Walker v. Speeder MacHinery Corp.

240 N.W. 725, 213 Iowa 1134
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 9, 1932
DocketNo. 40995.
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 240 N.W. 725 (Walker v. Speeder MacHinery Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walker v. Speeder MacHinery Corp., 240 N.W. 725, 213 Iowa 1134 (iowa 1932).

Opinion

Grimm, J.

On May 17, 1930, there was filed with the Industrial Commissioner an application for arbitration, in which said application the Speeder Machinery Corporation is designated as “employer” and the Continental Casualty Company is designated as “insurance carrier.” It is claimed, in substance, that Charles E. Walker was an employee of the Speeder Machinery Corporation, which Company is engaged in manufacturing machinery and has its principal office and place of business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and that Walker was employed as a demonstrator and expert repair man, and that he was subject to call to go to any point to demonstrate or repair a machine. On the particular trip in controversy, he was sent first to points in Ohio, and from there was ordered, by wire, to report at Pittsburgh, Pa. It is claimed that he engaged a room in a hotel at Pittsburgh, and from there went out to secure a meal; that, *1136 while crossing the street, he was injured by an automobile, from which injury, in the course of three or four days, he died, without having regained consciousness. The claimant is the surviving spouse and the mother of decedent’s four minor children.

It is alleged that the injury was incurred while the decedent was in the line of duty and while acting within the scope of his employment.

On May 23, 1930, there was an answer filed to the petition for arbitration, in which said answer the Speeder Machinery Corporation is designated as “employer,” the Continental Casualty Company as “insurance carrier,” and as “Defendants.” The body of the answer is as follows:

“The respondent above named for answer to plaintiff’s petition respectfully states: that they deny each and every allegation set forth in claimant’s application, and particularly denies that -Charles Ernest Walker came to his death by reason of any cause or thing whatsoever growing out of or connected with his employment.”

There was first an arbitration decision and petition for a review by the Industrial Commissioner, finding by the Commissioner, and a trial to the District Court of Linn County, Iowa. In each instance, there was a finding for the plaintiff. The trial court granted a decree against both defendants. Many claims are made on behalf of the defendants, some of which only, we feel, need consideration.

I. The appellant claims that the court committed error in rendering judgment against the Continental Casualty Company, hereinafter, for the sake of brevity, called “the insurer.” It will be noted that the insurer is one of the defendants named in the application for arbitration. Likewise, in the answer to the petition for arbitration, while the attorney appearing designates himself attorney for respondent, nevertheless he answers “that they (meaning both defendants) deny each and every allegation, ’ ’ etc. There also appears in the record a stipulation, as follows:

“It was further stipulated that on February 23rd, 1930, and subsequent thereto, the Speeder Machinery Corporation of Cedar Eapids, Iowa, was operating under the Workmen’s Compensa *1137 tion Act, and the Continental Casualty Company was carrying the workmen’s insurance for such corporation. * * * It was further stipulated, that the Defendants had due, timely, and legal knowledge of the fact that on or about the 23rd day of February, 1930, Charles Ernest Walker sustained a personal injury in an automobile accident, which resulted in his death, and that claim was being made by this claimant against the defendants on account of said fatal injury. ’ ’

At various times during the trial, the attorney for the respondent filed objections, in form as follows: “The defendants object to the introduction of * * ®. ’ ’ There also appears from the abstract the following: “After the arbitration decision, the defendants duly filed their petition for review by the Iowa Industrial Commissioner. ’ ’

The petition for review, naming the Speeder Machinery Corporation as employer and the Continental Casualty Company as insurance carrier, as defendants, contained the following:

‘ ‘ Comes now the defendants and each of them and petition for a review as by law provided, and they and each of them ask the commissioner to fix a time for hearing of this case in review and notify the parties. ’ ’

The notice of appeal to the District Court of Linn County, Iowa, being entitled as above, contains the following:

‘ ‘ Comes now the defendants and each of them, and as provided by law, appeal to the District Court of Linn County, Iowa, from the decision and findings of the Iowa Industrial Commissioner in the above-entitled case upon the ground:
“1. That the Commissioner acted without or in excess of his powers.
“2. The facts found by the Commissioner do not support the order or decree.
‘13.. There is not sufficient competent evidence in the record to warrant the making of the order or decision.
“And the Commissioner is asked to forthwith notify the parties in interest and to certify the record at the office of the Clerk of the District Court of Linn County, Iowa, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, together with all documents in the case, including *1138 depositions and a transcript of certificate of the affidavits, together with this notice of appeal. ’ ’

Nowhere was the question raised that the insurance carrier was not a proper party defendant. The case was tried throughout in behalf of both of the parties defendant without such objection. Under such a record, the question of jurisdiction over the insurance carrier cannot be raised in this court for the first time. We make no pronouncement as to whether the insurance carrier is a proper or necessary party in such a proceeding.

II. The appellant contends that a certain letter, claimant’s Exhibit “F”, alleged to have been written by the deeedent to his wife, which letter was introduced in evidence, is incompetent. The letter is undated, and the record does not disclose when it was written or sent. Upon the record in this particular case, this exhibit was not admissible, and it should not have been given consideration by the Commissioner or the court. There was, however, competent evidence in the record upon the subject covered by the letter, and its introduction, though erroneous, was not reversible. See Renner v. Model Laundry Cleaning & Dyeing Company, 191 Iowa 1288; Hinrichs v. Davenport Locomotive Works, 203 Iowa 1395; Swim v. Central Iowa Fuel Co., 204 Iowa 546.

III. The appellant strenuously contends that Exhibit “G”, which purports to be a certified copy of a death certificate certified by the State Registrar concerning the death of Walker, should not have been admitted. It is material, if at all, only because it contains the following:

‘ ‘ The cause of death was as follows: Fracture of skull and pulmonary edema following being struck by an automobile at Baum Blvd. and Beatty St.”

We need not determine whether this instrument was properly admitted or not, for the reason that there is in the record a stipulation, as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
240 N.W. 725, 213 Iowa 1134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-speeder-machinery-corp-iowa-1932.