Court Opinion

ID: 9648420
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:19:58.606594+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:25:15.998716
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
Respondent says that the rule announced in this case entitles all persons, including the injured claimant’s own attorney, named in the Industrial Accident Board award, to stand on the award and to collect same unless named and served as parties in a lawsuit to set aside the award. This is not our holding.
The holding applies only to the insurance carriers and to those parties who are entitled to bring their own direct action against the carrier to enforce or to set aside the Board’s award. Ordinarily this will include only the injured employee, or those persons entitled to death benefits, *106and the carrier. The inclusion of other names in the award usually does no more than provide a detail of payment by the insurer for the benefit of the principal compensation claimant. Medical expenses may be recovered in a direct action by the physician or others, but these expenses too are usually part of the injured employee’s claim. See Texas Casualty Insurance Co. v. Beasley, 391 S.W.2d 33, 40 (Tex.1965); Maryland Casualty Co. v. Hendrick Memorial Hospital, 141 Tex. 23, 169 S.W.2d 969 (1943). Because of the different possibilities of an award for medical expenses, and because of the broad jurisdiction of the Board once any claim is filed, it would be desirable for the Board to designate in the award those persons who are independent claimants, and to designate separately any persons named to receive payment out of the benefits awarded to the injured employee and whose rights and standing are derivative to those of the employee. The person whose standing is derivative to that of the employee would not be entitled to enforce the award, and he need not be made a party in a suit to set aside the award.
The motion for rehearing is overruled.