Opinion ID: 2412555
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claims of Bertha, Cassie and Chester Ritchie

Text: From the evidence before it, the Board found as a fact that Bertha Ritchie and her husband, the deceased, separated in 1934, were reconciled in 1937, and lived together for a short while. He abandoned her in 1937, and they never thereafter lived together. One of their children involved in this appeal, Cassie Ritchie, was born January 2, 1933, and the other Chester Ritchie, was born January 1, 1938, which was after the final separation of his parents. Deceased never supported these children and was not supporting or contributing to their support, nor were they living with him, at the time of his death. Since Cassie Ritchie was over 16 years of age at the time deceased was killed and there is nothing in the record to show that she is incapacitated from wage earning and since neither she nor Chester Ritchie, who was under 16 years of age, was living with or being supported by their father at the time of his accidental death, the Board was correct in its findings that neither was entitled to participate in the award. KRS 342.075; Franklin Fluorspar Co. v. Bell, 247 Ky. 507, 57 S.W.2d 481; Ramey v. Portsmouth By-Products Co., 234 Ky. 75, 27 S.W.2d 415. Likewise, we think it was established by the evidence before the Board that Bertha Ritchie was voluntarily abandoned by deceased in 1937, and that this abandonment was not caused by her misconduct. There was evidence that she was guilty of misconduct after the abandonment and an illegitimate child was born to her in 1942, but we think the evidence before the Board justified its findings that the abandonment of her by deceased was not due to her misconduct. Misconduct after the abandonment would not bar her right to participate in the award as his wife. Layman-Calloway Coal Co. v. Martin, 209 Ky. 690, 273 S.W. 496. As the voluntarily abandoned wife of deceased, from whom she had never been divorced, she is conclusively presumed to be wholly dependent on him and entitled to compensation, even though she was not actually being supported by him at the time of his accidental death. KRS 342.075; Rockhouse Coal Co. v. Collins, 212 Ky. 137, 278 S.W. 540; Jones v. Louisville Gas & Electric Co., 209 Ky. 642, 273 S.W. 496; Coleman Mining Co. v. Wicks, 213 Ky. 134, 280 S.W. 936. Standing alone, and under these facts and authorities, Bertha Ritchie would be entitled to the full award of the Board as recommended by the Referee. However, the claims of Lonnie Ritchie intervene and the Board found that her claims, which will be discussed later in this opinion, were meritorious and that she was entitled to half of the award and it therefore limited Bertha Ritchie, the widow, to one-half of the award on the authority of Franklin Fluorspar Co. v. Bell, 247 Ky. 507, 57 S.W. 2d 481. That case is very similar to the present case. In that case deceased married his first wife, Helen J. Bell, and two children were born to them. While both children were still young, deceased abandoned his wife and children and did not afterwards live with them or contribute to their support and he was never divorced from his wife. Several years after abandoning his first wife, he contracted a bigamous marriage with Nellie C. Bell, and they were living together as man and wife at the time of his accidental death. This court held that Helen Bell, the lawful wife, was entitled to one-half of the compensation, and that Nellie Bell, the bigamous wife who was wholly dependent on him for support, was entitled to one-half. Under the facts in the present case and the authority of the Franklin Fluorspar Co. case, supra, we think the Board correctly held that Bertha Ritchie was entitled to one-half of the award as the legal widow of deceased.