United Employers Casualty Co. v. Summerour

151 S.W.2d 247, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 358
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided May 1, 1941·No. No. 2283·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case. Appellee brought this suit to set aside an award of the Industrial Accident Board, wherein United Employers Casualty Company, appellant, was ordered to pay appel-lee $8.31 per week for 52 consecutive weeks from September 16, 1938, for total incapacity. Appellee sued for compensation for total and permanent disability and alleged that he was entitled to have the appellant redeem its liability in a lump sum. The cause was tried to a jury and it returned a verdict upon special issues favorable to appellee. The jury made no finding as to the average weekly wage of appellee. The court, in its judgment, found that ap-pellee’s average weekly wage and compensation insurance should be fixed and computed on the basis of the minimum' weekly wage rate of $7 per week, and entered judgment in favor of appellee against appellant for a lump sum calculated at said rate, after deducting 8 weeks’ compensation insurance computed at a weekly wage rate of $7.92, theretofore paid to appellee. The United Employers Casualty Company [248] perfected this appeal by writ of error, but for convenience we will refer to the parties as "appellant” and “appellee.”

The first proposition complains of the court’s failure to give an instructed verdict in appellant’s favor, because there was no evidence of any probative force offered before the jury of any contract of insurance issued by the defendant, since the notice that the employer had become a subscriber was only offered before the court in the absence of the jury for jurisdictional purposes. Appellee pleaded substantially that the policy of workmen’s compensation insurance had been issued and delivered to his employer (Cooper Manufacturing Company) by the Southern Underwriters, and that thereafter appellant entered into a contract in writing with the Southern Underwriters, whereby it assumed all obligations and liabilities of the Southern Underwriters on the policy theretofore issued by it to his employer; that appellant issued a certificate of assumption to his employer to be attached to the said policy of insurance, and appellant was put on notice to produce the policy of insurance and the contract of assumption upon the trial. Appellee introduced for jurisdictional purposes before the court a certified copy of the notice that the employer had become a subscriber. This notice showed that the Southern Underwriters had issued a policy of workmen’s compensation insurance for the benefit of the employees of the Cooper Manufacturing Company, effective December IS, 1937, to December IS, 1938. It is undisputed that appellee sustained his injuries on September 16, 1938. Appellant did not deny the issuance of the covering policy under oath. A certified copy of notice that the employer had become a subscriber is prima facie proof of such fact unless denied under oath. See Art. 8307, sec. 5, as amended 1931, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Jaques, Tex.Civ.App., 131 S.W.2d 133, dismissed Correct Judgment, point-1, page 134. Appellee also introduced in evidence certified copy of the contract dated July 20, 1938, entered into between Southern Underwriters and appellant, under which appellant took over the assets of the Southern Underwriters and assumed all of the liabilities and obligations of the Southern Underwriters under the policies of workmen’s compensation insurance. This instrument was introduced before the tourt and not read to the jury, but was introduced without any limitation as to its purpose. The evidence was uncontroverted that appellee had received eight weeks of compensation insurance at $7.92 per week. Appellee testified that he had gone, at the suggestion of the insurance company, to Dr. Chas. Collins for an examination, and Dr. Collins, while on the witness stand, testified that he had examined appellee, who was an employee of the Cooper Manufacturing Company, for the account of the insurance company. He did not give the name of the company. Appellee testified substantially that he was an employee of the Cooper Manufacturing Company and that while he was engaged in the discharge of his duties as employee, he sustained the injuries in question. All of the above testimony was in no sense controverted. We think the evidence is ample to establish the existence of the policy of insurance covering compensation for the injuries sustained, and this assignment is therefore overruled. Southern Underwriters v. Wright, Tex.Civ.App., 125 S.W.2d 1079; Maryland Casualty Co. v. Donnelly, Tex.Civ.App., 50 S.W.2d 388; Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Trotter, Tex.Civ.App., 54 S.W.2d 1023; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Lincecum, Tex.Civ.App., 81 S.W.2d 549; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. O’Quinn, Tex.Civ.App., 111 S.W.2d 859; Millers’ Indemnity Underwriters Co. v. Boudreaux, Tex.Civ.App., 245 S.W. 1025; Id., Tex.Com.App, 261 S.W. 137.

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United Employers Casualty Co. v. Summerour, 151 S.W.2d 247, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 358 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

151 S.W.2d 247 (United Employers Casualty Co. v. Summerour) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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