Case Name: WINTER GARDEN CITRUS and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Appellants, v. Mary PARRISH, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1983-09-22
Citations: 438 So. 2d 472
Docket Number: No. AP-118
Parties: WINTER GARDEN CITRUS and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Appellants, v. Mary PARRISH, Appellee.
Judges: LARRY G. SMITH, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 438
Pages: 472–476

Head Matter:
WINTER GARDEN CITRUS and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Appellants, v. Mary PARRISH, Appellee.
No. AP-118.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Sept. 22, 1983.
Rehearing Denied Oct. 19, 1983.
Donna L. Bergh of Walker, Buckmaster, Miller & Ketcham, P.A., Orlando, for appellants.
Thomas R. Mooney and Sherry L. Davis of Meyers & Mooney, P.A., Orlando, for appellee.

Opinion:
MILLS, Judge.
In this workers' compensation action, the employer/carrier appeal an order awarding claimant attorney's fees pursuant to Section 440.34(2)(b), Florida Statutes (1979). We reverse.
The claimant, Mary Parrish, hurt her back while working for Winter Garden Citrus. She immediately began receiving temporary total disability benefits. After being notified of claimant's maximum medical improvement, employer/carrier stopped paying temporary total disability benefits and began paying wage loss benefits. Parrish retained Mooney as her attorney. Mooney assisted in filing wage loss claims and eventually made a permanent total disability claim. Although the claimant received rehabilitation services for a short time after her injury, the employer/carrier did not attempt to investigate or rehabilitate further until more than three months after injury.
Before the scheduled permanent total disability hearing, Parrish moved to Alabama. At the initial hearing, the deputy commissioner found that the issue of permanent total disability was not ripe for adjudication. He allowed the employer/carrier 60 days to achieve Parrish's rehabilitation. The employer/carrier voluntarily accepted permanent total disability within 60 days.
After a hearing on attorney's fees, the deputy issued an order finding that the employer/carrier acted in bad faith by not accepting permanent total disability earlier. The deputy awarded $10,000 as a reasonable attorney's fee.
The employer/carrier contend that the claimant did not suffer an economic loss as required by Section 440.34(2)(b). The fact that the claimant received wage loss benefits limited in duration when she should have been getting permanent disability not so limited does not amount to economic loss when the amount of each payment is the same. Recovery under Section 440.34(2)(b) requires a showing of present economic loss.
The deputy commissioner found economic loss based in part on his finding that claimant would have been entitled to supplemental benefits pursuant to Section 440.-15(l)(e), Florida Statutes (1979). Supplemental benefits however, could not have been payable until 1 January 1982, the first day of the calendar year following the date of injury and maximum medical improvement. Because the employer/carrier vol untarily accepted claimant as permanently and totally disabled on 6 January 1982, any loss of supplemental benefits is de minimis.
The claimant's obligation to pay for the services of her attorney was not a present economic loss but merely an obligation contingent on the employer/carrier's liability for claimant's attorney's fees under Section 440.34(2)(b).
Although the record reveals that a finding of bad faith was justified, claimant suffered no economic loss and for that reason cannot recover attorney's fees.
For the above reasons, the order of the deputy commissioner is reversed.
LARRY G. SMITH, J., concurs.
ERVIN, C.J., dissents with opinion.
. See Martino v. Nevins Fruit Company, IRC Order 2-3775 (April 20, 1979). The Martino Order is reprinted below in its entirety.
State of Florida
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION
Ervin Martino Appellant v. Nevins Fruit Company Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Company Florida Division of Labor, Workmen's Compensation Administration Trust Fund Appellees : CL. No. [ XXX-XX-XXXX ] D/A 2/24/77
Meyers, Mooney & Adler, P.A., Orlando, for Appellant
Driscoll, Langston, Layton & Kane, P.A., Orlando, for Nevins Fruit Company and Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Company
Thomas A. Koval, Tallahassee, for Florida Division of Labor, Workmen's Compensation Administration Trust Fund
ORDER
Per Curiam.
This cause comes before the Industrial Relations Commission on claimant's application for review of the order of the Judge of Industrial Claims dated November 14, 1978, denying the claim for additional supplemental benefits under Sec. 440.15(l)(e), Fla.Stat.
Appellant presents the following points on appeal:
1. That the Judge of Industrial Claims erred in finding that the payment of supplemental benefits under Florida Statute 400.15(l)(e) [sic] should commence on January 1, 1978, rather than the date of claimant's maximum medical improvement which was August 12, 1977.
2. That the Judge of Industrial Claims erred in dismissing the claim for supplemental benefits for the period from August 12, 1977 through December 21, 1977.
3. That the Judge of Industrial Claims erred in failing to award an attorney's fee.
The Commission dispenses with oral argument pursuant to Rule 21, W.C.R.P.
The order on appeal finds, based upon stipulation of the parties, that the relevant facts are:
(1) Claimant is permanently and totally disabled.
(2) He reached maximum medical improvement on August 12, 1977.
(3) A claim for supplemental benefits and attorney's fees was filed on April 24, 1978, and
(4) Supplemental benefits were paid on April 24,1978, retroactive to January 1,1978.
The judge ruled that the Fund properly interpreted Sec. 440.15(l)(e), Fla.Stat., to mean payments of supplemental benefits should commence the first calendar year after the date of injury and attainment of maximum medical improvement, pursuant to the provision of the cited section that "[i]n case of permanent total disability . the injured employee shall receive from the division additional weekly compensation benefits equal to 5 percent of the injured employee's weekly compensation rate . multiplied by the number of calendar years since the date of injury...."
In this case, claimant reached maximum medical improvement before the 1977 calendar year elapsed. Therefore, claimant was entitled to supplemental benefits as of January 1, 1978, the next calendar year.
As to point 3, the consistent position of the Commission has been that attorney's fees are not awardable against the Fund.
The decision of the Judge of Industrial Claims is affirmed.
It is so ordered.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION
LEANDER J. SHAW, JR" Commissioner
ARTHUR C. CANADY, Commissioner
SEAL WINIFRED L. WENTWORTH, Commissioner
THIS IS TO CERTIFY that on this April 20,1979, the above Order was filed in the office of the Industrial Relations Commission at Tallahassee and copies were mailed to the below named person(s) at the last known address, as shown.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION
BY s/V. Martin Clerk