Title: Smith v. Tennessee Furniture Industries, Inc.

State: tennessee

Issuer: Tennessee Supreme Court

Document:

369 S.W.2d 721 (1963) Roxie SMITH, Petitioner, v. TENNESSEE FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC., Respondent. Supreme Court of Tennessee. July 15, 1963. Franklin Park, Jefferson City, for petitioner. Paul R. Capps, Donald B. Oakley, Morristown, for respondent. ROBERT S. CLEMENT, Special Justice. This is a workmen's compensation case coming to this Court from the Circuit Court of Hamblen County where the Trial Judge found in favor of the Petitioner and allowed her one hundred sixty (160) weeks or forty per cent (40%), permanent partial disability to the body as a whole and also certain medical and hospital bills. The Petition alleges that on June 1, 1962, while in the course of her employment, Petitioner was pushing and lifting cases that weigh approximately ninety (90) to one hundred (100) pounds, when she received a rupture and injured her back. That she experienced sudden, acute pain involving her low back and the lower lumbar spine and that her stomach hurt at the same time; that she told her foreman about receiving these injuries and that he took her home about eleven o'clock in the morning, although her shift was not over until about 4:00 P.M. That she was off from work from the first until the sixth of June; that she went back to work on the 6th of June and worked until the 16th of June, when she was forced to go to a doctor and that she continued to work until the 26th day of June, when she was no longer able to work and was admitted to the hospital. Petitioner further states that she advised her boss, Mr. Ramsey, on June 26th, 1962, that she was going to have to go to the hospital and have an operation because of her injuries and that she was hospitalized on July 5, 1962. Petitioner further alleges that since *722 that time she has been unable to work and is totally disabled. The Defendant, in its amended answer, says that the Petitioner did not give notice, as required by law, that she had sustained an injury in the course of her employment and that the Defendant did not receive actual or constructive notice of the alleged injury, and denies that the Petitioner sustained an injury growing out of and in the course of her employment. The Defendant relies on the following assignment of errors: 1. The Court erred in finding that the defendant had notice of any injury arising out of and in the course of plaintiff's employment with defendant as required under the Workmen's Compensation Law of Tennessee. 2. The Court erred in finding and holding that the hernia sustained by the plaintiff arose out of and in the course of her said employment and in holding the defendant liable for the medical and hospital bills related thereto. 3. The Court erred in awarding any compensation to plaintiff in this case, she having failed to prove notice of injury as required by the Workmen's Compensation Law. 4. The Court erred in overruling defendant's motion for a new trial. It, therefore, appears that the main questions involved are whether or not the Petitioner gave proper notice and whether or not her injuries arose out of and in the course of her employment. The Petitioner testified that she had worked for the Defendant Company for a period of five years and that her duties consisted of "cleaning and pushing cases on the case line" and that there is lifting in her work. In response to a question by her attorney as to what she was doing at the time she was hurt, Petitioner replied: On cross examination Petitioner further testified: Petitioner further testified: The testimony of Dr. Kemp Davis, Petitioner's physician, is very important in the consideration of this case and his testimony will be quoted in some length. Dr. Davis testified that the Petitioner was first seen by him on June 16, 1962, at which time she stated that while working at the Tennessee Industries a few days prior to June 16th, while pushing cases, she noticed severe pain in her abdomen and in her lower back, which pain became increasingly worse. That Petitioner was admitted to the hospital once in June and again in July; that in July she had a rupture in the lower part of her abdomen which, she stated, came on a few days prior to June 16th and that her complaints on June 16th, at the first examination, were as follows: One of the witnesses called by the Defendant was Ova Lee Jones, an employee of the Department of Employment Security. She testified that on July 18, 1962, which was one day prior to her operation, the Petitioner applied for benefits under the Tennessee Employment Security Act, commonly known as "Unemployment Payments." That one of the things that an applicant certifies to is that the applicant is ready, able and available for work. That