Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee v. Industrial Commission of Utah

71 P.2d 177, 93 Utah 85, 1937 Utah LEXIS 41
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 30, 1937
DocketNo. 5610.
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 71 P.2d 177 (Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee v. Industrial Commission of Utah) 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
Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee v. Industrial Commission of Utah, 71 P.2d 177, 93 Utah 85, 1937 Utah LEXIS 41 (Utah 1937).

Opinions

HANSON, Justice.

This is an original proceeding brought by Ogden City to review an award made by the Industrial Commission of Utah, awarding defendant, J. D. North, compensation for injuries sustained by him while working on one of the streets in Ogden City. Mr. North filed his application for compensation April 12, 1934, alleging that on November 10, 1933, he was employed as a laborer by Ogden City and Weber county; that while assisting in operating a plow on Cahoon street, the plow struck a pipe line and fell on his leg fracturing the same in two places. In his application for compensation he named Ogden City and Weber county as defendants.

It appears from the files before us that an employer’s report was filed November 29, 1933, naming Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee as the employer. The Industrial Commission apparently made up its file of the case from this report and has carried the matter on through to and including its decision under the title of J. D. North, Applicant v. Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee, Defendant, notwithstanding North’s application named Ogden City and Weber county as defendants and as his employers. The record shows that notice of hearing of the application for compensation was sent to applicant, to his attorney, and to Ogden City Relief Committee, 2451 Kiesel ave., Ogden, Utah. At the hearing no one appeared for the Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee or for the Ogden City Relief Committee as such. The city attorney of Ogden City appeared as counsel for that city and the assistant county attorney appeared as counsel for Weber county. Counsel for Ogden City and Weber county objected to the matter coming on for hearing at the time set because no notice had been given the city or the county. The matter was then continued *88 two days By agreement. At the time thus agreed upon, a hearing on the merits was had, at which Ogden City and Weber county were represented by their respective counsel who participated fully in the proceedings.

No question was raised as to the title of the case used by the commission nor as to the sufficiency of the notice of the hearing, but the hearing proceeded under the assumption that Ogden City and Weber county were the real parties defendant as named by North in his application for compensation. The only defense relied upon by Ogden City and also by Weber county at the hearing was that they each denied they were the employer of Mr. North at the time of his injury. After hearing the matter on stipulations of fact and evidence of witnesses, the Industrial Commission made findings of fact and entered an award for compensation. The findings of fact, so far as material to the issues here before us, are as follows:

“1. On November 10th, 1933, J. D. North was employed as laborer by Ogden City Corporation; on said date he was paid a wage amounting to the sum of $3.00 per day, working part time, that is to say, he worked 9 days per month; on said date Ogden City Corporation had elected to pay compensation directly to its injured employees or their dependents in case of death.
“3. At the time of the injury applicant was engaged in performing work necessary to improve and maintain the streets of Ogden City Corporation and was therefore engaged, at the moment of his injury, in performing a service for Ogden City Corporation, which was a necessary part of the regular business conducted by Ogden City Corporation; the work upon which applicant was engaged at the time of his accidental injury was supervised by the Supervisor of Streets of Ogden City Corporation, and the applicant was subject to the control, direction and supervison of Ogden City Corporation.”

The commission made the following conclusions:

“In view of the foregoing findings, the Commission concludes that J. D. North, applicant herein, on November 10th, 1933, was injured by reason of an accident arising out of or in the course of his employment while employed by Ogden City Corporation. Therefore, Ogden City Corporation should be required to pay compensation to *89 the applicant as by law provided, to pay medical and hospital expenses incurred, and to furnish further medical and hospital treatment, if necessary.”

To reverse the award of the Industrial Commission, Ogden City argues that there is no competent evidence to sustain the finding that Mr. North was employed by Ogden City on November 10, 1983, and was then and there subject to the control, direction, and supervision of Ogden City; that such finding is contrary to the evidence. As a basis for its position, Ogden City contends that the competent evidence in the record “does not satisfactorily nor clearly set forth or make plain what this Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee was, how it originated, how it Avas constituted and brought into being, or who or what entity was responsible for its conduct and operation.” It is the city’s position that defendant North made his claim for compensation against the Weber County-Ogden City Relief. Committee and that there is no evidence to connect Ogden City with that committee in such manner as to make the city liable for compensation. As already stated, this position is untenable for the defendant North filed his claim against Ogden City and Weber county and not against the relief committee. The irregularities arising from the Industrial Commission entitling the proceedings as against the relief committee and disposing of the matter under that title are not made the basis for reversing the award made and must be deemed waived. Indeed, counsel for Ogden City very frankly stated in his oral argument that he was not relying on any technical objections; that if the court should decide that Ogden City was the employer of the defendant North when he was injured, then the city would admit its liability and pay the award.

It was stipulated at the hearing that North was injured in the course of his employment, whoever his employer was; that there was no question as to the amount of his wages and that he was working nine days per month; that the only *90 question was, Who was his employer and who would be liable? The following facts were stipulated: The Weber County-Ogden City Relief Committee (hereinafter called committee) had been appointed by the county commissioners in connection with the State Relief Committee appointed by the Governor, and this same committee was still acting at the time Mr. North applied for work, although the relief set up had been changed some time after the committee’s appointment. Mr. North applied for work with the committee. His name was put on the rolls and when his time came he was given a work order calling for 72 hours of work. To provide work for those thus registered with the committee, Ogden City proposed, among other projects, the work which was done on Cahoon street which consisted of leveling off a high place in that street, which project was approved by the committee. Upon the approval by the committee of this project, this fact was certified to the general relief committee and the person in charge of the relief rolls issued work orders to the various persons receiving relief, among such orders being the one given North above referred to. The work on this project was done by persons on relief, including North, under the direction of Mr. McGregor, who was street supervisor for Ogden City.

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Bluebook (online)
71 P.2d 177, 93 Utah 85, 1937 Utah LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weber-county-ogden-city-relief-committee-v-industrial-commission-of-utah-utah-1937.