State ex Reis v. Industrial Commission

47 N.E.2d 230, 37 Ohio Law. Abs. 355, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 753
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 5, 1942
DocketNo. 3427
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 47 N.E.2d 230 (State ex Reis v. Industrial Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex Reis v. Industrial Commission, 47 N.E.2d 230, 37 Ohio Law. Abs. 355, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 753 (Ohio Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

OPINION

By BARNES, J.

The above-entitled cause is now being determined as an error proceeding by reason of relator’s appeal on questions of law from the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio.

On October 24, 1939, plaintiff filed petition in mandamus against the respondent, praying that a writ of mandamus issue requiring the defendant Commission to grant to relator his application for rehearing of its order of January 26; 1937.

The petition in substance alleged that on the 14th day of September,’ 1929, while employed by the H. Belmer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, which company was at the time a subscriber to the State Insurance Fund under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, he sustained an injury to his eye by flashes from a welder with which he was working. That said injury caused a temporary total disability of plaintiff and he filed application for compensation by reason thereof with the defendant Commission. Said application was granted and he was paid compensation for temporary total disability from the time of the injury until October 20, 1929, at which time he returned to his employment.

Relator further alleges that during the year 1935, suffering some further difficulty with his eye, he filed and presented to the Commis-. sion an application for modification of award, upon which application the defendant Commission, on the 17th day of October, 1939, made the following order:

“Recommend that the application for modification of award be dismissed; that the Commission finds from the proof of record that claimant has failed to prove that he is suffering any disability as the result of an injury sustained in the regular course of and arising out of his employment with the employer named.”

Plaintiff further alleges that on the 19th day of December, 1936, he filed an application for additional compensation from the date of the last payment seeking further compensation upon the ground that the right eye had become involved as the result of the original injury to his left eye. Upon consideration of this application, which set up a new and changed condition subsequent to the last order of the Commission, the Commission made the following order on the 26th day of January, 1937:

“That the Commission find from proof of record in this case as follows: That the Commission on October 17, 1935, denied claimant the right to further participate [357]*357in the Workmen’s Compensation Fund upon jurisdictional ground; that no application for rehearing was filed herein by the claimant, with the Commission, as provided by §1465-90 GC.
Ordered that-application for additional compensation beyond date of last payment be dismissed.”

Relator says that such order of the defendant Commission under pídate of January 26, 1937, was an /order denying claimant the right ito further participate in the Workqmen’s Compensation Fund upon jurisdictional ground, and that thereafter, within thirty days, he filed with the defendant Commission an application for rehearing. Relator further says that the order of the defendant Commission on October 17, 1935, was an ambiguous order, which was not on its face a denial of the right of further participation upon jurisdictional grounds; and that relator received no notice from the defendant Commission that the order of October 17, 1935, was a jurisdictional denial until he received notice of the finding of the Commission under date of January 26, 1937.

Relator further says that it is the clear duty of the defendant Commission to grant his application for rehearing filed to the order of January 26, 1937; that the defendant Commission arbitrarily refused to perform its said clear duty; and that relator has no adequate remedy at law.

Then follows the prayer, as heretofore mentioned.

On December 21, 1939, respondent filed answer, setting up four separately stated and numbered defenses.

In the first defense the answer admits the major portion of the allegations of plaintiff’s petition, and then denies all allegations that are not specifically admitted. This denial would include the allegations of the petition as to the character of the Commission’s order under date of January 26, 1937,. that said order was ambiguous; that relator received no notice from the Commission of the order of October 17, 1935, as a jurisdictional denial, etc. Also .denies the allegations as to' the duty of the Commission to grant his application for rehearing filed to the order of January 26, 1937; or that the defendant Commission arbitrarily refused to perform its duty; and that relator has no adequate-remedy at law.

As a second defense, the respondent incorporated all the averments of its first defense, and further says that on September 25, 1929,. Edward Reis filed with The Industrial Commission his original application for compensation; that he stated therein that he was engaged as a wire worker; that the accident happened in the following manner: “Was welding and flashes from welder hurt eyes,” and that the full nature of this injury was “retinal hemorrhage and chroiditis.”

Respondent further says that in Part II of said application for payment of compensation, Dr. J; N. Thiel, stated that an accurate description of the nature and extent of the injury was “Hemorrhage of retina and choroiditis due-to welding.”

Defendant further says that on December 13, 1929, Dr. Thiel filed his fee bill, wherein he answered the following questions in the following manner:

“1. Describe the injury of occupational disease fully — Choroiditis of both eyes, with retinal hemorrhage.”

[358]*358Respondent further says that on September 29, 1934, Edward Reis filed his application for modification of award, wherein he stated that he made said application for the following reasons:

“Further complications arising from original injury.”

He further stated that he had not returned to 'work because of the trouble resulting from the same injury.

“I have not returned to work because the condition of my eyes does not permit.”

The answer further alleges that claimant was referred to Dr. Derrick T. Vail, of Cincinnati, for a special examination. That on November 5, 1934, Dr. Vail filed his report with The Industrial Commission, which is set out in the answer rather fully. Among other things, the report first gives a short history and then says:

“Since then the left vision has gotten worse. The right has remained about the same. Examination shows the evidence of proliferating retinitis both eyes, as a result of choroiditis, which has resulted in a detachment of the retina in the left eye.”

The report after further statement as to finding, contains the following:

“Whatever the etiology, your consultant is of the definite opinion that this is non-traumatic in origin. The effects of ulta-violet or infra-red or a combination of the two could not have produced a lesion such as he shows.”

The respondent further avers that the medical proof filed with the Commission was reviewed by Dr. J. W. Parker, of the respondent’s Medical Department, who stated his conclusion:

“We are unable to see how a flash from a welder would cause a hemorrhage in the eye.

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Related

State ex rel. Shaffer v. Industrial Commission
56 N.E.2d 698 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1943)

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Bluebook (online)
47 N.E.2d 230, 37 Ohio Law. Abs. 355, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 753, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-reis-v-industrial-commission-ohioctapp-1942.