Title: Claim of Duckett

State: north-carolina

Issuer: North Carolina Supreme Court

Document:

156 S.E.2d 838 (1967) 271 N.C. 430 Claim of Mildred Lunsford DUCKETT, widow of Lt. Arthur Walter Duckett, for payment of Pension by Board of Examiners of Asheville Firemen's Pension and Disability Fund. No. 121. Supreme Court of North Carolina. September 27, 1967. *842 O. E. Starnes, Jr., Asheville, for appellant Board of Examiners. Don C. Young and Lee, Lee & Cogburn, Asheville, for appellee. BRANCH, Justice. "The right to a pension depends upon statutory provision therefor, and the existence of such right in particular instances is determinable primarily from the terms of the statute under which the right or privilege is granted." 40 Am.Jur., Pensions, Sec. 23, p. 980. Chapter 320 of the 1955 Session Laws of North Carolina provides in pertinent part: It is not controverted that deceased died as a result of a disability. Thus, the crucial question is whether there is sufficient, competent, material, substantial evidence to support the Board's finding that decedent was not disabled "while acting in line of his duties." In order to answer this question we must determine the meaning of "while acting in line of his duties" as used in the statute amending the Act establishing the pension fund for members of the Asheville Fire Department. We are unable to find a North Carolina case which has decisively interpreted the phrase, "while acting in line of his duties." Neither do we find much help or guidance from the many cases arising under our Workmen's Compensation Act, since there, compensation is only allowed when there is an injury by accident arising out of and in the course of employment. Wilson v. Town of Mooresville, 222 N.C. 283, 22 S.E.2d 907. Thus, without these additional requirements in the controlling statute, we must readily concede that "while acting in line of his duties" as used in the instant case has a much broader meaning than the language used in the Workmen's Compensation Act. Appellant contends that there must be causation, i. e., the disability or death must be produced by or arise from the employment, and that to hold otherwise would contravene the purpose of the legislature and lead to an absurd result. In support of this contention it cites In re Hickerson, 235 N.C. 716, 71 S.E.2d 129, which holds: The case of Hutchens v. Covert, 39 Ind.App. 382, 78 N.E. 1061, represents a line of authority which would seem to sustain appellant's position. Here the statute authorized a pension to the widow and children of a policeman on his death, and "while in line of duty or from natural causes". The court held that a pension under this act was not authorized where a policeman while at his place of duty committed suicide because of insanity without a showing that the insanity was the result of the performance of his duty. This case is factually distinguishable from the instant case, in that in Hutchens the deceased died because of self-destruction or his own wrongdoing and while he was not acting in the line of his duty. In State ex rel. v. Board of Trustees, 192 Mo.App. 583, 184 S.W. 929, the Missouri Court considered a pension statute which provided, "If any member of such fire department shall, while in the performance of his duty, be killed or die as the result of an injury received in the line of his duty, or of any disease contracted by reason of his occupation as fireman, or shall die from any cause whatever while in such service". Holding that the widow of a fireman who died as a result of being shot during a quarrel in a saloon and at a time when he had been granted a special leave of absence should not recover pension under this act, the court stated: "So that the phrase `while in such service' is not synonymous with `while a member of the fire department.' But the word `service' means the `same service' referred to in the three preceding clauses; that is to say, a service rendered `in the line of his duty' or `by reason of his occupation as a fireman.' The word `service' as here used means the act of serving, the labor performed or the duties required of a fireman, and is not used to refer to or designate a department of the city's activities." * * * "And so on throughout the act, the disability, injury, incapacity, or whatever it is, must arise from, or be connected in some way with, the performance of the duties of a fireman." The phrase "while in line of duty" was discussed in the case of Allen v. B., C. R. & N. Ry. Co., 57 Iowa 623, 11 N.W. 614, in an action for personal injuries sustained by a brakeman while getting off a moving train at a switch when a witness was allowed to testify that it was "in the line of his duty" for a brakeman to so do while the train was in motion. In pertinent part, the court stated: In the case of Mook v. City of Lincoln, 146 Neb. 779, 21 N.W.2d 743, a widow was granted a pension under a statute which provided for a pension in case of the death of a fireman "`while in the line of duty, `or where `death is caused by or is the result of injuries received while in the line of duty,' * * *" The plaintiff's decedent collapsed while on the roof of a building fighting a fire, and died within an hour, the cause of his death being angina pectoris. In this case the defendant contended, as does the defendant here, that in order for *844 the plaintiff to recover she must prove not only that death was in the line of duty, but also that death was the result of the duty and not merely coincident with it. The court, in deciding for the plaintiff, stated: It is obvious in this case that the court considered "while in line of duty" a plain, direct and unambiguous phrase which required no judicial interpretation. Further, the disjunctive participle "or" is used to indicate a clear alternative. The second alternative is not a part of the first, and its provisions cannot be read into the first. Recognizing the rule that the words of a statute must be given their natural or ordinary meaning (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Inc. v. Wake County, 251 N.C. 775, 112 S.E.2d 528), we turn to Webster's Third New International Dictionary for the following definitions: Thus, we hold that a person is acting "while in the line of duty" when he acts at the time and place he is required to be at work and when he is engaged in the performance of his duties or is engaged in activities incidental to his duties. The term "while in line of duty" is synonymous with "while in the course of employment" or "while in discharge of duty." The statute before us is clear, positive and understandable, and expresses a sensible meaning. In order for appellant to prevail, we would have to read into the statute a requirement that there be a causal relation between his disability and his duties. This we cannot do. Appellant further contends that the Superior Court is bound by the Pension Board's finding of fact. The finding of fact by the Board that decedent's death or disability was not received in line of duty was in reality a legal conclusion determinative of the parties' rights and as such is reviewable by the Superior Court, although it was denominated as a finding of fact. Continental Casualty Co. v. Funderburg, 264 N.C. 131, 140 S.E.2d 750; Warner v. W. & O., Inc., 263 N.C. 37, 138 S.E.2d 782. *845 There was not sufficient, competent, material substantial evidence to support the Board's conclusion that decedent was not disabled while acting in line of his duties. Affirmed.