Special Indemnity Fund v. Willoughby

1965 OK 120, 408 P.2d 536
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 20, 1965
DocketNo. 40548
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1965 OK 120 (Special Indemnity Fund v. Willoughby) 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. Willoughby, 1965 OK 120, 408 P.2d 536 (Okla. 1965).

Opinion

IRWIN, Justice:

On June 25, 1959, the State Industrial Court granted an award to E. L. Morrison against the Special Indemnity Fund for $11,550.00. On November 10, 1960, E. L. Morrison died of causes other than the injury for which compensation had been awarded, and on that date $6,536.25 of the award remained unpaid.

On December 29, 1960, the administrator of the estate of E. L. Morrison, deceased, filed a “Motion For Revivor” and moved the State Industrial Court to enter an order [538]*538reviving said award in the sum of $6,536.25, “for the use and benefit of the heirs at law” of the deceased employee.

The record reveals that Jimmy Morrison and Betty Jean Turner are the only heirs at law of deceased. They are the son and daughter of the deceased; both are adults, able-bodied, self supporting and were not dependent upon decedent at the time of his death.

In the order forming the basis for this original proceeding, entered February 25, 1963, the trial judge found that since the deceased left no dependent heirs at law the action should be revived in the name of the administrator. The award was revived in the name of the administrator and the same was affirmed on appeal to the State Industrial Court en banc.

Special Indemnity Fund, referred to as Fund, brought this original proceeding for review of the order reviving the award in favor of the administrator.

CONTENTIONS

Fund contends that the State Industrial Court erred as a matter of law in reviving the award in the name of the administrator, because an administrator is not a named beneficiary under the terms of Title 85 O.S. 1961, § 48; and since the heirs at law of decedent do not meet the requirements specified in Sec. 48, supra, the award could not be revived and the same abated upon decedent’s death.

The administrator contends that this is one of the type of cases that does not abate upon the death of a deceased employee, who dies from causes other than the injury for which he was awarded compensation, but may be revived in the name of the heirs as provided by law and the revived award becomes an asset of decedent’s estate. To sustain this contention, the administrator states that Title 85 O.S. 1961, § 41, is controlling and cites Schmidt v. Moncrief, 194 Okl. 377, 151 P.2d 920; Special Indemnity Fund v. Duff, 200 Okl. 57, 191 P.2d 584; and Special Indemnity Fund v. Williams, Okl., 283 P.2d 196, as authorities to support his position.

CONCLUSIONS

The rule of law announced in Special Indemnity Fund v. Harold, Okl., 398 P.2d 827, would not authorize the revivor of the award in the instant action for the benefit of decedent’s surviving children, Jimmy Morrison and Betty Jean Turner. Therefore, if the order of revivor in favor of the administrator is sustained and the benefits thereof inure to them, such benefits would be by virtue of inheritance and not under the terms of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

In Swatek Const. Co. v. Williams, 177 Okl. 305, 58 P.2d 585, we held:

“Prior to the enactment of chapter 29, Session Laws 1933, an award under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, whether for specific injury or other cause was personal to the beneficiary and abated at his death.”

In so far as pertinent to the issue herein presented, Sec. 2 of the above enactment has not been materially amended and is now Title 85 O.S.1961, § 41. Said section, inter alia, provides that when an award has become final “ * * * payment thereof may be enforced by the claimant, or in case of his death, by the surviving beneficiary entitled to the proceeds as provided in Section 1, Chapter 29, Session Laws of 1933”, and “ * * * in case of death of claimant at any time before satisfaction or payment of the total award made, the same shall not abate, but shall be revived in favor of the person or persons determined by the Commission to be entitled thereto.”

Section 1 of the 1933 enactment above referred to contained this language:

“ * * * provided, however, that an award made to a claimant under the provisions of this chapter shall, in case of death of claimant 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 [539]*539■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 dependent 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.”

The above section became Sec. 48 of Title 85. Although subsections (a), (b), (c) and (d) have not been amended since the original enactment in 1933, the Legislature did amend said section in 1951 by adding this phrase: “due to a cause other than the injury for which he has been awarded compensation”. (See Chapter 2, page 269, Session Laws of 1951).

In Kerr’s Inc. v. Smith, Okl., 359 P.2d 330, we considered Sec. 41 and Sec. 48, as amended, in connection with the Death Benefits Act passed by the 1951 Legislature. In that case we said:

“Section 41 was enacted prior to the constitutional amendment adopted at a special election July 4, 1950, amending Art. 23, Sec. 7, of the Constitution, and passage of the Death Benefits Act by the 1951 Legislature. In the 1951 enactment of the Death Benefits Act, the legislature amended Section 48, which relates to whom compensation shall be paid in case of death of claimant. In amending Section 48, in 1951, this phrase was added, 'due to a cause other than the injury for which he has been awarded compensation.’ The section now reads,
‘ * * * Compensation and benefits shall be paid only to employees; provided, however, 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:
“Since under Section 41, in case of death of a claimant, irrespective of the cause, before satisfaction or payment of the total award made, the same does not abate and may be revived; and, under Section 48, if claimant dies due to a cause other than the injury for which he has received an award, such award is payable to and for the benefit of persons prescribed by statute; we can only conclude that Section 48, which was enacted after Section 41, amended by implication Section 41. ⅜ * ⅜»

We further said that:

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1965 OK 120, 408 P.2d 536, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/special-indemnity-fund-v-willoughby-okla-1965.