State ex rel. Shaffer v. Industrial Commission

56 N.E.2d 698, 40 Ohio Law. Abs. 146, 1943 Ohio App. LEXIS 839
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 3, 1943
DocketNo. 3630
StatusPublished

This text of 56 N.E.2d 698 (State ex rel. Shaffer 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 rel. Shaffer v. Industrial Commission, 56 N.E.2d 698, 40 Ohio Law. Abs. 146, 1943 Ohio App. LEXIS 839 (Ohio Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

OPINION

By BARNES, P. J.

The above-entitled cause is now being determined on the pleadings, evidence, oral argument and briefs of counsel. The action is one of mandamus, praying that a writ issue to compel the Industrial Commission to grant to relator a rehearing upon his application filed with the commission on August 13, 1942, and pursuant to the continuing jurisdiction of the commission on a claim for additional compensation under authority of §1465-86 GC.

The petition, after the usual formal allegations, among other things alleges that on the 3rd day of June, 1930, the [148]*148Robinson & Sons Sewer Pipe Company was a corporation duly organized and existing and licensed to do business in the State of Ohio, and that said corporation was amenable to and fully insured in the Workmen’s Compensation Fund of Ohio. It is further alleged that on said 3rd day of June, 1930, in the usual course of his employment, the relator, George L. Shaffer, sustained a crushing injury to his abdomen and a rupture of the abdominal muscles and the development of a hernia; that as a direct and proximate result of the hernia he developed phlebitis in his leg and has been left in a permanently crippled condition, and as a result of phlebitis, surgery was required to correct said condition.

The relator further alleges that he duly filed with the commission his claim for compensation; that the claim was allowed and compensation paid from the date of injury to November 29, 1931, in the amount of $1235.82, and medical bills were paid in the amount of $319.75.

• It is further alleged that as a result of the phlebitis, which resulted directly and próximately from the injury of June 3, 1930, claimant had to have his leg amputated; that on November 26, 1941, and within ten years from the last date of payment of compensation he filed with the commission, application for modification of award, asking them to pay for the permanent partial loss resulting from the amputation of his leg as provided by §1465-80 GC; that the Industrial Commission considered said application and disallowed same for the reason that the loss of his leg was not due to his injury of June 3, 1930, with the following order:

“It appearing that claimant filed an application for additional compensation on November 26, 1941, and an amended application for additional compensation on June 25, 1942, and it further appearing that claimant is claiming compensation as the result of a phlebitis condition and alleging such to be the result of his injury of June 3, 1930, it is the finding of the commission that the relationship of the phlebitis and the injury was the very issue involved in the rehearing proceedings in this claim and that all of the issues involved in the rehearing were adjudicated by the commission’s order of Feb. 7, 1942; it is therefore, ordered that the application for additional compensation filed Nov. 26, 1941, and the amended application for additional compensation filed June 25, 1942, be dismissed.”

[149]*149The relator further alleges that this was a final order denying him the right to continue to participate in the State Insurance Fund on a ground going to the basis of his right; within thirty days he filed his application for rehearing but the Industrial Commission refused to grant him a rehearing and refused to order the claims set down for the taking of testimony as provided in §1465-90 GC, although repeatedly requested so to do.

The prayer of the petition seeks a mandatory writ, ordering the commission to grant a rehearing, etc.

Defendant’s answer sets out five separately numbered and stated defenses. In the oral argument Nos. 4 and 5 were withdrawn. The first defense contains admissions of the allegations of the petition with a denial of all allegations not specifically admitted to be true. Counsel for relator calls attention to the fact that the answer does not admit and therefore denies that the allegations in relator’s petition, as to the fact of application for rehearing and the commission’s action thereon. Counsel for the commission in oral argument admitted these allegations.

In addition the evidence amply supports the second defense of the answer, which avers that on June 7, 1932, the respondent found upon proof of record that it had assumed jurisdiction, of the claim, inquired into, heard and determined the extent of disability of claimant-relator and fixed the amount of compensation to be paid and paid same; thereafter, on June 27, 1932, relator filed an application for rehearing, which came on for hearing on March 13, 1933, having been set down for the taking of testimony as provided in §1465-90 GC.

The answer further avers that in compliance with the above order testimony was taken before a duly appointed referee, continuances were had, and on May 20, 1933, a copy of the transcript of testimony as taken was sent to counsel for claimantTelator. That on February 18,1936, respondent notified counsel for claimant that the taking of testimony on his application for rehearing had been continued at his request of May 3, 1933, and requested him to advise what his intentions were regarding same; that on March 4,1936, a motion to dismiss the application for rehearing for want of prosecution was filed by counsel for respondent and set down for hearing on March 16, 1936; notice of such hearing was given to claimant and his counsel; that on March 16,1936, motion was heard and granted on the following order:

[150]*150“Motion of counsel for the State Insurance Fund to dismiss the application for rehearing filed herein for want of prosecution be sustained.”

Respondent further says that claimant and his counsel were notified of the action of this respondent and that no further proceedings were filed by claimant until November 26, 1941.

Respondent says that by reason of the foregoing, the relator is guilty of laches.

Respondent’s third defense is in substance a demurrer alleging that the relator did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The pleadings are clarified through the evidence, oral argument and briefs of counsel. The particular matter concerning which respondent makes reference in the second defense of its answer was by reason of an application for modification of award on ground of claimed new condition and development of phlebitis.

The briefs and record may present some further confusion due to the fact that two days following the filing of the application for modification of award on November 26, 1941, counsel for relator filed with the commission application to set aside its former order dismissing the earlier application for failure of prosecution. The commission on hearing refused to grant the motion and nothing further was done relative thereto.

The predicate for the present action in mandamus is relator’s application dated November 26, 1941. .This is only three days previous to the expiration of the ten year limitation. Under the statute it is provided in substance that no claim for additional compensation or modification of award may be allowed unless brought within ten years following the last payment.

While the application of November 26, 1941, was very general in its terms, as will be noted from the following:

“Now comes the claimant G. L. Shaffer and asks the Commission to grant him permanent total compensation from November 29, 1931, to date, as he has been totally disabled during this period,”

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Related

State, Ex Rel. v. Indus. Comm.
190 N.E. 217 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1934)
State ex Randall v. Industrial Commission
47 N.E.2d 245 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1942)
State ex Reis v. Industrial Commission
47 N.E.2d 230 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 N.E.2d 698, 40 Ohio Law. Abs. 146, 1943 Ohio App. LEXIS 839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-shaffer-v-industrial-commission-ohioctapp-1943.