subsequent to this initial filing, the Petitioner drew twelve (12) payments and had signed for her 13th, which had been upheld on account of the pending suit. Another witness who testified for the Defendant was Polly Satterfield, an employee *726 of the Defendant. She testified that part of her duties required the keeping of a log of any and all injuries at the plant and that she had referred to her records for the months of May and June of 1962 and that she did not find a report of an injury sustained by the Petitioner and that if Petitioner had reported such injury it would be listed. Mrs. Faye McKinney, Assistant Office Manager of the Defendant, testified that it was a part of her duties to be responsible for the payroll and time records of the Company. She presented the time card and time sheet of the Petitioner Roxie Smith, the time card covering the period beginning Wednesday, May 30, 1962, and ending Tuesday, June 5, 1962. The time card shows that on June 1, 1962, Friday, the Petitioner clocked in at 6:50 A.M., was out for lunch from 12:03 P.M. to 12:50 P.M. and clocked out at 4:00 P.M. in the afternoon. The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, June 2nd and 3rd, there was no work in the plant, but on Monday, June 4th, and Tuesday, June 5th, the Petitioner clocked in at 6:50 A.M. on a Monday and 6:50 A.M. on a Tuesday, out for lunch at the usual time and clocked out at the end of the day at 4:00 P.M. The time sheet further discloses that Petitioner lost no time during the month of May and that she lost only one day during the period ending June 12th; one day during the period ending June 19th and one day during the period ending June 26th, 1962, the date of her last employment. Charlie Ramsey, who Petitioner says carried her home and who is no longer with the Defendant Company, now lives in the State of North Carolina, testified as follows: We quote the more pertinent parts of the Trial Court's findings: TCA Section 50-1001 reads as follows: TCA Section 50-1002 reads as follows: We will first consider the question as to whether or not there is material evidence to show that proper notice was given the employer, and, if not, was there reasonable excuse for failure to give such notice. The Petitioner testified that her foreman, Mr. Ramsey, had actual notice of the injury which she complains of on June 1, 1962, in that he carried her home. She further testified that she was unable to clock out and that she thought she hit her card, but didn't and Charlie Mullins went over there and punched her card. The sworn petition alleges that the injury occurred on June 1st. Defendant's witness, Mr. Ramsey, testified that the Petitioner did not tell him of an injury and that he did not carry her home on June 1st or at any other time except *728 April of 1962, at which time she was ill. A silent witness, but one whose mechanism cries out loudly in this record, is the time card which shows that Petitioner worked a full day on the first of June, the second of June was on Saturday, the third on Sunday, and Petitioner was back on the job on Monday, the fourth, and Tuesday, the fifth. In fact, she worked almost continuously the entire month of June with the exception of about three days during the latter part of the month. Dr. Davis, Petitioner's own physician, testified that he first saw Petitioner on June 16th and we cannot help but observe that June 16th fell on a Saturday, which was a day that Petitioner would be off from work. Dr. Davis went into great detail as to Petitioner's complaints and indicated on his first report that Petitioner's sickness or injury did not arise out of the patient's employment. In fact, the record reflects that part of her medical bills were paid by other insurance policies, indicating that her injuries were not covered by workmen's compensation benefits. Many years ago, this Court established the rule, which has been followed consistently, that if there is material evidence to support the findings of the Trial Judge, his findings will not be disturbed on appeal. Vester Gas Range and Manufacturing Company v. Leonard, 148 Tenn. 665, 257 S.W. 395; Bon Air Coal and Iron Corp. v. Johnson, 153 Tenn. 255, 283 S.W. 477; Diamond Coal Company v. Jackson, 156 Tenn. 179, 299 S.W. 802; Block Coal and Coke Co. v. Gibson, 199 Tenn. 116, 285 S.W.2d 112; Atlas Powder Co. v. Grimes, 200 Tenn. 206, 292 S.W.2d 13; and many others. The Court has also followed the rule that the question of reasonableness of excuse for failure to give notice required by Statute is one peculiarly for the Trial Judge and when there is material evidence to support his findings on the question such finding is final as far as the Appellate Court is concerned. Lampley v. St. Paul Mercury Indemnity Co., 201 Tenn. 458, 300 S.W.2d 876. In a recent