Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Parker

91 S.W.2d 503
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 21, 1935
DocketNo. 10150.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 91 S.W.2d 503 (Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Parker) 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
Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Parker, 91 S.W.2d 503 (Tex. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

LANE, Justice.

Daniels Drilling Corporation was, on the 26th day of December, 1932, and for about two months prior thereto, a subscriber, as that term is used in the Workmen’s Compensation Law of the state of Texas (Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. art. 8306 et seq.). Said corporation as such subscriber on said dates held a policy issued to it by the Traders & General Insurance Company, hereinafter for convenience referred to as the insurance company. The policy was such as was usually, under the provisions of law, issued to subscribers.

One Rufus Parker, on or about the 26th day of December, 1932, while in the discharge of his duties as an employee of Daniels Drilling Corporation, or of one W. L. Barclay, suffered an injury from which he died. Frank Parker and his wife, Clara Parker, were respectively the father and mother of the deceased, Rufus Parker.

In due time and manner, as provided by the Workmen’s Compensation Act, Frank *504 Parker and Clara Parker gave notices of the injury suffered by Rufus Parker, and in due time they filed their claims for compensation with the Industrial Accident Board of the state of Texas, and on the 7th day of April, 1933, the board rendered its final ruling and decree upon the claim. In such decree it is recited and decreed as follows:

“On December 26, 1932, Daniels Drilling Corporation, a subscriber to employers’ Liability Law with insurance carried by Traders and General Insurance Company, had in its employ Rufus Parker who suffered injuries in the course of his employment resulting in his death, and whose average weekly wage was $28.85, and compensation rate $17.31 per week under the act.
“Deceased left surviving as his exclusive beneficiaries Frank Parker, father, and Clara E. Parker, mother, who are entitled to $17.31 per week for 360 weeks. On April 10, 1933, fifteen installment payments in the sum of $259.65 will have matured, leaving an unaccrued period of 345 weeks. It appearing that said beneficiaries are in need of $1,204.33 and that an emergency exists therefor, the Traders and General Insurance Company is directed to advance said sum from the extreme latter end of the remaining compensation period, and in consideration of said advancement cancel the last 98 payments dué said beneficiaries; the present cash value of said 98 payments when discounted at 6 % per annum being the amount of this advancement, and leaving an outstanding period of 247 weeks.
“Traders and General Insurance Company is ordered to pay Frank Parker $731.99 for accrued and advanced payments of compensation, and the further sum of $8.65 per week for remaining period of 247 consecutive weeks from April 10, 1933.
“Traders and General Insurance Company is ordered to pay Clara E. Parker $731.99 for accrued and advanced payments of compensation, and the further sum of $8.66 per week for remaining period of 247 consecutive weeks from April. 10, 1933.
“An attorneys’ fee of 15% on the first $1,000 and 10% on .amounts in excess of said first $1,000 paid on this award, is ordered paid out of installment payments by Traders and General Insurance Company to Mayfield and Grisham of Tyler, Texas, attorneys for said beneficiaries. Previous payments of compensation, if any, and attorneys’ "fee shall be deducted from compensation herein awarded.
“When this award has been fully paid, the Traders and General Insurance Company will stand financially discharged from all liability on account of these claims for compensation.”

In time and manner as provided by law, the insurance company gave notice to the Industrial Accident Board that it would not abide by the award made and that it would within twenty days file suit in a court of competent jurisdiction to have said award set aside.

In due time the insurance company brought this suit in Anderson county, Tex., against Frank Parker and Clara Parker.

The plaintiff alleged that the final ruling and decree of the Industrial Accident Board was unsupported by the facts or law, and therefore should be set aside. It especially denied that the death of Rufus Parker resulted from injury sustained by him while in the course of his employment by Daniels 'Drilling Corporation. Plaintiff attached a copy of the decree of the Industrial Accident Board to its petition and made it a part thereof. Plaintiff’s prayer was that judgment be rendered setting aside the final ruling and decree of the Industrial Accident Board and that defendants take nothing from plaintiff.

Defendants Frank Parker and his wife, Clara Parker, answered by general demurrer, general denial, and becoming cross-plaintiffs, seeking affirmative relief, alleged the injury and death of their son, Rufus Parker, on the 26th day of December, 1932, and that at the time of his injury and death he was an employee of Daniels Drilling Corporation. They alleged such facts relative to said injury as would give the Industrial Accident Board and the court jurisdiction to pass upon the issues involved between the parties. They alleged that at the time and prior to the injuries suffered by their son he was earning $5 per day, and that if it be held that they are not entitled to a recovery under first subsections 1 and 2 of section 1, art. 8309, Workmen’s Compensation Act, they are entitled to have the average weekly wage of their said son estimated and calculated, as provided by first subsection 3 of said act, which would be the sum of $17.31 per week, same being 60 per cent, of the average weekly wages of their son. They allege facts, *505 which, if found to be true, would entitle them to a lump sum in commutation of plaintiff’s liability. They further alleged that plaintiff refused to pay them any compensation whatever, to their damage in the sum of $6,231.60 as weekly compensation due under the provisions of the law, together with 6 per cent, interest on all past-due payments from their respective due dates until paid. They pray for judgment against the insurance company for the sum of $6,231.60, together with interest on all past-due weekly installments.

By supplemental petition plaintiff demurs generally to the allegations of cross-plaintiffs’ answer and petition, and also makes general denial of all of such allegations.

At the close of the evidence the plaintiff insurance company presented its motion for an instructed verdict in its favor, which motion was by the court refused.

The cause was tried before a jury upon special issues submitted by the court, in answer to which they found: (1) That a preponderance of the evidence shows that Rufus Parker, deceased, was an employee of Daniels Drilling Corporation at the time he received the injury that caused his death, as the term “employee” is defined in the charge of the court; (2) that Rufus Parker, deceased, was not an employee of W. L. Barclay only at the time "he received his injury from which he died; (3) that $3.50 would be just and fair to both parties as the daily wages for the kind of work that Rufus Parker was doing at the date he received his injury which caused his death.

The undisputed evidence shows that the employees of Daniels Drilling Corporation worked seven days in each week, and, as already stated, the jury, in answer to special issue No.

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Bluebook (online)
91 S.W.2d 503, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/traders-general-ins-co-v-parker-texapp-1935.