Opinion ID: 2074116
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: mary jo overstake case.

Text: Mrs. Overstake's husband died of an injury received in 1946 while in the employ of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company. Petitioner claims that Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lowery solicited Mrs. Overstake to employ respondent to handle her case against the railway company. The Lowerys admitted being in the employ of John E. Kalar and being paid by him, and it also appears that Kalar was a part-time employe of respondent. Here, we have another situation where Lowery himself had been injured in 1941, and respondent and one Frank McAllister handled his case. The record shows that the Lowerys came from Oklahoma City to Emporia, Kansas, where Mrs. Overstake resided, to interview her on two occasions, leaving with her a business card of Tautges, Rerat & Welch. Lowery refused to identify certain letters, purportedly signed by respondent or Kalar and addressed to him, by which petitioner attempted to show solicitation. Mrs. Overstake's testimony, as read from her deposition, was to the effect that solicitation efforts were made on behalf of respondent by the Lowerys when they called on her. Respondent denied that he ever authorized the Lowerys to interview Mrs. Overstake. It appears from the record that she never hired respondent, stated that she had no intention of hiring him, and that she settled directly with the railway company. It appeared on cross-examination of Joseph J. Brennan, superintendent of special service for the Santa Fe Railroad company, that he was instrumental in bringing Mrs. Overstake to Minneapolis during the hearing for the purpose of testifying as a witness; that she remained here for a while and was not called as a witness; and that she was then permitted to return to her home. It further appears that Mrs. Overstake's presence in Minneapolis during the hearing was not made known to either the referee or counsel for respondent until about a week after she left. With reference to this, the referee said in part: Neither the Referee, Respondent, nor counsel for Respondent, were advised of her availability as a witness. Neither the Referee, Respondent, nor counsel for Respondent, were aware of her presence in Minneapolis until March 30th, when Brennan testified that he had sent her home a week before. The referee found that there was no evidence that respondent had authorized the Lowerys to solicit business or that he had ever heard of the Overstake case. In fact, respondent testified that he never heard of or saw the name Overstake until it appeared in the bill of particulars. The referee found that there was a lack of clear and convincing proof in this case that either respondent or any responsible employe of his solicited employment in this case. He therefore found no solicitation on the part of respondent in the Overstake case. We are inclined to agree with the referee in his comments that he could not overlook the matter of using the Overstake deposition when this witness was present in Minneapolis and available as a witness during at least part of the time that evidence was taken. In a hearing such as the one before the referee, it would certainly seem that if Mrs. Overstake was there during the hearing, and this was known to petitioner but not known to the referee or respondent, an effort should have been made to have her testify personally in lieu of using her deposition. By doing this, the referee would have had an opportunity to observe the witness, and both parties could have questioned her, subject to rulings by the referee in connection with her testimony. This, in our opinion, would have been far more desirable than reading into the record testimony taken at a deposition proceeding. The referee recognized in his comments on this case that he appreciated the difficulty confronted by petitioner, as well as respondent, in keeping witnesses in attendance at the hearing, particularly from other states. He said, however, that in order to meet this situation he had permitted witnesses to be called out of order and had offered to and did hold evening sessions to expedite the hearing. It was his conclusion that, since Mrs. Overstake was in Minneapolis, the referee and respondent's counsel should have been advised as to her presence, and she should have been called as a witness by petitioner and cross-examined by respondent. The referee raised a doubt as to whether Mrs. Overstake's deposition should have been used at all under the circumstances. M.S.A. 597.15 provides: No deposition shall be used if it appears that the reason for taking it no longer exists; but, if the party producing the deposition in such case shows sufficient cause then existing for using the same, it may be admitted. Considering all the matters before us in this case, including statements and counterstatements, accusations, and denials, we do not feel that we should overrule the referee's finding.