Weppner v. Shade Tree Service Co.

520 S.W.3d 524, 2017 WL 2544779, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 564
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 13, 2017
DocketNo. ED 105005
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 520 S.W.3d 524 (Weppner v. Shade Tree Service Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weppner v. Shade Tree Service Co., 520 S.W.3d 524, 2017 WL 2544779, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 564 (Mo. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

ROBERT G. DOWD, JR., Judge

Shade Tree Service Company (“Employer”) appeals from the decision of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission (“Commission”) holding that Kristopher Weppner (“Claimant”) is not disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits because he was not terminated from his employment for misconduct connected with his work. We affirm.

Claimant and Claimant’s foreman set out to trim trees around high voltage pow[526]*526er lines. Claimant was instructed to operate the aerial lift, or boom, of the truck over a road. Claimant did so without a spotter and momentarily became distracted when he observed an oncoming semi-truck that looked as though'it was going to collide with Claimant’s truck. At that moment, Claimant caused the boom to come into contact with the power lines resulting in damage to Employer’s boom and the power lines and knocking out power to a nearby factory.

Claimant was discharged following an investigation because Employer believed his operation of the boom disregarded Employer’s policies, safety standards and practices. In particular, the following Em-' ployer policies were potentially implicated in this case:

17. Before going aloft the operator should make a complete survey of overhead conditions to familiarize himself with the location of lines, poles, buildings, tree limbs, guy wires, or other obstructions which might present a hazard to the operation.
18. When trimming trees near electric conductors, all wires should be considered energized at all times. The operator should never touch the wires with his body, tools, or any part of the boom....
19. The operator should always face the direction he is moving and carefully observe the intended path of the lower boom when it is moved in any direction.
20. Consider stopping or diverting traffic by use of barricades or signalman before maneuvering the boom over a street or highway.

Employer’s policies also identify “serious offenses” for which an employee is subject to immediate dismissal, including both insubordination and “[gjross disregard of [Employer’s] safety standards and practices,” which includes “rules set by the customer.” A section entitled “On-the-Job Conduct” also indicates that “[insubordination -will not be tolerated.” In addition, Employer’s performance manager testified to a rule requiring the presence of a spotter when the boom comes within a specified distance of the power lines or when it is operated over a roadway.

After Claimant filed a claim for unemployment benefits, a deputy for the Division of Employment Security (“Division”) determined Employer discharged Claimant for misconduct connected with work and, therefore, determined Claimant was disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits. The Appeals Tribunal heard the appeal via telephone conference. Claimant and two witnesses on behalf of Employer testified. By decision dated May 13, 2016, the Appeals Tribunal affirmed the deputy’s determination.

Claimant filed his application for review before the Commission via facsimile on June 13, 2016. The Commission reversed the decision of the Appeals Tribunal and held that Claimant was not disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits because he was not terminated from his employment for misconduct connected with his work. In particular, the Commission found the following. With respect to disputed facts, Claimant was credible. Claimant “asked his supervisor1 to be his spot[527]*527ter prior to operating the boom,” and the “[supervisor refused and instructed [Claimant] to operate the boom, regardless of the spotter’s presence.” While Claimant knew he was required to have a spotter, he “proceeded operating the boom as instructed by supervisor fearing that he would be discharged for insubordination by supervisor if he did not do so.” Employer provided insufficient evidence establishing Claimant’s “momentary distraction was of such severity as to manifest culpability.” Claimant did not grossly disregard Employer’s policies, standards and practices. To the extent Claimant may have violated a policy, “where an employee is following a supervisor’s instructions, an employer’s enforcement of a contrary ‘rule’ is unfair.” Employer failed to establish that Claimant’s conduct was frequent or severe enough to constitute misconduct under Missouri law, and Claimant was not discharged for misconduct connected with work. This appeal follows.

Employer alleges the Commission erred in three ways: (1) by acting without or in excess of its powers because it lacked jurisdiction to review the Appeals Tribunal’s decision since Claimant’s request for review to the Commission was untimely filed thirty-one days after the mailing of the Appeal Tribunal’s decision, (2) in ruling that Claimant was not disqualified from receiving unemployment compensation based upon its determination that Claimant’s foreman “refused” to act as a spotter and (3) in ruling that Claimant was not disqualified from receiving unemployment compensation in that it concluded that Claimant’s violation of a safety protocol was not of such severity as to manifest culpability despite evidence that Claimant’s conduct resulted in significant property damage and a power outage and had the potential to cause severe injury or death.

In Point I, Employer claims that the Commission acted in excess of its powers because it did not have jurisdiction to review the Appeal Tribunal’s decision since Claimant’s request for review to the Commission was untimely filed thirty-one days after the mailing of the Appeal Tribunal’s decision. Under Section 288.210(1), we can “modify, reverse, remand for hearing, or set aside the decision of the commission” where the Commission “acted without or in excess of its powers.” While claimant’s “failure to file a timely application for review divests the Commission of jurisdiction,” Phillips v. Clean-Tech, 34 S.W.3d 854, 855 (Mo. App. E.D. 2000), we find no lack of jurisdiction and, therefore, no action in excess of the Commission’s powers under the facts of this case.

Employer asserts Claimant filed his application for review by the Commission thirty-one days after the issuance of the [528]*528Appeals Tribunal decision and, because the law provides for thirty days, the Commission lacked jurisdiction to issue any decision or hear the appeal. The regulations specifically provide that “[a]ny interested party to a decision of an appeals tribunal of the division may file an application to have the decision reviewed by the commission by filing the application ... within thirty (30) days following the date of notification or mailing of the decision.... ” 8 CSR 20-4.010(l)(A).2 However, the regulations also provide that “[i]n instances where the last day for the filing of [any notice of appeal, application or other paper required under the law to be filed with the commission] falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the filing shall be deemed timely if accomplished on the next day which is not a Saturday, a Sunday or legal holiday.” 8 CSR 20-2.010(4).

Here, there is no dispute that the Appeals Tribunal issued its decision on May 13, 2016, and that Claimant filed his application for review via facsimile on June 13, 2016. Thirty calendar days from May 13, 2016, would have been June 12, 2016, which was a Sunday.

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520 S.W.3d 524, 2017 WL 2544779, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 564, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weppner-v-shade-tree-service-co-moctapp-2017.