Tally v. Texas Employers' Insurance

102 S.W.2d 180, 129 Tex. 134, 1937 Tex. LEXIS 326
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 1937
DocketNo. 7145
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 102 S.W.2d 180 (Tally v. Texas Employers' Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tally v. Texas Employers' Insurance, 102 S.W.2d 180, 129 Tex. 134, 1937 Tex. LEXIS 326 (Tex. 1937).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Critz

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This case has had a rather checkered career. It appears that J. J. Tally, plaintiff in error, claimed to have sustained an injury, which produced a hernia, in the course of his employment with North Texas Transfer & Warehouse Company. The injury is alleged to have occurred in Harris County, Texas. Defendant in error, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, was the employer’s compensation insurance carrier. Tally duly filed claim with the Industrial Accident Board against the above named insurance carrier. On hearing before the Board it made an order or interlocutory award which, in effect, required that Tally submit himself for a hernia operation to be furnished by the Insurance Association. The order then provided that in case such operation should prove successful the Association should pay him compensation for twenty-six weeks at the rate of $13.85 per week. The order further provided that in the event such operation should not prove successful then Tally should be compensated under the general provisions of our Compensation Law. The order further provided, in substance, that pending the outcome of the events to transpire thereafter the Board would reserve the right to make future lawful orders. The Insurance Association gave timely notice of its intention not to abide by the above award, and in due time filed its petition to set the same aside in the county court at law of Harris County, Texas. Tally filed in such court a plea challenging the jurisdiction. This plea was overruled. Tally then filed a cross action seeking recovery in an amount in excess of the jurisdiction of the court. The court sustained a demurrer to the cross action. On final hearing the court rendered judg[137]*137ment setting aside the award of the Accident Board, but declined to render judgment otherwise. The case was appealed and finally reached this Court. On final hearing in this Court it was held that the original order or award of the Accident Board was not a final award and therefore, under Section 5 of Article 8307, R. C. S. 1925, was not appealable. It was further in effect held that the matter should again be presented to the Board to make its final award, in which event either party could appeal. In this connection the former opinion in this case announced the following applicable rules of law, which we here reaffirm:

1. Our Compensation Law only allows appeals to the courts from final rulings and decisions of the Accident Board.
2. The courts of this State, in compensation cases, are not clothed with jurisdiction to determine the amount of compensation to be awarded an injured employee until such issue has first been passed on by the Board.
3. All questions arising under our Workmen’s Compensation Law must first be passed on by the Accident Board.
4. Under Subdivision 4 of Section 12 of Article 8306, R. C. S. 1925, compensation insurers are required to provide the injured employee in a hernia case, where liability exists, with surgical treatment by radical operation.
5. If the injured employee in a hernia case refuses to submit to an operation, and it is found by proper statutory medical examination that he is not suffering from such chronic disease or other physical condition as would render an operation more than ordinarily unsafe for him to undergo, he shall be compensated under the general provisions of our Compensation Law for a period not exceeding one year.
6. Should the injured employee in a hernia case submit to an operation therefor, and it be successful, and after such fact shall be determined by the Board, he shall receive compensation for twenty-six weeks, and in addition thereto the insurance carrier shall pay the expenses of such operation.
7. If the injured employee in a hernia case submits to an operation, and same is unsuccessful, and the injury does not result in death, he is entitled to compensation under the general provisions of our Compensation Act.
8. If the injured employee in a hernia case is willing to submit to a hernia operation after the same has been ordered by the Board, and the insurance carrier liable therefor refuses to furnish it, such employee is entitled to compensation under [138]*138the general provisions of our Compensation Law.
9. From all the above rules of law and statutory provisions there can be no final award in a hernia case until the Board has definitely and finally fixed the specific compensation which it finds the injured employee is entitled to receive.

