Utah Fuel Co. v. Industrial Commission

194 P. 122, 57 Utah 246, 1920 Utah LEXIS 100
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 4, 1920
DocketNo. 3534
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 194 P. 122 (Utah Fuel Co. v. Industrial Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Utah Fuel Co. v. Industrial Commission, 194 P. 122, 57 Utah 246, 1920 Utah LEXIS 100 (Utah 1920).

Opinion

CORFMAN, C. J.

This is an original proceeding brought by tbe plaintiff, Utab Fuel Company, to review an award made by tbe Industrial Commission of Utah under the provisions of title 49, Comp. Laws, Utah, 1917, as amended by chapter 63, Laws Utab 1919.

On tbe 14th day of January, 1920, one Clyde L. Knigbton, hereinafter referred to as tbe applicant, filed a claim for compensation with the Industrial Commission wherein he alleged, among other things, that during the latter part of the month of January, 1919, he sustained an injury occasioned by an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment with the plaintiff.

The plaintiff, after notice pursuant to statute, appeared and answered the petition, denying that the applicant had been injured in an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment with the plaintiff, and to the contrary, alleging in substance that applicant was suffering with some injury received or illness had or condition existing long prior to his employment with the plaintiff.

A hearing was had before the Industrial Commission during the month of February, 1920, at which it was stipulated and agreed between the applicant and the plaintiff that the [248]*248plaintiff was an employer and its own insurance carrier, “subject to tbe provisions of chapter 100, Laws Utah 1917” (tbe Industrial Commission Act).

Tbe average weekly wage of tbe applicant was also stipulated and agreed to between tbe contending parties. At the said bearing tbe applicant testified in substance that during tbe latter part of January, 1919, while engaged in tbe regular course of bis employment with tbe plaintiff, in driving a horse used to move mine cars in plaintiff’s coal mine at Sunnyside, Utah, tbe horse became excited and suddenly turned in such a manner as to cause the applicant to be tripped and to fall, whereby tbe ligaments and nerves of his left leg became slightly injured, and from which be afterward suffered as a result thereof a permanent partial paralysis of bis said leg.

Opposing evidence on tbe part of tbe plaintiff was to tbe effect that tbe applicant’s present condition was due to a hysterical nervous or psychic condition. Tbe respective theories of the parties were supported by medical experts who widely differed as to the applicant’s physical condition and present disability.. Tbe commission found for tbe applicant and awarded him compensation for disability and also for medical services rendered unto him.

After a rehearing had been applied for and denied, tbe plaintiff brought tbe matter to this court for. review in the manner provided by statute.

Tbe plaintiff assigns, as its reasons why .the award should be vacated and set aside, the following, to wit:

“First. The grounds enumerated in section 3148, Compiled Laws of Utah 1917, as amended, i. e., (a) that the Industrial Commission acted without or in excess of its powers, and (b) that there was no evidence sustaining or tending to sustain the conclusion and decision of said commission that the paralyzed condition of applicant was proximately caused hy an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment hy defendant during the latter part of January, 1919, hut on the contrary the evidence did establish that Knighton’s diseased condition existed at the time he was employed hy defendant fuel company, that the award of compensation based on its said decision was entirely without or [249]*249in excess of the power of the Industrial Commission, and therefore null and void.
“Second. The defendant fuel company contends that the Industrial Commission of Utah is an administrative body, authorized and empowered to exercise such functions as may be specifically delegated to it by law, and no other functions. The defendant further contends that the so-called Compensation Act, to wit, title 49, Compiled Laws of Utah 1917, as amended by chapter 63, Laws of Utah 1919, does not specifically, nor by implication, delegate nor attempt to delegate to said Commission the power to hear, consider and determine controversies between litigants as to ultimate liability, or their property rights, and that the Industrial Commission, in assuming the power to so hear, consider, and determine the ultimate liability between the applicant and defendant, unlawfully usurped judicial power, and that such usurpation of judicial power by said commission violates those sections of the Constitution of the State of Utah specifically delegating such power to regularly constituted courts, to wit, article 6, § 1, article 8, §§ 1, 5, and 7.
“Third. That even though it is held that title 49, Compiled Laws of Utah 1917, as amended by chapter 63, laws of Utah 1919, actually does attempt, specifically or by implication, to vest said Industrial Commission with power to hear, consider, and adjudge with whom is the right of the cause, such attempted delegation of power would be to constitute said commission in legal effect a court; and, further, that the statutes creating and defining the powers of the Industrial Commission do not protect the right of employer or employee to have questions of fact involved in a controversy between an employer and employee passed upon by any court as provided by article 1, §§ 7 and 11, article 5, § 1, article 8, §§ 1, 5, and 7, Constitution of the State of Utah, and is therefore null and void.”

It will be seen that the first contention made by plaintiff is that the commission acted in excess of its powers in granting to the applicant compensation, for the reason “that there was no evidence sustaining or tending to sustain the conclusion and decision of the commission” that the paralyzed condition of the applicant was due to “an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment” with the plaintiff.

The province of the Supreme Court in matters in review of the awards of the Industrial Commission has so frequently been discussed and passed upon in the former opinions of this court that it would seem wholly unnecessary and need[250]*250less repetition to again set forth the statutory provisions bearing on the question, or to cite the decided cases. However, as both counsel for -the plaintiff and the Attorney General have in their presentation of the present case made very comprehensive and extended arguments in support of their respective positions, particularly with reference to the constitutional questions raised, we shall again set forth some of the provisions of our statutes which, in our opinion, govern, and shall also briefly and in a general way discuss what we believe to be the powers of the commission under them.

Section 3148, Comp. Laws Utah 1917, as amended by Section 3148a, c. 63, Laws of Utah 1919, provides, among other things, that our review of an award made by the Industrial Commission shall not be extended further than to determine whether or not:

“(1) Tlie commission, acted without or in excess of its powers. (2) If findings of fact are made, whether or not such findings of fact support the award under review. (3) The findings and conclusions of the commission on questions of fact shall he conclusive and final and shall not he subject to review; such questions of fact shall include ultimate facts and the findings and conclusions of the commission.”

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194 P. 122, 57 Utah 246, 1920 Utah LEXIS 100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/utah-fuel-co-v-industrial-commission-utah-1920.