Case Title: Ludovici v. AMERICAN SCREW COMPANY

Citation: 210 A.2d 648

Docket Number: 

State: rhode-island

Court: Rhode Island Supreme Court

Date: 1965-06-03T00:00:00Z

Document:
210 A.2d 648 (1965) Benny LUDOVICI v. AMERICAN SCREW COMPANY et al. Eq. No. 3212. Supreme Court of Rhode Island. June 3, 1965. Abedon, Michaelson & Stanzler, Julius C. Michaelson, Richard A. Skolnik, Providence, for petitioner. Vincent J. Chisholm, Providence, for respondents. *649 PAOLINO, Justice. This is a petition to adjudge the respondents in contempt for discontinuing partial disability compensation payments to the petitioner. After a hearing before the trial commissioner upon an agreed statement of facts, a decree was entered denying and dismissing the petition. The case is here on the petitioner's appeal from a decree of the full commission affirming the decree of the trial commissioner. The following is the agreed statement of facts. It is undisputed that such of petitioner's rights as we are here concerned with are governed by the law in force on the date of his injury. See Kostiv v. Fedorowicz, R.I., 207 A.2d 387, and Vick v. Aubin, 73 R.I. 508, 58 A.2d 109. The applicable section of the workmen's compensation act as amended by P.L.1942, chap. 1246, reads as follows: Having paid weekly compensation benefits for a period of over 800 weeks from the date of the injury, respondents discontinued payments in reliance on that portion of sec. 11 which provides that "in no case shall the period covered by such compensation be greater than 800 weeks from the date of the injury." (italics ours) The petitioner contends here, as he did before the commission, that the word "injury" as used in sec. 11 does not mean the original incident or accident which caused the incapacity for work, but rather that it means the time when the employee's status changes from total incapacity for work to partial incapacity for work. Premised on such meaning, he contends that the 800-week period prescribed in the statute starts to run when such partial incapacity commences. He cites Rosa v. George A. Fuller Co., 74 R.I. 215, 60 A.2d 150, Larkin v. George A. Fuller Co., 76 R.I. 395, 71 A.2d 690, and Noel v. Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., 94 R.I. 102, 178 A.2d 126, to support his position. He argues further that to construe the 800-week period for partial compensation to commence at the same time as total incapacity begins, is to conclude that the right to partial incapacity benefits may expire before they begin. We have reexamined the cases cited by petitioner and have carefully considered the arguments advanced by him in his reasons of appeal. We find that in the circumstances here Rosa, Larkin and Noel, supra, do not help him. The case at bar is controlled by statutory language which is clear *650 and unambiguous and therefore requires no judicial construction. Pardi v. E. Turgeon Construction Co., 90 R.I. 269, 272, 157 A.2d 677. We hold that as used in sec. 11 the word "injury" means incapacity for work. Santilli v. Original Bradford Soap Works, Inc., 85 R.I. 305, 313, 131 A.2d 235. The phrase "from the date of the injury" means that the controlling date for the purpose of determining the commencement of the 800-week period mentioned in sec. 11 is the date upon which the employee first became entitled to compensation. Such date in accordance with our well-settled law in this state is the date on which the employee became incapacitated for work. If the legislature had intended otherwise, as petitioner contends, it could have easily expressed such an intention by appropriate language. Moreover if sec. 11 were construed to have the meaning which petitioner contends it has, the phrase "from the date of the injury" would have no significance and would be mere surplusage. The wisdom of the legislation is not for us to pass upon. The result which we reach in this case finds support in Plouffe v. Taft-Peirce Mfg. Co., 91 R.I. 221, 224, 162 A.2d 557, 559, where the court said: The petitioner's appeal is denied and dismissed, the decree appealed from is affirmed, and the cause is remanded to the workmen's compensation commission for further proceedings.