Court Opinion

ID: 9688180
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 17:37:01.876917+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:35.625850
License: Public Domain

Otis, Justice
(dissenting).
I do not agree that it was an abuse of discretion on the part of the commission to deny relator’s motion to submit additional evidence. Nor, in my opinion, was the commission’s determination “highly questionable” when it held that the employee’s death did not arise out of the course of his employment.
The commission stressed the fact that “Noteboom and Hoffman denied that Carlson, Sr. was to be furnished instructions beyond solo by Gopher as part of the deal.” The commission further found:
“* * * We believe that the phone call received by D. Mansfield from Gopher, considered with the record as a whole and considering no recollection of the party speaking, should be given little weight as evidence that someone with authority from Gopher ordered W. Mansfield to give Carlson, Sr. the recommendation or pre-rating flight. There is a question of the admissibility of that phone call as being made by Gopher since D. Mansfield did not place the call and there was no authentication of the party calling.”
*43The commission allowed further testimony by Mrs. Mansfield but denied that of Carlson, Jr., and Henry as cumulative. In an accompanying memorandum, the commission held that the additional evidence did not establish that the employer had arranged for Carlson’s test ride to be given by decedent or that it be given at the time it took place. I find nothing in the record which requires us to hold as a matter of law that the commission was not justified in determining that the additional evidence was neither new, significant, nor unavailable at the time of the hearing on the merits. O’Connor v. Schleck, 296 Minn. 484, 206 N. W. 2d 554 (1973). I would affirm the commission’s findings and its decision and would hold that evidence supports a finding that there was neither an implied nor an express agreement on the part of the employer to provide Carlson, Sr., with a recommendation ride as a part of the purchase price of the aircraft.