State Ex Rel. Wright v. Smith

91 P.2d 389, 60 Idaho 316, 1939 Ida. LEXIS 43
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMay 25, 1939
DocketNo. 6656.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 91 P.2d 389 (State Ex Rel. Wright v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho 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. Wright v. Smith, 91 P.2d 389, 60 Idaho 316, 1939 Ida. LEXIS 43 (Idaho 1939).

Opinion

*319 MORGAN, J. —

The State of Idaho, on relation of Harry C. Parsons, state auditor, filed a claim with the industrial accident board against Edwin M. Smith, employer, and state insurance fund, surety, pursuant to I. C. A., sec. 43-1101, as amended by Chapter 147, Session Laws, 1935, page 364. Since this proceeding was commenced the term of office of auditor Parsons expired, and Calvin E. Wright, his successor, has been substituted for him as relator. For brevity, the state insurance fund will hereinafter be called the fund and the industrial accident board will be called the board.

Bobby Lew Horsley, sixteen years old, while working for Edwin M. Smith at his sawmill, was killed by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment. No claim for compensation was filed with the industrial accident board by or on behalf of anyone claiming to be dependent on him. Smith filed a claim against the fund for $473, being money paid by him to the father of deceased “for funeral expenses and compensation.” The board awarded $200 to Smith for funeral expenses and $1,000 to the state to be paid into the industrial administration fund. Smith and the fund appealed.

The appeal of the fund is based on cancelation of the policy of insurance, before the accident occurred, for failure of the insured to make a payroll report. The state and Smith contend the fund was without authority to cancel the policy, and base the contention on the fact that the statute makes no provision for such cancelation.

Paragraph 5 of the policy provides:

“5. That at the request of the Fund, the Insured shall furnish immediately a statement of all earnings of every kind of all his employees during any period in which this policy is in effect, and shall immediately pay to the Fund the premium computed upon such earnings or remuneration.....”

It is provided in paragraph 10 of the policy:

“10. That this Policy may be cancelled for cause by the Fund at any time by filing notice with the Industrial Accident Board of the State of Idaho and upon the Insured, either personally or by registered mail, at least ten days prior to the effective date of such cancelation

*320 The board found that a policy of insurance was issued by the fund to Smith October 21, 1936, and that a premium thereon, in the sum of $50, and a $3 policy charge were paid; that January 28, 1937, the fund wrote to Smith requesting him to send his payroll report covering the period from October 20 to November 15, 1936; that February 10, 1937, not having received a payroll report, the fund wrote to Smitli that it was mailing him, under separate cover, a cancelation notice of his insurance policy; that the next day the following notice was sent to him by registered mail:

"You are hereby notified of the cancellation of your Workmen’s Compensation Insurance Policy No. 20541' M issued by the State Insurance Fund, Department of Finance, of the State of Idaho. Said cancellation to be effective 12:01 a. m. 2-22-37 after which time, the said policy becomes null and void without further notice.

‘ ‘ This cancellation is made because of refusal to report payrolls.

"A copy of this notice has been filed with the Industrial Accident Board.”

The accident to, and death of the employee, occurred June 23, 1937.

The board further found that at the time notice of cancelation was given a field agent of the fund was instructed to audit Smith’s payroll, as soon as he could, and determine whether or not a part of the premium he had paid was returnable to him; that no audit was made until June 29, 1937; that March 24, 1937, the fund received from Smith $10.08 and March 26, 1937, it received from him $8.50 together with a payroll report showing additional payroll and premium, in said amount, due on his policy; that June 30, 1937, a field auditor of the fund audited Smith’s payroll and found, in addition to the $10.08 and $8.50 paid in March, there had been earned, in premium on the policy, $21.81 which, after deducting said sum from the advance premium deposited by Smith, left a balance of $28.19, and that since February 1, 1937, to June 15, 1937, there had been earned an additional premium of $47.44; that Smith immediately tendered to the fund his check for $47.44, but it was refused and was re *321 turned to him uncashed; that July 9, 1937,.the fund sent a draft to Smith for $28.19, which was cashed by him. Of course, whether any premium was earned after February 22, 1937, depends on whether the policy was in force and effect after that date.

The board further found that when the field auditor was auditing the payroll he informed Smith that the fund deemed his policy had been canceled as of February 22,1937, and that it refused any liability after that date, and that if he wished to carry insurance with the fund he would have to make a new application therefor; that Smith, at that time, signed an application for a policy and paid $50 as an advance deposit and $3 as an annual policy charge, and that July 1, 1937, the fund issued him a new policy. The findings are supported by the evidence.

I. C. A., sec. 43-1722, is as follows:

“Every employer who is insured in the state insurance fund shall keep a true and accurate record of the number of his employees and the wages paid by him, and shall furnish to the department of finance, upon demand, a sworn statement of the' same. Such record shall be open to inspection at any time and as often as the department shall require to verify the number of employees and the amount of payroll.”

The purpose of that section, and of the provision of the contract requiring the insured to make payroll reports, is to enable the fund to ascertain the amount to be collected as premium for carrying the risk. Without the information to be had from such reports the fund could not safely assume, and continue, its responsibility as surety under the workmen’s compensation law. While there is no express statutory provision authorizing the cancelation of a policy for failure to furnish payroll reports, authority to enter into the contract of insurance here under consideration, with the provision for its cancelation, is clearly to be inferred from the language of the statute and the nature of the duties of the insurer and the purposes for which it has been brought into existence. The fund is administered by the department of *322 finance of the state and, with respect to it, see. 43-1702, provides :

“It shall be the duty of the department of finance to conduct the business of the state insurance fund and the department is hereby vested with full authority over the said fund, and may do any and all things which are necessary or convenient in the administration thereof, or in connection with the insurance business to be carried on by the department under the provisions of this act. ’ ’

Sec. 43-1705 is:

“The department of finance may make contracts of insurance as herein provided and such other contracts relating to the state insurance fund as are authorized or perxnitted under the provisions of this act.”

Sec. 43-1718 provides:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Dye Construction Co. v. Industrial Commission
678 P.2d 1066 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1983)
MATTER OF LOCKARD v. St. Maries Lumber Co.
274 P.2d 995 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1954)
Passmore v. Austin
253 P.2d 800 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1953)
Killion v. E & L Transport Co.
32 N.W.2d 57 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1948)
State Ex Rel. Wright v. Potlatch Forests, Inc.
97 P.2d 394 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
91 P.2d 389, 60 Idaho 316, 1939 Ida. LEXIS 43, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-wright-v-smith-idaho-1939.