Opinion ID: 1262566
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: petitioner failed to secure subject matter jurisdiction under rcw 51.52.110

Text: [1] The Industrial Insurance Act provides an exclusive remedy for injured workers. Except as provided in RCW 51.52.110, all jurisdiction of the courts of this state for workers' injuries is abolished by the Industrial Insurance Act. RCW 51.04.010. Spokane v. Department of Labor & Indus., 34 Wn. App. 581, 583, 663 P.2d 843, review denied, 100 Wn.2d 1007 (1983). Appeals from administrative tribunals invoke the appellate, not the general or original, jurisdiction of the superior court. Reeves v. Department of Gen. Admin., 35 Wn. App. 533, 537, 667 P.2d 1133, review denied, 100 Wn.2d 1030 (1983). Acting in its appellate capacity, the superior court is of limited statutory jurisdiction, and all statutory requirements must be met before jurisdiction is properly invoked. Spokane Cy. v. Utilities & Transp. Comm'n, 47 Wn. App. 827, 830, 737 P.2d 1022 (1987). RCW 51.52.110 sets forth the procedure under which a party may appeal a decision and order of the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals to the superior court. The appeal statute provides in relevant part: Within thirty days after a decision of the board .. . [a] worker, beneficiary, employer or other person aggrieved by the decision and order of the board may appeal to the superior court.... ... Such appeal shall be perfected by filing with the clerk of the court a notice of appeal and by serving a copy thereof by mail, or personally, on the director and on the board. If the case is one involving a self-insurer, a copy of the notice of appeal shall also be served by mail, or personally, on such self-insurer. RCW 51.52.110. The notice provision contained in the statute is a practical requirement intended to ensure that interested parties receive actual notice of appeals of Board decisions. In re Saltis, 94 Wn.2d 889, 895, 621 P.2d 716 (1980). [2, 3] The perfection provision does not explicitly provide that a party must both file and serve within a specific time. However, cases interpreting RCW 51.52.110 hold that in order to invoke the jurisdiction of the superior court an appealing party must file and serve notice within the 30-day appeal period. Graves v. Vaagen Bros. Lumber, Inc., 55 Wn. App. 908, 910-11, 781 P.2d 895 (1989) (parties did not dispute that notice of appeal was timely filed in the appropriate county and that all parties were served notice within 30 days); Vasquez v. Department of Labor & Indus., 44 Wn. App. 379, 382, 722 P.2d 854 (1986) (RCW 51.52.110 limits an aggrieved party to 30 days in which to file and serve a notice of appeal.). Generally, courts have required strict compliance with the terms of the statute to secure superior court jurisdiction. See Lidke v. Brandt, 21 Wn.2d 137, 150 P.2d 399 (1944) (personal service upon assistant supervisor of department jurisdictionally fatal); Rybarczyk v. Department of Labor & Indus., 24 Wn. App. 591, 602 P.2d 724 (1979) (service by mail on Board Chairman instead of Director of Department jurisdictionally faulty), review denied, 93 Wn.2d 1010 (1980); Smith v. Department of Labor & Indus., 23 Wn. App. 516, 596 P.2d 296 (service by mail on Attorney General, instead of Director of Department, insufficient to confer jurisdiction), review denied, 92 Wn.2d 1013 (1979). Recently, in In re Saltis, 94 Wn.2d 889, 621 P.2d 716 (1980), we held that substantial compliance with the terms of RCW 51.52.110 was sufficient to invoke the appellate jurisdiction of the superior court. In Saltis, we noted that in the past we had required strict compliance with the appeal statute to provide the superior court with jurisdiction. Saltis, 94 Wn.2d at 894. Moving away from the requirement of strict compliance, we warn[ed] against slavish adherence to the precedent that Lidke, Rybarczyk, and Smith represented. Saltis, 94 Wn.2d at 895. Setting forth the standard of substantial compliance, we held that proper service on the Director of the Department could be shown if: (1) the Director received actual notice of appeal to the Superior Court or (2) the notice of appeal was served in a manner reasonably calculated to give notice to the Director. Saltis, 94 Wn.2d at 896. In the present case, Fay failed to strictly or substantially comply with the statute's jurisdictional requirements. While Fay properly filed in the superior court and served notice upon the Board and her employer within the time period, the Director did not receive actual notice of the appeal from Fay until after the expiration of the 30 days. Further, Fay did not serve notice in a manner reasonably calculated to give notice to the Director. We affirm the trial court's dismissal of Fay's appeal for lack of jurisdiction.