Title: Estate of Babb v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.
Citation: 417 So. 2d 545
Docket Number: 53262
State: Mississippi
Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court
Date: July 21, 1982

417 So. 2d 545 (1982) Legal Heirs and/or ESTATE OF Wilbert B. BABB, Deceased v. GTE SYLVANIA, INC. (Zinsco Electrical Products of Mississippi) and American Motorists Insurance Company. No. 53262. Supreme Court of Mississippi. July 21, 1982. *546 Charles W. Witt, John C. Underwood, Jr., Taylor, Witt &amp; Underwood, Jackson, for appellant. Dan McCullen, Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens &amp; Cannada, Jackson, for appellees. Before WALKER, P.J., and BROOM and ROY NOBLE LEE, JJ. ROY NOBLE LEE, Justice, for the Court: William B. Babb filed a claim for workmen's compensation benefits (motion to controvert) on March 9, 1978, alleging that he suffered emotional trauma in the scope of his employment during the period from April 1, 1976, to November 23, 1976. On April 4, 1978, Babb committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and his motion to controvert was revived in the name of his estate. On August 11, 1978, Mrs. Sara Babb, his widow and only dependent, filed a second motion to controvert, seeking compensation benefits as a result of his death. The employer/carrier, GTE Sylvania, Inc. [GTE] and American Motorist Insurance Company, filed separate answers. The hearing was held before an administrative judge, who heard lay and medical testimony, found that Babb's injury was causally connected to his employment, and awarded compensation benefits. The employer/carrier appealed to the full Commission which reversed the administrative judge's order, holding that Babb's injury and death were not shown by clear evidence to be causally connected with his employment. The claimant appealed to the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Honorable William F. Coleman, presiding, which court affirmed the order of the full Commission, and the claimant has appealed here. The claimant contends that the findings and order of the Mississippi Workmen's Compensation Commission are contrary to law and are not supported by substantial evidence, and the judgment of the lower court and the order of the Workmen's Compensation Commission should be reversed. Babb was a married male, who was born August 1, 1930. He started working for Presto Manufacturing Company in 1957 on an assembly-line operation making small appliances, and later became supervisor in the assembly line. He left Presto in 1969 and went to work for Zinsco as foreman on the assembly line. Zinsco was in the business of manufacturing electrical distribution equipment and transformers and was purchased by GTE Sylvania, Inc. about 1974. Babb continued as an assembly-line foreman for GTE. Babb had suffered physical disabilities through the years as follows: (1) Lumbar disc surgery in May, 1957. (2) Lumbar disc surgery in September, 1974. (3) Chronic peptic ulcer disease since the mid-1950's with confinement at Doctors' Hospital for ulcer problems in 1958, 1970, 1974, and 1975. (4) In August, 1975, he suffered perforation of the ilium because of a lodged fishbone *547 and suffered an exploratory laparotomy and removal of a part of the small bowel. (5) Hospitalization from January 12 to January 27, 1976, with a chronic duodenal ulcer, which necessitated surgical procedure. (6) Hospitalization at St. Dominic's-Jackson Memorial Hospital from May 11 to May 16, 1976, for a heart problem. When Babb had the surgical procedure January 12, 1976, he took a leave of absence from January 12 until March 15, 1976, aggregating nine (9) weeks. He was on sick leave again from May 17 through June 11, 1976, missing four (4) weeks. On his return to work, he was transferred from a special work project in the stockroom, where he was employed at the time of his illness, to the Quality Control Department, where he worked until he left the employ of the company around Thanksgiving, 1976. Appellants contend that Babb sustained a compensable injury which was caused by pressures of work from April 1 to November 23, 1976.[1] Evidence, both lay and expert, for appellant and appellee are in conflict. The appellant introduced Dr. James Edward Ruff, a psychiatrist, as an expert witness and an attending physician of Babb. He first examined Babb upon referral of Dr. James Crosthwait, a cardiologist, and followed the patient until his death. Dr. Ruff testified that, in his opinion, Babb's psychological difficulties had rendered him permanently and totally disabled by February, 1977, and he causally-connected Babb's psychological disorders to the stresses with which deceased had to deal, primarily, the stress from his job. He also testified that Babb's mental disorder and ultimate suicide were probably causally-connected to the problems he encountered in his work activities with GTE and that Babb was probably not responsible for his actions at the time of his suicide. Dr. Richard W. Naef never examined Babb, but he reviewed twelve (12) exhibits, including hospital records, which will be enumerated hereafter, and expressed the opinion there was no causal connection between Babb's mental condition and subsequent death, and his employment. The Commission's order denying compensation benefits was based in large part upon the testimony of Dr. Naef. The Commission made the following finding on that testimony: [10] The exhibits which Dr. Naef examined were: Exhibit 2 A copy of deceased's Certificate of Death Exhibit 3 Copy of out-patient notes of Dr. Ruff from September 9, 1976, through March 6, 1978 Exhibit 8 Copy of Defendant's 1976 Salary Attendance Record Exhibit 9 Copy of defendant's 1975 Salary Attendance Record Exhibit 10 Copy of letter signed by Mr. Phillip Patton dated April 22, 1977 Exhibit 11 Copy of the Company Confidential Salary Information Form Exhibit 15 Copy of Hospital records from Baptist Hospital, first admission August 27, 1974, second admission April 7, 1975, third admission June 12, 1975 Exhibit 16 Copy of hospital records from Doctor's Hospital commencing January 12, 1976 Exhibit 17 Copy of hospital records from St. Dominic's Hospital commencing May 11, 1976 Exhibit 18 Copy of hospital records from St. Dominic's Hospital commencing November 29, 1976 Exhibit 19 Copy of hospital records from St. Dominic's Hospital commencing February 11, 1977 Exhibit 20 Copies of hospital records from Veterans Administration Hospital, first admission August, 1976, second admission July, 1977 Babb was hospitalized at the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Jackson first on August 16, 1976. During periods of hospitalization, the following history and notations on the records were indicated at the VA Hospital: In Hemphill Drug Co. v. Mann, 274 So. 2d 117 (Miss. 1973), the Court said: In Malley v. Over-the-Top, 229 Miss. 347, 90 So. 2d 678 (1956), the Court said: See also Segar v. Garan, Inc., 388 So. 2d 164 (Miss. 1980); Holloway v. Prassell Enterprises, Inc., 348 So. 2d 771 (Miss. 1977); and Brown v. F.W. Woolworth Co., 348 So. 2d 236 (Miss. 1977). We are of the opinion that the findings and order of the Workmen's Compensation Commission were supported by substantial evidence and that the lower court was eminently correct in affirming that order. The parties concede and agree that the Workmen's Compensation law in Mississippi, as interpreted, requires a physical injury or traumatic impact which results in the mental condition. However, in view of our decision on the facts related in Section I hereinabove, it is not necessary for us to address that question. For the reasons stated, the judgment of the lower court is affirmed. AFFIRMED. PATTERSON, C.J., SUGG and WALKER, P. JJ., and BROOM, BOWLING, HAWKINS and DAN LEE, JJ., concur. PRATHER, J., takes no part. [1] The record indicates that from April 1 through mid-September, 1976, Babb worked only nine (9) weeks because of unrelated physical infirmities and one (1) week of vacation.