Court Opinion

ID: 9562305
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 18:26:01.678703+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:17.414120
License: Public Domain

WOOD, Judge (specially concurring). I agree with the result reached, but on different grounds. In my opinion the doctor’s evidence is sufficient to meet the test of causation. I would reverse because the claim for compensation was not filed within the time provided by § 59-10-13.6, N.M.S.A. 1953 (Repl.Vol. 9, pt. 1). Medical testimony. The doctor said that plaintiff had a traumatic bursitis in his shoulder. Trauma is an injury caused by external force or violence. See Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. Thus, the question is. whether the fight was the trauma which caused the bursitis. The doctor, plaintiff’s personal physician, testified that plaintiff had never complained to the doctor about his shoulder prior to the fight. He testified that plaintiff came to him, told him of the fight, exhibited bruises on the shoulder involved and complained of shoulder pain. Gammor v. Ebasco Corp., supra, states the doctor “* * * must testify in language the sense of which reasonably connotes precisely what the statute categorically requires * * The sense of the above testimony “connotes” that the shoulder condition was caused by the fight. This connotation is reasonable since the only trauma referred to in the record is the fight. Compare Gammon v. Ebasco Corp., supra. I would affirm the trial court’s finding as to causation. Limitation for bringing the action. Plaintiff did not file a claim for workmen’s compensation within the time provided by § 59-10-13.6, supra. However, within that period, he filed a suit which sought: (1) damages on the theory defendant was negligent in retaining in its employment the person with whom plaintiff fought and (2) severance pay on the theory defendant wrongfully discharged him. After the time provided by § 59-10-13.6, supra, had passed, plaintiff amended his complaint by adding an additional count. This additional count, for the first time, asserted a claim for workmen’s compensation. The trial court held that, the amended complaint, asserting the compensation claim, related back to the date the original complaint was filed. If “relation back” applies, the compensation claim was timely filed. Rule of Civil Procedure 15(c) provides an amendment may relate back to the date of the original pleading when the claim asserted in the amended pleading “* * * arose out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence * * * set forth in the original pleading * * Section 21-1-1 (15) (c), N.M.S.A. 1953. Here the claim set forth in the amended pleading arose out of the occurrence set forth in the original pleading; the “occurrence” was the fight. Under Rule 15(c) the amended complaint, setting forth the workmen’s compensation claim, could be related back to the filing of the original complaint. Section 59-10-13.9, N.M.S.A. 1953 (Repl. Vol. 9, pt. 1) provides in part: “The rules of civil procedure * * * shall apply to all claims, * * * under the Workmen’s Compensation Act [59-10-1 to 59-10-37] except where provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act directly conflict with these rules, in which case the provisions of Workmen’s Compensation Act shall govern. * * *” There is a direct conflict between the “relation back” authorized by Rule 15(c) and the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Section 59-10-13.6, supra, requires the workman to file a • claim “* * * for the payment of compensation * * *” not later than one year after the failure or refusal to pay compensation. If the claim is not filed within this period the “* * * right to the recovery of compensation * * *” is barred. Because of this direct conflict, Rule 15(c) does not apply. The limitation period of § 59-10-13.6, supra, governs and plaintiff’s claim for compensation is barred. Plaintiff asserts that this result conflicts with Holman v. Oriental Refinery, 75 N.M. 52, 400 P.2d 471 (1965). This is not necessarily so. In Holman a claim for workmen’s compensation was amended to assert a claim for compensation for an occupational disease. The opinion states that the original claim for workmen’s compensation was sufficient to state a claim for an occupational disease. Under this view no “relation back” is employed. Under this view Holman is not applicable to this case. The original claim based on negligence in retaining an employee and based on wrongful discharge of plaintiff is not sufficient to state a claim for workmen’s compensation. Holman did, however, discuss the doctrine of relation back in connection with, occupational disease claims. Such claims are informal and “* * * so long as facts are pleaded from which the employee’s rights may be determined, defects may be corrected * * In such a situation, “relation back” may be applied to correct such defects. See § 59-11-16, N.M.S.A. 1953 (Repl.Vol. 9, pt. 1). If this is the meaning of “relation back” in Holman it is not applicable because here, no compensation claim had been previously asserted and therefore there are no defects to be corrected in such a claim. Plaintiff, however, asserts that under Holman a barred compensation claim may be asserted, for the first time, in an amended complaint and related back to the filing of the complaint based on negligence. This argument is based on the fact that the compensation. claim arose out of the same occurrence (the fight) set forth in the original'pleading. This reasoning applies Rule 15(c) and ignores the "direct conflict” provision of § 59-10-13.9, supra. This contention extends the Holman decision far beyond the facts of that case. Holman did not involve a “direct conflict” situation; a claim for compensation had been asserted in the original complaint. Plere we have a direct conflict. Holman is applicable to the facts of this case only if read to apply “relation back” in disregard of the limitation period set forth in § 59-10-13.6, supra. If so read, in my opinion the Holman decision would be wrong. Accordingly, I would hold plaintiff’s claim to be barred by § 59-10-13.6, supra.