Court Opinion

ID: 9773752
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:57:40.377854+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:56.953790
License: Public Domain

BURGESS, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the result. My brethren, citing Benavidez v. Travelers Indem. Co. of Conn., 960 S.W.2d 422, 424 (Tex.App.—Austin 1998, writ filed) and Planet Ins. Co. v. Serrano, 936 S.W.2d 35, 37 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1996, no writ), hold the requirement of section 410.253 that a copy of the petition be filed simultaneously with the commission is jurisdictional. I respectfully disagree.
This notion that section 410.253 is a jurisdictional requirement first appeared in Planet Ins. Co. v. Serrano where the San Antonio court stated:
This court has previously held that the 40-day requirement for filing suit in the district court is mandatory and jurisdictional. Morales v. Employers Cas. Co., 897 S.W.2d 866, 868 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1995, writ denied). In construing the statute as a whole, and taking into account all of the considerations noted above, we conclude that while service on the Commission within the 40-day period is also man*213datory and jurisdictional, the requirement of simultaneous service on the Commission is directory because it is included for the purpose of promoting the proper, orderly, and prompt conduct of business.
Planet Ins., 936 S.W.2d at 37.
With all due respect to my San Antonio colleagues, there was no meaningful analysis of the statute or discussion of legislative history. While the San Antonio court relied upon Morales v. Employers Cas. Co., 897 S.W.2d 866 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1995, writ denied), they did not quote this opinion, which stated:
This is a case of first impression under the “new” act, but there have been several opinions under the “old” act. Under the former Workers’ Compensation Act, Art. 8307, sec. 7, the filing deadline for appealing from a decision of the Industrial Accident Board was mandatory and jurisdictional. [citations omitted] There is no reason to distinguish between the statutory 20 day filing requirements under the old workers’ compensation law and the 40 day filing requirement in the new law. Compare TEX. LAB. CODE § 410.252(a) (Vernon Supp.1994) with TEX. REV. CIV. STAT. ANN., art. 8307 § 5 (Vernon 1967). Consequently, we hold that the 40 day filing requirement is mandatory and jurisdictional.
Morales, 897 S.W.2d at 868.
The Austin court in Benavidez, under a section titled “Analysis” stated:
The Planet Insurance decision comports with cases interpreting prior versions of notice requirements to the Commission. See Ward v. Charter Oak Fire Ins. Co., 579 S.W.2d 909, 910-11 (Tex.1979) (holding that mailbox rule applied to notice of intent to appeal ruling of Industrial Accident Board so that court had jurisdiction over cause in which notice was mailed within statutory period). See also Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Ass’n v. Henderson, 15 S.W.2d 565 (Tex. Comm’n App.1929, holding approved) (considering whether evidence supported conclusion that notice to board had been accomplished within the statutory period).
Analogously, Texas courts interpreting Texas Labor Code section 212.201 uniformly hold that the requirement that each party to the proceeding before the Commission be made a defendant within fourteen days after the decision is final is both mandatory and jurisdictional. See Tex. Lab.Code Ann. § 212.201 (West 1996); Lambeth v. Texas Unemployment Compensation Comm’n, 362 S.W.2d 205, 206-07 (Tex.Civ.App.—Waco 1962, writ ref'd); accord Olson v. Texas Employment Comm’n, 593 S.W.2d 866, 867 (Tex.Civ. App.—Corpus Christi 1980, writ ref'd n.r.e.); Texas Employment Comm’n v. Daniel, 241 S.W.2d 969, 970 (Tex.Civ. App.—Texarkana 1951, no writ).
We conclude that section 410.253’s requirement that the petition be simultaneously filed with the court and the commission is subject to 410.252’s requirement that the petition be filed within forty days. We hold that a copy of the petition must be filed with the Commission within forty days of the date the appeals panel filed its decision with the division. We further conclude that this requirement is jurisdictional.
Benavidez, 960 S.W.2d at 423 — 424.
The analogy relied upon by the Austin Court is misplaced. Section 212.2011 of the Labor Code deals with unemployment compensation and requires suit against the Texas Employment Commission while none of the sections under chapter 410 require the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission to be a party.
The San Antonio Court alludes to Tex. Rev .Civ. Stat. Ann., art. 8307 § 5 (Vernon 1967) and the Austin Court cites Ward v. *214Charter Oak Fire Ins. Co., 579 S.W.2d 909 (Tex.1979).
The Supreme Court, in Ward, stated:
Section 5 of Article 8307 provides, in pertinent part:
Any interested party who is not willing and does not consent to abide by the final ruling and decision of [the Industrial Accident Board] shall, within twenty (20) days after the rendition of said final ruling and decision by said Board, file with said Board notice that he will not abide by said final ruling and decision.
