State Ex Rel. Ridgley v. Sims

94 S.E.2d 857, 142 W. Va. 201, 1956 W. Va. LEXIS 53
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 13, 1956
Docket10844
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 94 S.E.2d 857 (State Ex Rel. Ridgley v. Sims) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Ridgley v. Sims, 94 S.E.2d 857, 142 W. Va. 201, 1956 W. Va. LEXIS 53 (W. Va. 1956).

Opinions

Riley, Judge:

In this original proceeding in mandamus of State of West Virginia ex rel. Carl V. Ridgley against Edgar B. Sims, Auditor of the State of West Virginia, the relator seeks a writ of mandamus from this Court to compel the respondent auditor to issue a warrant in due form upon the State treasury for the payment of a legislative appropriation in favor of the relator.

The claim involved in this proceeding is against the West Virginia National Guard, and is for damage and personal injuries allegedly sustained by the relator as the result of a collision between his automobile and a vehicle operated by Corporal Carl L. Morton, Battery C, 468th Field Artillery Battalion, West Virginia National Guard. At the time of the collision the claimant Ridgley was seated in the driver’s seat of his automobile, parked on Washington Avenue (sometimes called Fourth Avenue, and officially designated as such), a short distance west of Third Street West, in the city of Huntington, Ca-bell County, West Virginia. The claim is based on the allegedly negligent operation of the motor vehicle by Corporal Morton. The relator (hereinafter called the “claimant”) is the holder and payee of a certain requisition transmitted on March 8, 1956, on Sheet No. 844, drawn on the funds of the State of West Virginia for the [203]*203issuance of a warrant on the State treasury in the amount of ten thousand and ninety-nine dollars, which requisition was regularly and officially delivered to the respondent auditor on March 8, 1956; and on the date of the delivery of such requisition to the respondent auditor, the auditor failed and refused, and still fails and refuses, to honor the requisition and to issue his warrant in payment thereof. The aforesaid amount of ten thousand and ninety-nine dollars is the amount which the claimant claims he is entitled to receive to compensate him for the loss of his right eye and alleged property damages.

The petition alleges that the Governor, as the Commander-in-Chief of the militia in its militia status, and the Adjutant General, a member of the Governor’s staff in charge of the militia by virtue of Chapter 15, Article 5, of the Code of 1931, as amended and reenacted by Chapter 150, Acts of the Legislature, Regular Session, 1953, were in control of the mobile unit organized under Article 5, Chapter 162, Acts of the Legislature, Regular Session, 1951, as last amended and reenacted, which National Guard vehicle, being driven by Corporal Morton, was a unit or part thereof.

This claim was originally tried and decided in claimant’s favor by the Court of Claims before that court was abolished by statute and the duties thereof vested in the Attorney General’s office. The Court of Claims found in favor of the claimant in the full amount of his claim, and found that the claim was based upon a moral obligation of the State to pay the claim.

In the Court of Claims the parties by J. J. N. Quinlan, Esq., the claimant’s attorney, and Arden J. Curry, Assistant Attorney General, entered into the following stipulation :

“In the matter of Carl V. ‘Duke’ Ridgley, Claimant vs. The Adjutant General’s Department of the State of West Virginia, Respondent.
“The claim arises out of an automobile accident occurring on June 30, 1952, at approxim[204]*204ately 3:30 P.M. Claimant Ridgley was parked on Washington Avenue, sometimes called Fourth Avenue and officially designated as such, just West of Third Street West, in Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. Fourth Avenue is a black top avenue extending in a easterly-westerly direction, and intersects Third Street West. Third Street West extends in a northerly and southerly direction. Fourth Avenue is approximately fifty-six feet wide, and Third Street West is approximately twenty-eight feet wide. The intersection of these two streets is controlled by a stop and go, electric trafile light. Ridgley, headed east, was the third car west of Third Street West, and waiting a change in the traffic light. The National Guard was moving a number of trucks north on Third Street West into the intersection of Fourth Avenue, and turned west onto Fourth Avenue and were proceeding in a westerly direction. The truck driven by Private James Morton of the National Guard approached the intersection of Third Street West, and Fourth Avenue, and made the left turn, but continued in a westerly direction and swerved southwest. At the point of collision between the truck of the National Guard and the passenger car, being occupied as a driver by Ridgley, there are three definite lanes on each side of the central traffic lines. Ridgley, headed in an easterly direction, was approximately three feet south of the center line and the forepart of his car some six or eight feet behind the second car, also headed east. Ridgley’s car was struck by the National Guard truck at approximately its left front corner near the head light. The truck continued on, virtually tearing off the side of Ridgley’s car, and continued on and crashed into the car behind Ridgley head on. Ridgley was struck personally on his left hip, and left shoulder. He was thrown violently against the steering column of his car and his right eye was badly injured. Ridgley was treated by Dr. H. D. Hatfield in the Huntington Memorial Hospital. X-rays were made of him and he remained in the hospital until the next day. Dr. A. C. Esposito then examined and treated Ridgley for injury to his right eye.
[205]*205“It is further stipulated and agreed that, in addition to the foregoing, the testimony of Dr. Hatfield, if he were present, would be as follows regarding his diagnosis:
“Concussion of the brain, bruises over body, injury to right eye, X-ray negative for evidence of traumatic injury. Injured neck, left shoulder and hip and right eye.”

The award of the Court of Claims in the amount of ten thousand and ninety-nine dollars was certified to the Legislature at its regular session, 1956, which adopted as its own the findings of fact of the Court of Claims, and declared the claimant’s claim of ten thousand and ninety-nine dollars to be a moral obligation of the State of West Virginia, and directed the auditor to issue a warrant for its payment from available funds appropriated for that purpose. Notwithstanding this, the auditor refused to pay the claim from the appropriation made by the Legislature for that purpose; and on July 31, 1956, the relator instituted this original proceeding in mandamus in this Court. The respondent auditor filed an answer on September 4, 1956, and the issue presented by relator’s petition and respondent auditor’s answer was submitted to this Court upon the briefs filed by the respective parties, and upon oral arguments of counsel.

This case is controlled by the recent case of Weekley v. Sims, Auditor, 139 W. Va. 263, 79 S. E. 2d 847, as to all matters involved herein, except the question whether the claimant received the allegedly permanent injuries on the basis of which he has asserted his claim in the Court of Claims and is now asserting it in this Court. We say this because Weekley’s automobile was being driven by him on the same side of the street on which claimant here was parked at the time of the collision, and was involved in the same collision which allegedly injured claimant. This Court held in the second syllabus in the case of Weekley v. Edgar B. Sims, Auditor, supra,

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Related

State Ex Rel. Shabdue v. Sims
98 S.E.2d 433 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1957)
State Ex Rel. Summers v. Sims
97 S.E.2d 295 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1957)
State Ex Rel. Ridgley v. Sims
94 S.E.2d 857 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1956)

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Bluebook (online)
94 S.E.2d 857, 142 W. Va. 201, 1956 W. Va. LEXIS 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-ridgley-v-sims-wva-1956.