case of Aluminum Company of America v. Rogers, 211 Tenn. 187, 364 S.W.2d 358, 359, this Court held that, while recognizing that this was a question for the Trial Judge, the material evidence rule applies to this issue of fact the same as to other issues of fact. Brookside Mills v. Harrison, 158 Tenn. 86, 11 S.W.2d 679; Marshall Construction Co. v. Russell, 163 Tenn. 410, 43 S.W.2d 208; and York v. Federal Chemical Co., 188 Tenn. 63, 216 S.W.2d 725. We have reviewed the testimony in this case at great length and have copied an unusual amount of same in this opinion in order to make a final determination of the matter. As heretofore stated, the finding of the Trial Judge will not be disturbed if there is material evidence to support his finding. Webster defines "Material" "Of solid or weighty character, of consequence, important". Black's Law Dictionary defines "Material" as, "important, more or less necessary, having influence or effect, going to the merits, having to do with matter as distinguished from form". So, the question recurs, "Is there material evidence to support the findings of the Trial Judge?" Before reaching final determination of this case, we are disposed to comment on the statement of the learned Trial Judge in speaking of the Workmen's Compensation statute wherein he said: "IT IS MORE OF A SOCIAL WELFARE STATUTE". We cannot agree with this statement. We do agree with the Trial Judge that the courts should construe the act liberally in favor of the employee and this Court has so held in numerous cases. he purpose of the Act is set out in the case of Mathis v. J.L. Forrest and Sons, 188 Tenn. 128, 216 S.W.2d 967. In the case of Norton v. Standard Coosa-Thatcher Company, 203 Tenn. 649, 315 S.W.2d 245, the Court said the Workmen's Compensation Law was passed simply to provide for the disability to the employee occurring under certain specified conditions while such employee is working for the employer. In the case of Partee v. Memphis Concrete Pipe Company, 155 Tenn. 441, 295 S.W. 68, approved by the case of Maxwell v. Beck, 169 Tenn. 315, 87 S.W.2d 564, and other cases, it is said: As we have said, the statute is not to be given a narrow construction, but should be applied fairly and broadly to accomplish the ends intended. Nowhere has the Legislature, by law, or the Court, by interpretation, ever held this Act to be a social welfare statute and to so hold is contrary to express purposes and provisions of the Act. The Act specifically provides that in order for an employee to recover under this Act he must, first, prove that he is an employee; second, that he sustained an accidental injury which has been defined from time to time as being an unusual, fortuitous, or unexpected happening, causing injury and which was accidental in character. See Morrison v. Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company, 162 Tenn. 523, 39 S.W.2d 272; third, that such accident and injury grew out of and in the course of his employment; and, finally, that he gave due notice thereof to his employer either in writing or in person, all within the meaning of the various sections of the Act. In the case of Willoughby v. Warstler & Egly Bakery, Inc., et al., 201 Tenn. 277, 298 S.W.2d 727, this Court, speaking through Justice Tomlinson, held that while giving the Workmen's Compensation Statute an equitable construction, the Courts must be careful not to enter the field of legislation. We think that Petitioner's case must stand or fall on the date of the alleged accident, June 1, 1962. She states in her sworn petition that the accident occurred on June 1st, and she so testified. She further testified that about 11:00 A.M. on June 1st, she notified Charlie Mullins, an inspector boy, "to go tell Mr. Ramsey that I had to go home". She further stated that, "I told him I was sick and I sat down on the case line." Continuing, Petitioner stated, "Yes, and when I went in around by the clock to punch out, I thought I hit my card, but I didn't hit the card. Charlie Mullins went over there and punched me out. He said I didn't punch out". We have examined the record carefully and no where do we find where the Petitioner testified that she told her foreman, Ramsey, that she had suffered an accident. Charlie Ramsey, the foreman, testified that she did not give him notice of an accident and the only time he ever carried her home was in April of 1962. Polly Satterfield, who was called by the Defendant, testified that a part of her duties was to keep a log of all injuries and that she had reviewed the records and she did not find that the Petitioner had reported an injury. Ova Lee Jones, an employee of the Department of Employment Security, testified that on July 18, 1962, Petitioner filed her claim for unemployment benefits in which she certified that he was