provision is controlling as to when she could revive the action after the death of decedent.

In St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. Co. v. Gochenour, 207 Okl. 334, 249 P.2d 728, the period of one year expired on April 28, 1949, and the application to revive was filed on June 16, 1949. The trial court granted the revivor and on appeal we affirmed the judgment of the trial court and held:

“A trial court may exercise discretion in deciding issue on ‘other unavoidable reasons’ and a ‘reasonable time,’ as those clauses are employed in 12 O.S. 1951 § 1072, on revivor of actions, and unless conclusion reached is clearly against weight of evidence, indicating abuse of discretion, it will not be disturbed on review.”

In the opinion we stated that “In the absence of an apparent indication that discretion has been abused, and the decision reached is against the clear weight of the evidence, this court will refrain from disturbing the judgment of a trial court”.

We have examined the record and can not conclude that the findings of the trial tribunal are against the clear weight of the evidence, indicating an abuse of discretion, in granting the revivor. We therefore affirm that portion of the order granting the revivor in the name of and for the benefit of Della Harold.

PROPOSITION II

The Fund contends that the State Industrial Court erred as a matter of law in reviving the award in the name of and for the benefit of Della Harold, a non-dependent sister of deceased. To sustain this proposition, the Fund contends that Title 85 O.S. 1961, sec. 48, requires that a sister (or parent or brother) must be a dependent of a decedent before she is entitled to have an award revived in her name and for her benefit.

The issue presented is one of first impression and places squarely for determination the following question: “Where an award has been made to a claimant and he dies, due to a cause other than the injury for which he was awarded compensation, if there be no surviving wife (or dependent husband) or child under the age of eighteen (18) years, or dependent blind or crippled child or children of any age, is a parent or brother or sister of the decedent entitled to the award, as provided by Title 85 O.S.1961, sec. 48, if such parent or brother or sister is not a dependent of the decedent?”

Section 48, supra, provides that * * * an award made to a claimant under the provisions of this chapter shall, in case of death of claimant, due to a cause other than the injury for which he has been awarded compensation, be payable to and for the benefit of the persons following:

“(a) If there be a surviving wife (or dependent husband) and no child of the deceased under the age of eighteen (18) years, to such wife (or dependent husband).
“(b) If there be a surviving child or children of the deceased under the age of eighteen (18) years, or dependent blind or crippled child or children of any age, but no surviving wife (or de[830]*830pendent husband) then for the support of each such child, share and share alike until the full payment of the award.
"(c) If there be a surviving wife (or dependent husband) a surviving child or children of the deceased under the age of eighteen (18) years, or a dependent blind or crippled child or children of any age, one-half shall be payable to the surviving wife (or dependent husband) and the other half to the surviving child or children.
“(d) If there be no surviving wife (or dependent husband) or child under the age of eighteen (18), or dependent blind or crippled child of any age, then to the parents share and share alike, and if no parents, then to the brothers and sisters, share and share alike. * * * ”

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398 P.2d 827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/special-indemnity-fund-v-harold-okla-1964.