Tex. Employers' Ass'n v. Price

300 S.W. 667, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 1154
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 11, 1927
DocketNo. 1948.
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 300 S.W. 667 (Tex. Employers' Ass'n v. Price) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tex. Employers' Ass'n v. Price, 300 S.W. 667, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 1154 (Tex. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

WALTHALL, J.

A statement of tbe nature and result of this suit by this court will be found in tbe Southwestern Reporter, volume 291, at page 287, and a like statement by tbe Commission of Appeals, section A, by Judge W. R. Bishop, on June 4, 1927 (296 S. W. 284), to each of which we refer.

In our former disposition of tbe case we discussed only tbe question of jurisdiction of tbe district court under tbe Workmen’s Compensation Act of this state, and tbe case is remanded to this court for consideration of “other assignments of error presented on appeal.”

Tbe first proposition going to the jurisdiction of tbe court was decided against appellant’s contention by the Commission of Appeals in tbe opinion above referred to.

It is insisted by appellant that, at tbe time of tbe employment of Price, Goetting was not within tbe Texas act, not then having any one in bis employment in Texas. Tbe record shows that Goetting, a resident of Texas, carried insurance with appellant under tbe Texas law, tbe policy dating June 1, 1923, and expiring one year thereafter. Tbe record further shows that Price bad been in tbe employ of Goetting in Texas for several years next preceding bis arrangement to go to New Mexico,, and that bis work in New Mexico was not permanent but temporary; Price testifying that on the completion of tbe New Mexico work be was to return to Texas. Now it is true, as insisted by appellant, that for a few days immediately before Price went to New Mexico to work for Goetting Price was not being paid a daily wage by Goetting. It seems that, while Price was in the general employment of Goetting, and Goetting, a month prior thereto, contemplated sending, and bad engaged, Price to go to New Mexico on tbe roadwork there, and Price contemplated going, there were some ten days prior to January 1,1924, when Price wa,s not on Goetting’s pay roll in Texas or in New Mexico, but that, on January 1st, and before leaving for New Mexico, Price was in Goetting’s employ. Goetting testified;

“I wasn’t carrying Mr. Price on my Texas pay roll when be was working in New Mexico. I bad no pay roll in Texas. * * * No; I wasn’t rendering any pay roll to tbe Texas Employers’ on which to base a premium under this policy covering Mr. Price when I was up in New Mexico.”

At that time Goetting bad a policy of insurance with tbe United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company to cover tbe New Mexico construction work, in force at tbe time of tbe injury to Price. Price received a compensation for bis injury under tbe New Mexico law from tbe United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, and appellant insists that, under tbe above facts, briefly stated, Price should not be allowed to recover of appellant under tbe Texas law for tbe .same injury.

Tbe outstanding facts are that, while Price was an employee of Goetting in Texas, Goetting secured tbe policy of insurance involved here from appellant, and that, at tbe time of Price’s injury, tbe time period of tbe policy bad not expired. Under provision of our statute, an employee is entitled to compensation under tbe policy, “even though such injury was received outside of tbe state.” At tbe time of tbe employment both Goetting and Price lived in Texas; they were each then in Texas. Goetting’s headquarters, at tbe time of Price’s employment, and for some years before, bad been, and apparently than was, in Texas. Goetting testified that Price was hired to go to New Mexico a month before be started on tbe work there. His pay began before be went there. His pay was going on while be was doing nothing; did not hire him expressly for tbe New Mexico job. “He was in my employ at tbe time. * * * I was through in El Paso, and was contemplating a job in New Mexico, and I wanted to use him up there.”

Under tbe facts stated in tbe record, and only briefly outlined here, we have concluded that Price, at tbe time of bis injury, was a Texas employee under Goetting, and was under tbe protection of Goetting’s Texas policy *669 of insurance, if in fact Goetting had a Texas policy in force at that time.

Appellant submits that, at the time Price was employed for the New Mexico work, Goetting, not then having any one in his employment in Texas, was not within the Texas act, and refers us to section 2 of article 8306, R. S. 1925, providing that the law shall not apply to any person having in his employ less than three employees. It is insisted that on January 1, 1924, Goetting did not have any one employed in Texas, and that it is not disclosed that Goetting ever had as many as three employees in Texas at any one time in the past within the period of the policy. It is further insisted by appellant that Goet-ting did not pay any premium for this insurance.

The record shows beyond controversy the issuance of the Texas policy sued upon, issued by appellant to Goetting to be effective from June 1, 1923, for one year next thereafter. ■

Under Home Life & Accident Co. v. Orchard (Tex. Civ. App.) 227 S. W. 705 (707), it is immaterial as between Price and appellant whether Goetting paid the premium on the policy. The provisions of a compensation policy and its statement, warranties, and promises do not affect the rights of injured employees, but only the rights of the subscriber and the insurer inter esse. Sheek v. Texas Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 286 S. W. 336.

After appellant issued its policy of insurance to Goetting, as it had the right to do, and contracted to insure his employees, it is bound by its contract as between it and Goetting’s employee, regardless of whether Goetting then or thereafter became a subscriber and entitled to the benefits conferred upon the employers by the Compensation Act. United States F. & G. Co. v. Summers (Tex. Civ. App.) 262 S. W. 247; Employers’ Liability Assurance Corporation v. Light (Tex. Civ. App.) 275 S. W. 685. The statute (section. 2, part 1, of the Compensation Act [article 8306, § 2, R. S. 1925]) provides that an employer of three or more, at the time of becoming a subscriber, remains a subscriber, although thereafter he may have less than three employees.

The facts show that Goetting had taken out a policy of insurance with the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company for the protection of New Mexico employees, including Price, and, pursuant to the Compensation Act in force in that state, Price claimed and collected in full his New Mexico insurance under that policy. Appellant submits that Price, having voluntarily submitted himself to the jurisdiction of New Mexico law in the course of his employment in that state, should not be permitted to collect a second time for the same injury, and for that reason the trial judge should have directed a verdict for appellant. The Compensation Act of New Mexico (Laws 1917, c. 83) is found in the record, and section 5 of the act is copied in appellant’s brief. That section provides that the act shall be construed as creating a new right- and special procedure for the enforcement of the same, and the rights and remedies provided in the act for workmen and other dependents coming under its terms on account of injuries suffered by accident arising out of and in the course of employment of such workmen shall be exclusive of all other rights and remedies of such workmen, at common law or otherwise, and that all other laws and parts of laws relating thereto, or providing damages for injuries, or under which the same are recoverable, otherwise than as in the act provided, in conflict with the act, shall not apply as to the employments,.

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300 S.W. 667, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 1154, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tex-employers-assn-v-price-texapp-1927.