State Ex Rel. Elking v. Dunbar Armored, Inc., 06ap-1104 (9-27-2007)

2007 Ohio 5090
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 27, 2007
DocketNo. 06AP-1104.
StatusPublished

This text of 2007 Ohio 5090 (State Ex Rel. Elking v. Dunbar Armored, Inc., 06ap-1104 (9-27-2007)) 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 Rel. Elking v. Dunbar Armored, Inc., 06ap-1104 (9-27-2007), 2007 Ohio 5090 (Ohio Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

DECISION
{¶ 1} Relator, Manuela Elking, filed this original action requesting a writ of mandamus ordering respondent, Industrial Commission of Ohio ("commission"), to vacate its order granting, in part, the February 10, 2005 motion of the Ohio Bureau of *Page 2 Workers' Compensation ("bureau") and declaring an overpayment of temporary total disability ("TTD") compensation for the closed period December 31, 2002 through August 13, 2003, and to enter an order denying the bureau's motion.

{¶ 2} This court referred this matter to a magistrate pursuant to Civ.R. 53(C) and Loc.R. 12(M) of the Tenth District Court of Appeals. The magistrate issued a decision, including findings of fact and conclusions of law, recommending that this court grant the requested writ. (Attached as Appendix A.) No party filed objections to the magistrate's findings of fact, and we adopt them as our own. However, as to the magistrate's conclusions of law, the commission argues the following:

The magistrate erred in holding that the receipt of wages did not disqualify TTD for the same period.

{¶ 3} We reject the commission's argument for the reasons given by the magistrate. In short, the standard for declaring an overpayment of TTD compensation is not, as the commission argues, whether a claimant simply received wages while also receiving TTD compensation. Rather, the standard is whether a claimant received remuneration in exchange for work activity. Here, as the full commission conceded, the record contains no evidence that relator performed any work during the TTD period. Therefore, there was no overpayment.

{¶ 4} Finding no error of law or other defect on the face of the magistrate's decision, we overrule the commission's objection and adopt the magistrate's decision as our own, including the findings of fact and conclusions of law contained in it. In accordance with the magistrate's decision, we grant a writ of mandamus ordering the *Page 3 commission to vacate its September 14, 2005 order finding an overpayment of TTD compensation, and to enter an order denying the bureau's February 10, 2005 motion.

Objection overruled, writ of mandamus granted.

McGRATH and WHITESIDE, JJ., concur.

WHITESIDE, J., retired of the Tenth Appellate District, assigned to active duty under authority of Section 6(C), Article IV, Ohio Constitution. *Page 4

APPENDIX A
MAGISTRATE'S DECISION
Rendered on June 27, 2007
IN MANDAMUS
{¶ 5} In this original action, relator, Manuela Elking, requests a writ of mandamus ordering respondent Industrial Commission of Ohio ("commission") to vacate its order granting in part the February 10, 2005 motion of the Ohio Bureau of *Page 5 Workers' Compensation ("bureau") and declaring an overpayment of temporary total disability ("TTD") compensation for the closed period December 31, 2002 through August 13, 2003, and to enter an order denying the bureau's motion.

Findings of Fact:

{¶ 6} 1. On December 12, 2002, relator sustained an industrial injury which is allowed for "contusion of right shoulder; sprain thoracic; lumbar sprain; aggravation of pre-existing spondylolisthesis at L5-S1; herniated disc at L5-S1," and is assigned claim number 02-874402.

{¶ 7} 2. Following the industrial injury, relator began receiving TTD compensation from the bureau in this state-fund claim.

{¶ 8} 3. On February 10, 2005, the bureau moved for a declaration that TTD compensation had been overpaid from December 31, 2002 through August 13, 2003, and for a finding that the TTD compensation had been obtained fraudulently.

{¶ 9} 4. In support of its motion, the bureau submitted payroll records from Paul Wade Enterprises showing that relator was paid for cleaning, painting and grass mowing activities during the time period at issue.

{¶ 10} 5. In further support of its motion, the bureau submitted canceled checks payable to relator from Paul Wade Enterprises that correspond to the time period at issue.

{¶ 11} 6. The bureau also submitted a questionnaire that had been completed by Paul Wade ("Wade"). On the questionnaire, Wade indicated that relator had been employed part-time by Paul Wade Enterprises starting October 1, 2002 and ending *Page 6 July 4, 2003. One of the questions asked for a job description. In response, Wade wrote:

Elking did whatever work she wanted to do. Her man friend, our manager, did the rest. Elking usually painted vacant apartments, cleaned them [and] the hallways (4, 2 story) [and] cut the lawn using a walk behind self propelled mower.

{¶ 12} 7. The bureau's motion was scheduled for hearing before a district hearing officer ("DHO") on April 8, 2005.

{¶ 13} 8. On April 7, 2005, Wade executed an affidavit, stating:

2. I am the owner of Paul Wade Enterprises[.] * * *

3. Manuela Elking was a tenant at Paul Wade Enterprises dba Cherrywood Apartments while I was the owner.

4. I paid Manuela Elking for the work done on the premises at Cherrywood Apartments from October 2002 to June 2003. She did perform actual work for me prior to her industrial injury.

5. I never saw Manuela Elking do any of this work after her injury on December 12, 2002.

6. When I did see Manuela Elking, she looked injured and complained of pain in her back.

7. The person in the best position to know who performed the actual work is Barry Roberts. He was the manager of Paul Wade Enterprises dba Cherrywood Apartments and maintained the apartments.

8. I trusted Barry Roberts to do all the work and when he needed help he brought on additional hands. Barry Roberts is the one who oversaw the work performed. Barry Roberts was on call and took care of everything for me while at Cherrywood Apartments.

*Page 7

9. Per Barry Roberts['] instructions, I continued to make the checks for the work performed payable to Manuela Elking for distribution as required.

{¶ 14} 9. On April 8, 2005, relator executed an affidavit, stating:

2. While I was a tenant at Cherrywood Apartments I did part-time sporadic work such as cleaning, mowing grass, painting, and other tasks.

3. I worked up until my industrial injury.

Once I was injured, I did not work at the apartments and my two children, Veronica and David, did the work.

{¶ 15} 10. On April 8, 2005, Barry Roberts executed an affidavit, stating:

2. I performed maintenance and was the manager of Cherrywood Apartments while Paul Wade was the owner.

3. Manuela Elking was hired on a part-time basis to clean apartments and hallways, mow grass, and paint apartments.

4. Manuela did not work for me after December 12, 2002, the date of her industrial injury.

5. Manuela's two children, Veronica and David, took over the work after her injury.

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Related

State ex rel. Ramirez v. Industrial Commission
433 N.E.2d 586 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1982)
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631 N.E.2d 627 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1994)
State ex rel. Blabac v. Industrial Commission
717 N.E.2d 336 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1999)
State ex rel. Parma Community General Hospital v. Jankowski
767 N.E.2d 1143 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2002)
State ex rel. Ford Motor Co. v. Industrial Commission
780 N.E.2d 1016 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2002)
State ex rel. Blabac v. Indus. Comm.
1999 Ohio 249 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1999)
State ex rel. Ford Motor Co. v. Indus. Comm.
2002 Ohio 7038 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2002)
State ex rel. Parma Community Gen. Hosp. v. Jankowski
2002 Ohio 2336 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
2007 Ohio 5090, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-elking-v-dunbar-armored-inc-06ap-1104-9-27-2007-ohioctapp-2007.