Case Title: IBARRA v. HITCH FARMS

Citation: 

Docket Number: 96828

State: oklahoma

Court: Oklahoma Supreme Court

Date: 2002-05-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
IBARRA v. HITCH FARMS  IBARRA v. HITCH FARMS 2002 OK 41 48 P.3d 802 Case Number: 96828 Decided: 05/21/2002 Mandate Issued: 06/27/2002 THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA Rodrigo Ibarra, Petitioner v. Hitch Farms, Own Risk, and The Workers' Compensation Court, Respondents. [48 P.3d 802] CERTIORARI TO COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS, Division I. ¶0 Workers' Compensation Court, Honorable Craig Johnston, held claim barred by statute of limitation because it was brought more than two years from date of last authorized medical treatment. Court of Civil Appeals sustained order. CERTIORARI PREVIOUSLY GRANTED; OPINION OF COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS VACATED; ORDER OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION COURT VACATED; CAUSE REMANDED TO TRIAL TRIBUNAL WITH DIRECTIONS TO TREAT CLAIM AS TIMELY FILED AND FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS CONSISTENT WITH THIS PRONOUNCEMENT. Brandon J. Burton, Burton & Associates, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Petitioner Michael D. Carter, Carter & Kirk, P.C., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Respondent HODGES, J. ¶1 Certiorari review of this matter was granted to address a single issue on which divisions of the Court of Civil Appeals are split: Does the two year statute of limitations in a workers' compensation action begin to run from the date of the injured worker's last authorized medical treatment or does it run from the date of payment of that treatment? This Court holds that, pursuant to section 43(A) of the Workers' Compensation Act, the statute of limitations begins to run with the last payment of medical treatment authorized by the employer or the insurance carrier. ¶2 Rodrigo Ibarra (Worker) sustained a job-related injury on February 22, 1999. He last sought medical treatment on April 6, 1999. On June 1, 1999, the last payment for authorized medical treatment was made. On April 9, 2001, Worker filed his claim for compensation. The Workers' Compensation Court and the Court of Civil Appeals held that under title 85, section 43(A), of the Oklahoma Statutes, a workers' compensation claim must be brought within two years of the date of the last authorized medical treatment rather than the date of payment for that treatment. Those courts found the April 6, 1999, claim to be time barred. ¶3 In its decision sustaining the order of the Workers' Compensation Court, division 1 of the Court of Civil Appeals relied upon Hadley v. American General Life Insurance Co., ¶4 A decision holding a Workers' Compensation claim is barred by the statute of limitations is a conclusion of law. It is [48 P.3d 803] therefore subject to de novo review. Sneed v. McDonnel Douglas, ¶5 The statute of limitations for a single injury workers' compensation claim provides: The right to claim compensation under the Workers' Compensation Act shall be forever barred unless, within two (2) years after the date of accidental injury or death, a claim for compensation is filed with the Workers' Compensation Court. Provided however, a claim may be filed within two (2) years of the last payment of any compensation or remuneration paid in lieu of compensation or medical treatment which was authorized by the employer or the insurance carrier. Okla. Stat. tit. ¶6 There are "two exceptions that toll the time when a workers' compensation claim for single-event trauma can be brought." Smith v. Matrix Serv. Inc., ¶7 The Court of Civil Appeals held that the phrase "last payment of" applies only to "any compensation." It then applied the two year limitations period from the date of "medical treatment" rather than the date of "payment of . . . medical treatment" to hold the claim time barred. It did so in reliance on the 1981 Court of Civil Appeals decision in Hadley, ¶8 Hadley construed the pre-1985 version of section 43 which provided that "claims may be filed at any time within one (1) year from the date of last payment of any compensation or remuneration paid in lieu of compensation or within one (1) year from last authorized medical treatment." Okla. Stat. tit. ¶9 Recently, the Court of Civil Appeals was asked to construe the current version of the statute, enacted in 1985, in Harlow, ¶10 This Court approves the construction placed on section 43 (A) in Gabler and Harlow. The 1985 amendment to the statute of limitations makes the operative event the last payment of either (1) compensation or remuneration in lieu thereof, or (2) authorized medical treatment. ¶11 The record in this matter reveals that the last payment of authorized medical treatment was made on June 1, 1999. Therefore, Worker's claim filed April 9, 2001, was timely. The opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals and the order of the Workers' Compensation Court are vacated. The cause is remanded to the Workers' Compensation Court for proceedings consistent with this opinion. CERTIORARI PREVIOUSLY GRANTED; OPINION OF COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS VACATED; ORDER OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION COURT VACATED; CAUSE REMANDED TO TRIAL TRIBUNAL WITH DIRECTIONS TO TREAT CLAIM AS TIMELY FILED AND FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS CONSISTENT WITH THIS PRONOUNCEMENT.