ready, able and available to accept employment, and that *730 Petitioner drew twelve checks and a thirteenth had been held up on account of this suit. Faye McKinney, the Assistant Office Manager for the Defendant, testified that a part of her responsibility was the keeping of the time records for the payroll. She produced the time card of Petitioner for the week beginning Wednesday, May 30, 1962, and ending Tuesday, June 5, 1962. This card disclosed that on June 1, 1962, the Petitioner checked in at 6:50 A.M., out for lunch at 12:03 P.M., back at 12:50 P.M., and out for the day at 4:00 P.M. This mechanical witness cries out strongly against the Petitioner's testimony. The card further discloses that Petitioner worked a full day Monday, June 4th, and Tuesday, June 5th. Another witness who contradicts Petitioner is her own doctor. Dr. Davis testified that he first saw Petitioner on June 16th and that she gave him a history of having suffered some pain in her abdomen and lower back while pushing cases and that said pain had become increasingly worse. Dr. Davis' records also indicate that her sickness or injury did not arise out of patient's employment. In the case of King v. Buckeye Cotton Oil Co., 155 Tenn. 491, 296 S.W. 3, 53 A.L.R. 1086, in an opinion by Justice Swiggart, the Court held that, while this Court is bound by the findings of the Trial Judge on the question of fact whenever there is any evidence to sustain the finding, it is not bound by the conclusions drawn from undisputed facts and may reach a different conclusion from that of the Trial Court. In the case of York v. Federal Chemical Company, 188 Tenn. 63, 216 S.W.2d 725, in an opinion by Justice Burnett where notice of actual knowledge of the employee's accident was at issue, this Court held that the burden was on Petitioner to show that notice was given or had been waived by the conduct of employer in recognition of his liability or was excused by inability or faultless omission of employee. Quoting from the York opinion, we find: "No valid reason is given for the failure on the part of the employee to give the employer notice of the accident. He kept on with his work for about two weeks and then because it apparently pained him so much he quit work. This was ample time to have given notice and yet he did not do so for more than thirty days thereafter". One of the more recent cases on the question of notice is Aluminum Company of Amercia v. Rogers, 211 Tenn. 187, 364 S.W.2d 358. In this case the employee called in to a superior, stating, "That something had hit me to come up there and I was sick and vomiting". The employee, Rogers, was carried to a first-aid station where a nurse for the company examined him and put him to bed. This case was based on the employee's lowering a tight window while on duty at the guard station and that as a result of this, his pre-existing condition of diabetes was materially aggravated and from which he became totally disabled and finally resulted in his death. The company claimed that they had no notice of this accidental injury alleged to have occurred on March 14, 1958, until the filing of the suit on October 24, 1958. In the Rogers case, the Trial Court found that the alleged injury arose out of employee's employment which aggravated a pre-existing condition and awarded Petitioner full benefits. In reversing and dismissing the Rogers case, Judge Dyer, speaking for this Court, said: "This statute makes the question of reasonableness of the excuse or failure to give written notice one peculiarly for the Trial Judge but the material evidence rule applies to this issue of fact the same as to other issues of fact". As we view all of the evidence in the light most favorable to Petitioner, we have reached the conclusion from undisputed facts that there is no material evidence to support the finding of the Trial Judge that the Defendant had actual or constructive notice of an accidental injury suffered by the Petitioner. Nowhere in the *731 record does Petitioner say that she told her foreman, Ramsey, that she had been injured. She testified, "I went and told Charlie Mullins to go tell Mr. Ramsey that I had to go home". The record is silent as to Charlie Mullins. He was not called by either side and no reason was given for his absence. Again quoting from Aluminum Company of America v. Rogers, we re-state from Volume 58 of American Jurisprudence, page 832: "But the employer's knowledge of the fact that an employee became ill while at work does not necessarily of itself charge the employer with notice that such illness constituted or resulted in a compensable injury". Having reached our decision on the question of notice, it is not necessary to consider the other assignments of error. The action of the Trial Judge is reversed and the case dismissed.