State v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 06ap-294 (4-12-2007)

2007 Ohio 1698
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 12, 2007
DocketNo. 06AP-294.
StatusPublished

This text of 2007 Ohio 1698 (State v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 06ap-294 (4-12-2007)) 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 v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 06ap-294 (4-12-2007), 2007 Ohio 1698 (Ohio Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

DECISION
{¶ 1} Relator, Michael A. Cesa, commenced this original action requesting a writ of mandamus that orders respondent Industrial Commission of Ohio to vacate its order denying relator's request for the authorization and payment of certain medical bills, and to *Page 2 find that the treatment was reasonable and the medical bills should be paid. In the alternative, relator requests that the matter be remanded to the staff hearing officer after proper notice to the parties for redetermination.

{¶ 2} Pursuant to Civ.R. 53 and Section (M), Loc.R. 12 of the Tenth Appellate District, this matter was referred to a magistrate who issued a decision, including findings of fact and conclusions of law. (Attached as Appendix A.) According to the magistrate's findings of fact, relator sustained a work-related injury in 1991. He began treating with Thomas Andosca, D.C. in 1992, eventually had disc excision surgery performed on his back due to worsening symptoms, and approximately six months post-surgery began seeing Dr. Andosca again because of ongoing back pain.

{¶ 3} By letter dated October 15, 2003, the third-party administrator for the employer informed Dr. Andosca that no further medical bills would be paid. In response, Dr. Andosca authored a letter dated October 22, 2003 to relator's counsel, requesting that counsel file a motion concerning relator's treatment. The letter, set forth in {¶ 24 of the magistrate's decision, seeks payment for past treatment and for chiropractic care to continue as relator needs. On November 6, 2003, counsel submitted a motion seeking payment of Dr. Andosca's treatment and attached the doctor's October 22, 2003 letter, his treatment notes, and his invoices.

{¶ 4} In sending notice to the parties prior to the hearing before the district hearing officer, the commission framed the issue to be heard: "Payment Of Bill — PAY FOR TREATMENT BY DR. ANDOSCA 7/23/03 TO 10/01/03[.]" Relying on a report from *Page 3 John C. Radabaugh, Jr., the district hearing officer denied the request for payment of bills for treatment.

{¶ 5} Relator appealed, and a staff hearing officer heard the matter on March 15, 2004. Again, the notice indicated the issue to be payment for treatment Dr. Andosca rendered from July 23, 2003 to October 1, 2003. The staff hearing officer vacated the district hearing officer's order and granted relator's request for payment of bills and treatment, including continuing treatment. The employer, Norwalk Furniture Corp., filed an appeal contending the staff hearing officer exceeded his jurisdiction by ordering treatment for a time period that was not at issue, but the employer's appeal was refused.

{¶ 6} The employer then filed a motion for reconsideration asserting a clear mistake of law. The employer contended relator's motions requested payment for treatment rendered during the closed period from July 23, 2003 to October 1, 2003. Coupling that assertion with the hearing officers' notices directed only to the closed period, the employer asserted it was not aware that treatment beyond October 1, 2003 was at issue before the hearing officers.

{¶ 7} The commission granted the employer's request for reconsideration, finding a mistake of law because the staff hearing officer acted without jurisdiction in addressing treatment beyond October 1, 2003. Exercising its continuing jurisdiction, the commission vacated the order of the staff hearing officer and denied relator's request for payment of both Dr. Andosca's past invoices and any future treatment.

{¶ 8} Given those facts, the magistrate concluded "that, to the extent that the commission exercised its continuing jurisdiction and denied relator's request for payment *Page 4 of bills and treatment through October 1, 2003, the commission has abused its discretion because the commission lacked continuing jurisdiction to reconsider this closed period, as the only clear mistake of law concerned notice relative to treatment and payment of bills beyond October 1, 2003." (Magistrate's Decision, {¶ 40.) Accordingly, the magistrate determined a limited writ should issue ordering the commission to vacate its October 6, 2004 order and reinstate the March 15, 2004 order of the staff hearing officer to the extent it granted payment and treatment for the closed period July 23, 2003 to October 1, 2003. The employer filed objections to the magistrate's decision:

[I.] The Magistrate erred when finding that Relator was seeking payment of bills for treatment as well as continuing treatment. The Magistrate further erred when finding that the Industrial Commission did not have continuing jurisdiction to modify the portion of the SHO Order addressing all treatment that was subject to the SHO Order.

[II.] Further, the Magistrate erred when finding that Relator should be permitted to file a new motion seeking authorization of treatment and payment of medical bills to Dr. Andosca beyond October 1, 2003.

The Industrial Commission also filed objections:

[I.]The Commission did not abuse its discretion when it exercised its continuing jurisdiction and addressed an issue not raised by Norwalk Furniture Corp.

[II.] [A] limited writ should not be granted ordering the Commission to reconsider Cesa's request for treatment after October 1, 2003 because he has an adequate remedy at law and it would be an improper use of mandamus.

{¶ 9} Because the objections are interrelated, we address them jointly. They initially contend the magistrate improperly determined that the commission wrongly vacated the entire order when the employer's request for reconsideration addressed only *Page 5 the lack of notice for continuing treatment beyond October 1, 2003. In support, the commission cites this court's opinion in State ex rel.Sears, Roebuck Co. v. Indus. Comm. (1981), 1 Ohio App.3d 132.

{¶ 10} In that case, the claimant sought permanent partial disability for one-half loss of the left thumb due to ankylosis, a one-third loss of the second finger due to ankylosis, and an additional 14 percent permanent partial disability. The commission granted the request, and the employer filed a request for reconsideration, seeking only that the portion of the commission's order granting claimant an award for one-half loss of the left thumb be vacated. After a hearing on relator's application for reconsideration, the commission modified the decision by vacating the awarded compensation for one-half loss of the left thumb because claimant did not have complete ankylosis of the thumb. The commission, however, also increased the award of permanent partial disability from 14 percent to 20 percent and affirmed the ankylosis award for injury to the second finger.

{¶ 11} On mandamus to this court, Sears Roebuck contended the commission abused its discretion in going beyond the scope of the application for reconsideration. Rejecting that contention, this court stated that the "[j]urisdiction of the Industrial Commission to reconsider an award granted pursuant to R.C. 4123.57 is not limited to only those parts of the award specified in the motion.

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Related

State Ex Rel. B & C MacHine Co. v. Industrial Commission
1992 Ohio 75 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1992)
State Ex Rel. Sears v. Industrial Commission
439 N.E.2d 948 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1981)
State, Ex Rel. v. Indus. Comm.
174 N.E. 345 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1930)
State ex rel. Board of Education v. Johnston
388 N.E.2d 1383 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1979)
State ex rel. Weimer v. Industrial Commission
404 N.E.2d 149 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1980)
State ex rel. Gatlin v. Yellow Freight System, Inc.
480 N.E.2d 487 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1985)
State ex rel. Manns v. Industrial Commission
529 N.E.2d 1379 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1988)
State ex rel. Saunders v. Metal Container Corp.
556 N.E.2d 168 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
2007 Ohio 1698, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-industrial-commission-of-ohio-06ap-294-4-12-2007-ohioctapp-2007.