After making the above rulings this Court reversed the judgments of the two lower courts on the former appeal and dismissed the cause. The result of the former opinion of this Court was to hold that the case as then presented was still before the Industrial Accident Board undisposed of, and that such Board would have to make a final award before appeal could be had to a court. Tally v. Texas Employers’ Insurance Ass’n., (Com. App.) 48 S. W. (2d) 988.

After the happening of the above events Tally presented to the Accident Board his petition and request that it again consider his application for compensation and enter its final award. After the filing of this request and petition the Accident Board again considered Tally’s application for compensation and entered its final award. By the terms of this award Tally was awarded compensation at the rate of $13.85 per week for an indefinite period not exceeding 401 weeks, unless changed by a subsequent order of the Board, as for total and permanent incapacity. The order contained matters regarding attorney’s fees not necessary to detail here.

The Association again gave timely notice of its intention not to abide by the order of the Accident Board last above mentioned, and in due time filed its petition in the 113th district court of Harris County, Texas, seeking to set it aside. Tally duly filed his cross action in usual form, wherein he sought to recover lump sum compensation for total and permanent incapacity. When the case was tried in the district court the following judgment, which is the basis of this appeal, was entered:

“On this the 15th day of June, 1933, came on to be heard the above entitled and numbered cause, and all parties plaintiff and defendant appeared in open court and announced ready for trial.

“A jury was duly impaneled and sworn to try the case, and the pleadings were read and evidence offered. At the conclusion of the evidence the court submitted the case to the jury upon special issues, in answer to which the jury found as follows:

“(1) That J. J. Tally on September 22nd, 1928, was an employee of the North Texas Transfer & Warehouse Company; (2) that J. J. Tally on said date was not an employee of [139]*139the Interurban Railway Express Company; (3) that the injuries received by J. J. Tally on said date resulted in a hernia; (4) (a) that the hernia appeared suddenly, (b) that the hernia appeared immediately following the alleged injury, (c) that the hernia did not exist in any degree prior to the injury claimed, (d) that the injury claimed was accompanied by pain; (5) that the average weekly wage of J. J. Tally at the time and for one year prior to September 22nd, 1928, was $25.00 per week; (6) that J. J.

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

Related

Home Indemnity Co. v. Lopez
724 S.W.2d 855 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Hayman v. Hayman
512 S.W.2d 71 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1974)
Sizzler Family Steak Houses v. Nuss
444 S.W.2d 843 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1969)
Garcia v. Travelers Insurance Company
365 S.W.2d 916 (Texas Supreme Court, 1963)
Thompson v. Midwestern Insurance Co.
361 S.W.2d 720 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1962)
Indemnity Insurance Co. of North America v. McGee
351 S.W.2d 359 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1961)
Preston v. Traders & General Insurance Co.
329 S.W.2d 129 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
Truck Insurance Exchange v. Seelbach
328 S.W.2d 346 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Shelton
331 S.W.2d 361 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
Great American Indemnity Company v. Gravell
297 S.W.2d 371 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1956)
Consolidated Cas. Ins. Co. v. Ray
267 S.W.2d 880 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)
Robertson v. National Surety Corp.
208 F.2d 642 (Fifth Circuit, 1954)
Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Black
193 F.2d 971 (Fifth Circuit, 1952)
Industrial Accident Board of Texas v. Hudson
246 S.W.2d 715 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1952)
Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Christensen
223 S.W.2d 45 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1949)
Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Wright
196 S.W.2d 349 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1946)
Joseph v. City of Ranger
188 S.W.2d 1013 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1945)
Lewis v. American Surety Co.
184 S.W.2d 137 (Texas Supreme Court, 1944)
Texas Employers Ins. Assn. v. Shackelford
164 S.W.2d 657 (Texas Supreme Court, 1942)
American Surety Co. of New York v. Mays
157 S.W.2d 444 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
102 S.W.2d 180, 129 Tex. 134, 1937 Tex. LEXIS 326, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tally-v-texas-employers-insurance-tex-1937.