Sullivan v. State

10 Ill. Ct. Cl. 11, 1937 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 7
CourtCourt of Claims of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 15, 1937
DocketNo. 2876
StatusPublished

This text of 10 Ill. Ct. Cl. 11 (Sullivan v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Claims of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sullivan v. State, 10 Ill. Ct. Cl. 11, 1937 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 7 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1937).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Tantis

delivered the opinion of the court:

On May 5, 1933 Herman J. Arnold, Administrator of the Estate of Ambrose Sullivan, deceased, filed his complaint in the Court of Claims, seeking an award of Ten Thousand ($10,000.00) Dollars for the accidental death of Ambrose Sullivan. The complaint was drawn as an action of trespass on the case, but plaintiff changed his prayer for relief and sought an award under the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act of Illinois.

The Attorney General contended that claimant was not entitled to recover for the following reasons:

1. That no claim for compensation had been made "within six months after the accident as required by Section 24 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

2. That the accident in question did not arise out of the employment of said decedent.

The record failing to disclose compliance with Section 24, the award was denied and the claim dismissed. The opinion appears as claim No. 2171, 8 C. C. R. P. 399.

On April 1, 1936 Alta Sullivan, an insane person and "widow of Ambrose Sullivan, and John Sullivan and William Sullivan, minor children of Ambrose Sullivan, filed the present claim, by Mary Sullivan, their next friend, and herein seek an award under the terms of the Workmen’s Compensation Act for the death of Ambrose Sullivan.

By a stipulation between the attorneys for the respective parties, all evidence, stipulations, briefs and arguments in the former case, No. 2171, are accepted as a part of the record in the present case. In addition thereto, testimony was taken as to the insanity of Alta Sullivan, surviving widow. Claimants herein allege that the insanity of Alta Sullivan and the fact óf the minority age of said children creates an exception as to each in regard to the time limit stated in Section 24 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

The Attorney General interposes the following objections :

1. Jurisdiction of claim by this court in the absence of compliance as to notice required by Section 24 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

2. Whether the adjudication in Claim No. 2171 is as to this claim, res adjudicata?

3. Did the injury to Ambrose Sullivan arise out of and in the course of the latter’s employment?

4. Amount of compensation, if any, payable to claimants.

A condensed statement of facts as found in the former opinion and the additional evidence taken herein is as follows :

For about eight days prior to the 16th day of June, A. D. 1932, Ambrose Sullivan had been employed by respondent in mowing weeds on S. B. I. Routes Nine (9), Three (3) and Ninety-five (95) in McDonough County, under the supervision of Jesse Walters, Highway Maintenance Superintendent. Sullivan lived about two miles north of Macomb, and was the owner of a team of horses and a mower which he used in his said work. For the first few days of his employment he worked near his home, and drove the team home at the end of the day’s work. After the first few days, he was at some considerable distance from his home at quitting time, and on those days he left his team and mower with some farmer who lived near the place where he stopped work, and rode home with Mr. Jesse Walters, the Maintenance Superintendent, and the next morning he would come out with his Maintenance Superintendent to the place where he left his team the night before. The matter or custom of riding back and forth with the Maintenance Superintendent was not a part of the contract, but was a sort of mutual arrangement or understanding between them. The same custom existed with other men who were also employed in mowing weeds. The mowers ordinarily worked nine hours a day, usually commencing at seven o’clock A. M. and quitting at five o’clock P. M. Sometimes they started a little before seven or a little after seven, but they aimed to start work at seven o’clock. Their time commenced when they got on the job. On a wet morning their time commenced when the weeds were dry enough to mow.

On June 15th, 1932 Sullivan was about seven miles from his home when he quit work. He left his team and mower with a farmer living about forty rods north of S. B. I. Route 95, and rode home with his Maintenance Superintendent.

The next morning the Maintenance Superintendent in driving out to work met Sullivan about one-half, mile from his (Sullivan’s) house, and stopped to pick him up. The Maintenance Superintendent was driving a small pick-up truck with a single seat, and there were two men riding in the seat with the driver. Sullivan rode in the back of the truck, which went north on Route 3 to the junction and then east on Route 95, to a point about seven miles from Macomb where the Maintenance Superintendent stopped the truck so that Sullivan could get out and get his team and mower. Sullivan got out and started across the road to the north. Just then Mr. Walters, the Maintenance Superintendent, called to him and he came back. In this connection Mr. Walters testified:

“It had come a rain the day before and we were in doubts whether it was going to dry enough to go on mowing. After he got out I spoke to him, and I said, ‘Mr. Sullivan, you can use your own judgment about when to start.’ ”

Homer B. Carey, the only other witness who testified as to this conversation, said:

“Mr. Sullivan got out and started across the road and Jesse hollered at him and called him back and told him that it was too wet, we wouldn’t hitch up for about two hours until it got a little dryer.”

After tills conversation, Sullivan started back across the road again to the north. Just then one Keith Sapp who was also driving east on said Route 95, approached the State truck, and turned to the left to pass it just as Sullivan was crossing the road the second time. Sapp turned further to the left to avoid an accident, but Sullivan evidently became confused, and ran into the side of Sapp’s car, whereby he was thrown to the pavement, and sustained injuries from which he died while being taken to the hospital.

Sullivan left him surviving his wife and four children, two of whom were under sixteen years of age at the time.

Sullivan’s earnings were eighty-five cents (85c) per hour for himself, ’ team and mower, of which amount forty cents (40c) was regarded as his for his individual services and the balance for the team and mower.

The shock of the death of Ambrose Sullivan apparently upset the mental condition of his wife, Alta Sullivan, and from that time forward her mental disability increased. Right after the accident she was placed in St. Francis Hospital at Macomb for a brief time because of her mental condition, and eventually on April 29, 1934 she was adjudged insane in a proceeding of the County Court of McDonough County, Illinois. She was released on furlough as an improved patient in September, 1934, but never recovered her normal mentality and was again recommitted to the State Hospital at Peoria, and was under confinement at the latter place at the time of taking the evidence in this cause. Dr. Joseph H. Davis of Macomb testified that he attended Mrs.

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

Related

Moweaqua Coal Corp. v. Industrial Commission
195 N.E. 607 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1935)
Union Starch & Refining Co. v. Industrial Commission
176 N.E. 303 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1931)
Walgreen Co. v. Industrial Commission
153 N.E. 831 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1926)
McDonald v. City of Spring Valley
120 N.E. 476 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1918)
Indian Hill Club v. Industrial Commission
140 N.E. 871 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1923)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
10 Ill. Ct. Cl. 11, 1937 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sullivan-v-state-ilclaimsct-1937.