Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Shannon

453 S.W.2d 217, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 2348
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 23, 1970
DocketNo. 8051
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 453 S.W.2d 217 (Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Shannon) 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
Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Shannon, 453 S.W.2d 217, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 2348 (Tex. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

NORTHCUTT, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case. The trial was to a jury, and from the jury’s verdict, the trial court entered judgment for the plaintiff for total and permanent disability benefits for 401 weeks at $35.00 per week, less credits and discounts plus interest. From that judgment, defendant perfected this appeal. The plaintiff Shannon will hereafter be referred to as appellee, and defendant, Texas Employers’ Insurance Association, as appellant.

By appellant’s first eight points of error, it is contended that appellee did not properly sustain his burden of proof establishing the weekly wage rate as provided for [218]*218under Subdivision 2 of Art. 8309, Vernon’s Ann.Texas Civil Statutes. The appellee had not worked the required time as provided for under Subdivision 1 of Art. 8309. By Special Issues 12, 14 and 15, the issues inquired if there was another employee of the same class as plaintiff working substantially the whole of the year immediately preceding plaintiff’s injury, if any, in the same or similar employment in the same or neighboring place; if there was not another employee of the same class of the plaintiff working substantially the whole of the year immediately preceding plaintiff's injury, if any, in the same or similar employment in the same or neighboring place, what amount of money, if any, would be just and fair to be fixed as the average weekly wage of the plaintiff.

Appellant contends there was no evidence, or alternatively the evidence was insufficient, to support the jury’s answers to those issues and that the issues were improperly phrased in terms of “substantially the whole of the year”, whereas the statutory requirement is “at least 210 days”, and that appellee had failed to support his burden of proof relating to Subdivision 2 of Art. 8309.

The appellant admitted that it paid the appellee $35.00 per week during the period in which he was incapacitated following his injury on July 7, 1967. All the proof appellee offered, as to whether any one worked for 210 days during the year immediately preceding his injury doing the work that he was doing, was that he did not know. Appellee did not comply with the requirements set out under Art. 8309, and the real issue to consider is whether the admission by the appellant that it paid appellee $35.00 per week during the period in which he was incapacitated following the injury would relieve the appellee of such requirement. The appellant had been paying appellee the $35.00 per week compensation, and appellee had been accepting that amount, therefore, the parties had accepted $35.00 as the average weekly wage.

The voluntary payment of compensation by appellant in the absence of a showing of fraud, accident, mistake or misrepresentation constitutes an admission that the amount of compensation paid per week is based upon the proper wage rate. There would be no reason to cause proof or submission of an issue of a matter both parties had agreed upon. Transamerica Insurance Co. v. Beseda, Tex.Civ.App., 443 S.W.2d 915 (n.r.e.). It is stated in United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Camp, Tex.Civ.App., 367 S.W.2d 952 (n.r.e.) as follows:

“Furthermore, the law is well settled in this State that the voluntary payment of compensation by the workmen’s compensation carrier, in the absence of a showing of fraud, accident, mistake or misrepresentation, constitutes an admission that the amount of compensation paid per week is based upon the proper wage rate. There is nothing in the record showing that appellant claims that the payment by it to appellee of 191%s weeks’ compensation in the amount of $35.00 per week was induced by fraud, accident or mistake, or any effort to compromise. Its admission consisting of such payment would in itself justify and authorize a recovery by appellee of compensation at the rate of $35.00 per week. Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Grimes, Tex.Civ.App., 268 S.W.2d 786, ref., n.r. e.; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Harper, Tex.Civ.App., 140 S.W.2d 593, error ref.; Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Hamor, Tex.Civ.App., 97 S.W.2d 1041; Texas Employers Ins. Ass’n v. Hodnett, Tex.Civ.App., 216 S.W.2d 301, ref. n.r.e.; Fidelity Union Casualty Co. v. Dapperman, Tex.Civ.App., 47 S.W.2d 408 error dism.”

We overrule appellant’s first eight points of error.

By appellant’s assignments of error 9 through 14, it is contended the court erred in overruling its objections to Special Issues 9, 10, and 11 because Special Issue 9 [219]*219was framed in the disjunctive rather than the conjunctive; that there was no evidence upon which to base Issue 9, and in the alternative, insufficient evidence and against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence; that there was no evidence to support Special Issues 10 and 11, and that there was no evidence, or alternatively the evidence was insufficient, to support the jury’s answer to Special Issue 11 and that such answer was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.

Issue 9 was as follows:
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the injury to plaintiff’s leg extended to or affected parts of the body other than the leg, thereby causing incapacity ?”

Then Issue 10 inquired of the commencement date of his incapacity, if any, and by Issue 11 if such incapacity, if any, was total incapacity. According to appellant’s pleadings and testimony, he does not rely solely upon the contention that the injury to his leg extended to or affected parts of his body other than the leg. There is evidence to justify a finding that his back was injured when he was knocked into the stem.

In connection with appellant’s points 9 through 14, we will consider appellant’s 15th point of error where it is contended there was no evidence, or alternatively the evidence was insufficient, to support the jury’s answer to Special Issue 3 of the court’s charge and such answer was against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence. Special Issues 1 and 2 of the court’s charge inquired whether appellant, on July 7, 1967, sustained total incapacity for any length of time as a natural result of the accidental personal injury, if any. The jury answered he did, and then Special Issue 3 inquired if it was permanent or temporary. The jury answered permanent. Special Issues 1 and 2 are undisputed and in no way contested. Therefore, if there was sufficient and proper proof to sustain the finding of the jury as to Special Issue 3 then the errors complained of as to points 9 through 14 would be harmless errors.

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

Related

Holliman v. Leander Independent School District
679 S.W.2d 92 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Texas Employers' Insurance Ass'n v. Eskue
574 S.W.2d 814 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1978)
TEXAS EMPLOYERS'INSURANCE ASSOCIATION v. Shannon
462 S.W.2d 559 (Texas Supreme Court, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
453 S.W.2d 217, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 2348, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-employers-insurance-assn-v-shannon-texapp-1970.