Section 5 has been strictly construed to mean that the above notice provision is not complied with when the notice is mailed and should have arrived at the Board within twenty days of the Board’s ruling, but arrived late because of a mistake of the United States Post Office or because the twentieth day falls on a legal holiday, [citations omitted] The rationale underlying this statutory construction is that the United States Post Office is the agent of the party that selects the mail as the vehicle of delivery; therefore, any delay resulting from the Post Office’s negligence is attributable to the sender. See, e. g., American Motorists Insurance Co. v. Box, [531 S.W.2d 401, 405 (Tex.Civ.App.Tyler 1976, writ ref'd n.r.e.) ].
The above construction and rationale would lead to a harsh and inequitable result in this case. We are confronted with the fact that Gloria Ward, employing a method of giving notice that is almost universally recognized, deposited her notice of intention to appeal in the mail at a time when it should have reached the Industrial Accident Board within twenty days of the Board’s ruling. Because of a Post Office mistake beyond Ward’s control, the notice was not accepted by the Board until two days after the expiration of the twenty-day period. As a result, Ward has been denied her day in court.
A full reading of the Worker’s Compensation Law reveals that the Legislature did not intend this result. The Worker’s Compensation Law is to be liberally construed to effectuate the remedies which it grants. See Tate v. Standard Accident Insurance Co., 32 S.W.2d 932 (Tex.Civ.App.Beaumont 1930, writ ref'd); Travelers Insurance Co. v. Johnson, 131 S.W.2d 242 (Tex.Civ. App.—Beaumont 1939, writ dism’d judgmt cor.). We therefore conclude that if the notice of intention to appeal from a ruling of the Industrial Accident Board is sent to the Board by first-class United States mail in an envelope or wrapper properly addressed and stamped, and the notice is deposited in the mail one day or more before the expiration of the twenty-day statutory period and received by the Board not more than ten days after the expiration of the statutory period, then the notice shall be deemed timely filed. In the interest of uniformity, this construction of Section 5 of Article 8307 coincides with the notice provisions of Rule 5 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. To the extent that any cases conflict with this construction of Section 5, they are overruled.
Ward, 579 S.W.2d at 910 — 911.
The gravamen of Ward was lost on our two sister courts. While the twenty (20) day filing requirement of § 5 of Article 8307 was held to be jurisdictional, the court would not adopt a construction and rationale that would lead to a harsh and inequitable result. They acknowledged the Legislature did not intend such a result and the workers’ compensation law was to be liberally construed to effectuate its remedies.
To me, the present legislative scheme is clear. Section 410.2512 requires administrative remedies to be exhausted before seeking judicial review. Section 410.2523 allows a party to seek judicial review by filing suit, *215with the appropriate court, not later than the 40th day after the date on which the decision of the appeals panel was filed. Section 410.2534 directs that a copy of the petition, which was filed in the appropriate court, shall be simultaneously filed with the commission. Section 410.254 5 allows the commission to intervene in any judicial proceeding.
The only stated requirements for seeking judicial review are exhausting administrative remedies and timely filing a lawsuit. Had the legislature wanted the filing of the petition with the commission to be jurisdictional, they would have included such a requirement in § 410.252. I believe the purpose of the “simultaneous” filing requirement is to provide the commission notice to enable them to exercise their right to intervene under § 410.254. See Sinclair v. Albertson’s Inc., No. 06-97-00105-CV, 1998 WL 380984, — S.W.2d —(Tex.App.—Texarkana July 10, 1998, n.w.h.)(not yet released for publication).
Consequently, I concur in the result.

. Tex. Lab.Code Ann. § 212.201 (Vernon 1996) provides:
§ 212.201. Commencement of Judicial Review; Defendants
(a) A party aggrieved by a final decision of the commission may obtain judicial review of the decision by bringing an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for review of the decision against the commission on or after the date on which the decision is final, and not later than the 14th day after that date.

. § 410.251. Exhaustion of Remedies
A party that has exhausted its administrative remedies under this subtitle and that is aggrieved by a final decision of the appeals panel may seek judicial review under this subchapter and Sub-chapter G, if applicable.

. § 410.252. Time for Filing Petition; Venue
(a) A parly may seek judicial review by filing suit not later than the 40th day after the date on which the decision of the appeals panel was filed with the division.
(b) The party bringing suit to appeal the decision must file a petition with the appropriate court in:
*215(1) the county where the employee resided at the time of the injury or death, if the employee is deceased; or
(2) in the case of an occupational disease, in the county where the employee resided on the date disability began or any county agreed to by the parties.

. § 410.253. Service
A copy of the petition shall be simultaneously filed with the court and the commission and served on any opposing party.

. § 410.254. Commission Intervention
On timely motion initiated by the executive director, the commission shall be permitted to intervene in any judicial proceeding under this subchapter or Subchapter G.