Williams v. Larsen Construction Co.

125 N.W.2d 248, 255 Iowa 1149, 1963 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 815
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 10, 1963
Docket51140
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 125 N.W.2d 248 (Williams v. Larsen Construction Co.) 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
Williams v. Larsen Construction Co., 125 N.W.2d 248, 255 Iowa 1149, 1963 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 815 (iowa 1963).

Opinion

*1151 Snell, J.

This is an action by an injured employee to set aside a consent judgment commuting workmen’s compensation.

Plaintiff-appellant, an employee of defendant construction company, on April 11, 1960, was injured in the course of his employment. Shortly thereafter compensation payments started. Subsequent treatment included surgery. There has been no dispute about the need or liability therefor.

A laminectomy to remove a herniated intervertebral disc was performed on January 24, 1961, and a sacroiliac fusion on May 10, 1961. Subsequent physical examinations showed some residual weaknesses and limitation of motion. Inability to do the same heavy manual labor as before was noted. Plaintiff was found ñt to do lighter work.

On October 24, 1961, under the provisions of sections 85.45, 85.46, 85.47 and 85.48, 1958 Code of Iowa, there was a hearing before the deputy industrial commissioner. This hearing was preliminary to the filing in district court of a petition for commutation of future compensation payments. On November 21, 1961, the deputy commissioner filed a comprehensive finding of fact and review of applicable statutes and authorities.

The deputy commissioner found that plaintiff is a 36-year-old Negro with a third-grade education. He had been previously employed as an unskilled laborer. His reflex and sensory changes from surgery are superficial and would not affect his working ability. However, his back is not as strong as before and he had had trouble finding light work. Unavailability of jobs in the area and his color militated against him. Plaintiff appeared to have the intelligence and ability to train himself for other work. He had not supported his family for some time and has had the freedom and mobility to seek employment outside Waterloo. Although not able to work at heavy labor as before he was found clearly fit to engage in many other activities and to be trained. Plaintiff was found to have permanent disability to the extent of 25 percent of his body as a whole, i.e., industrial rather than functional disability and entitled to compensation accordingly. The amounts due were determined and commutation on the basis of the determination was approved.

*1152 At tbe hearing the amounts of compensation paid to that time were agreed to.

On December 8, 1961, plaintiff filed in the district court his petition for commutation. It alleged in substance (1) filing pursuant to sections 85.45 and 85.46, Code of Iowa. (2) Weekly compensation payments being made pursuant to signed agreement by defendants and approval by the deputy commissioner. (3) Determination of the issues and approval of commutation. (4) That commutation is for the best interest of plaintiff. (5) A finding by the deputy commissioner that plaintiff’s injuries extended outside and beyond the scheduled area of Code section 85.34, paragraph 2, subparagraphs (a) through (t), and the test was not functional disability but reduction of earning capacity. (6) That the deputy’s decision computed plaintiff’s disability in terms of percentages of the total physical and mental abilities of a normal man. (7) That plaintiff has no other adequate remedy.

Defendants filed answer on December 27, 1961.

On December 27, 1961, a stipulation signed by plaintiff and his attorney, the attorney and a representative of the defendants, was filed in the office of the clerk of the district court. The material facts were set forth. It was agreed that at the discretion of the court the future payments should be commuted. The parties requested an immediate decision and judgment pursuant to the stipulation.

Decree and judgment by the court pursuant thereto was filed December 27, 1961. On the same day the plaintiff personally satisfied the judgment by entry in the Appearance Judgment Docket and Fee Book of the District Court.

On December 21, 1962, plaintiff filed his petition to vacate the previous judgment. The petition included conclusions and considerable pleading of evidence but in substance alleged that the facts found by the deputy commissioner did not support a 25 percent disability award. Plaintiff sought an award based on permanent total disability.

Defendants filed a motion to dismiss on the following grounds:

“1. That the said petition fails to allege any grounds for *1153 dismissal as set out in Rule 252 of the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure.
“2. That the petition of the plaintiff is an attempt to impeach the verdict and judgment by attacking the findings of the Industrial Commissioner, the same having been finally adjudicated and the matter being res adjudicata.
“3. That the judgment which the plaintiff requests to be vacated is a consent judgment, the plaintiff and his attorney having signed a stipulation agreeing to the judgment and decree, and the plaintiff is estopped from attacking it.
“4. That said petition fails to allege any facts which could be the basis for setting aside the judgment and decree entered herein.”

On February 14, 1963, the motion to dismiss was sustained. Final judgment was entered and this appeal follows.

I. The ruling of the trial court sustaining the motion to dismiss was general. There was no separate ruling on the several grounds as required by rule 118. This rule says:

“Specific rulings required. A motion, or other matter involving separate grounds or parts, shall be disposed of by separate ruling on each and not sustained generally.”

In the ease before us failure to observe the rule is not so prejudicial as to require reversal but we again call attention to our comment in Hull v. Bishop-Stoddard Cafeteria, 238 Iowa 650, 667, 26 N.W.2d 429.

II. The commissioner found a permanent disability to the extent of 25 percent. He found an industrial rather than a functional disability to that extent. He found against plaintiff’s claim of 100 percent industrial disability. Plaintiff-appellant claims the commissioner should have found otherwise. He pleads his difficulty in finding suitable work. The deputy commissioner’s finding of fact indicates some skepticism as to plaintiff’s efforts in finding work.

There is neither charge nor suggestion of fraud in any of the proceedings. In Scheel v. Superior Mfg. Co., 249 Iowa 873, 881, 89 N.W.2d 377, 382, we said: “The approval of the commutation and order for lump sum payment, like a judg *1154 ment, are final and conclusive in tbe absence of fraud or some other equitable ground for disturbing them.” (Citations)

III. Plaintiff claims that tbe commissioner should have found permanent total disability under tbe provisions of section 85.34(3) with an award accordingly. To sustain bis position plaintiff urges first that the commissioner was wrong in his findings of facts. It is not for us to sit as trier of the facts.

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Bluebook (online)
125 N.W.2d 248, 255 Iowa 1149, 1963 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 815, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-larsen-construction-co-iowa-1963.