Opinion ID: 1390098
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: does law of the case apply to memorandum decisions in industrial commission cases?

Text: The term law of the case refers to a legal doctrine providing that the decision of a court in a case is the law of that case on the issues decided throughout all subsequent proceedings in both the trial and appellate courts, provided the facts, issues and evidence are substantially the same as those upon which the first decision rested. Ziegler v. Superior Court, 134 Ariz. 390, 393, 656 P.2d 1251, 1254 (App. 1982). This principle has been applied to Industrial Commission matters. Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Co. of Wisconsin v. Industrial Commission, 115 Ariz. 439, 441, 565 P.2d 1300, 1302 (App. 1977). The doctrine has, however, only limited application in Industrial Commission cases. This is so because in Arizona when an award of the Commission is set aside it is also vacated as though it had never been entered. The hearing on remand then is a de novo hearing. As our court of appeals has noted: The doctrine [law of the case] must be given very limited application to factual determinations in Workmen's Compensation cases, in order not to do violence to the de novo hearing requirement, where an award is vacated by an appellate court.       If on remand, no additional testimony is taken and reliance is had on past testimony or a readmission of the same testimony, then our prior disposition governs as the law of the case. Since we cannot remand for limited issues, it is true that the parties are at liberty to re-litigate all issues, but here again, the law of the case rules as to any issue upon which the same evidence, with no additional testimony, is introduced. Montgomery Ward & Co., Inc. v. Industrial Commission, 27 Ariz. App. 765, 770, 558 P.2d 960, 965 (1976) (emphasis in original). We agree. We hold that the law of the case applies to workers' compensation cases as long as its application does not violate the requirement of a trial de novo upon the setting aside of an award. Id. Claimant argues, however, that a memorandum decision, which has no precedential value, is legally insufficient to constitute the law of the case. We do not agree. As to the parties involved in the decision and upon remand or subsequent proceedings in the same case, a memorandum decision constitutes the law of the case as does a full opinion. Rule 111(c), Rules of the Supreme Court, 17A A.R.S.; Rule 28(c), Ariz.R.Civ.App.Proc. 17A A.R.S.. Magma Copper Company v. Industrial Commission, 115 Ariz. 551, 554, 566 P.2d 699, 702 (App. 1977).