Opinion ID: 1585793
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: did the commission err in holding michael, sandra, aretha and shonda stampley to be dependents of howard stampley?

Text: There is no evidence in the record to show anything other than the fact that Michael, Sandra, and Aretha were the natural legitimate children of Howard Stampley and were under 18 years of age when he died. A natural legitimate child under the age of 18 is conclusively presumed to be wholly dependent. V.S. Dunn, Workmen's Compensation § 47 (3d ed. 1982). The appellants' primary argument here regards the elevation to child's status of Shonda Stampley, the granddaughter. We held in Longleaf Forest Products, Inc. v. Hopkins, 349 So.2d 523 (Miss. 1977), that a grandchild to whom the deceased had stood in place of a parent for at least one year prior to the injury may be elevated to child status. The evidence in this case is uncontroverted that Howard Stampley had stood in the place of Shonda's father all of her life; she even called him Daddy. There is no error in the Commission's award of death benefits to Stampley's minor children and to his granddaughter, Shonda. Finding no reversible error herein, we affirm the circuit court below. AFFIRM. WALKER, C.J., ROY NOBLE LEE and HAWKINS, P.JJ., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON and GRIFFIN, JJ., concur.