Industrial Commission of Arizona v. J. & J. CONST. CO.
Industrial Commission of Arizona v. J. & J. CONST. CO.
Opinion of the Court
The Industrial Commission of Arizona, plaintiff-appellant, brought this suit in the superior court against defendant-appellee, J. & J. Construction Co., a co-partnership, seeking to recover premiums on a policy of insurance issued by the commission to the company pursuant to the Arizona Workmen’s Compensation Law, A.C.A. 1939, § 56-901 et seq. The premiums were claimed due on wages earned and paid outside of Arizona, and a penalty of ten times the amount of such premiums, together with costs and attorneys’ fees were sought. Interpretation of statutory provisions for extra-territorial coverage under the Workmen’s Compensation Law, as well as the jurisdiction of the commission to enter the “order” in question, are involved. From a judgment in favor of defendant, plaintiff has appealed.
The undisputed facts giving rise to the instant suit are as follows: The defendant employer is a partnership having its residence in Oklahoma. It has been engaged in transitory work for the past several years in the construction and installation of various rural electrification and power projects in Arizona and elsewhere. In March 1947 while defendant was working in Arizona along the Colorado River, the boundary between Arizona and California, it applied for and received a policy of insurance with the state compensation fund. While some of its employees were hired in other states, at least 25 of them were hired within this state. Premiums on all wages paid by defendant to its employees for work performed within the physical boundaries of Arizona were paid to the commission.
When its work within this state was completed, defendant moved its base of operations across the Colorado River to Blythe, California and took out workmen’s compensation insurance on all of its employees under the laws of that state. Labor Code, § 3201 et seq. Although 25 of its employees were originally hired in this state, the record does not disclose whether they were or were not residents of Arizona. A new written contract of employment was
On February 8, 1950 the instant suit for collection of premiums was commenced* The defendant by its amended answer admitted that the commission had, by its, order, determined that the 25 persons named in the complaint were subject to-the Arizona workmen’s compensation law and that their status 'was not changed by the employment contracts dated March
At the trial no witnesses were sworn or testified for either party. The plaintiff’s case consisted of placing in evidence an abstract of record containing the proceedings theretofore had before the industrial commission which included the order of January 15, 1950, together with the policy of insurance, payroll reports, audits thereof and premium billing. The defendant rested after offering a written stipulation that the work performed by the men for whom premiums on wages paid were claimed due was performed wholly within the state of California; that the Workmen’s Compensation Law of California'was a compulsory law (as is Arizona’s) and hence defendant was required to insure all of its employees in that state with an insurance carrier authorized to do business there; and that the California law discharges and gives an employer a release from all obligations to his employees in California when he has complied with the workmen’s compensation law of that state. No findings of fact were either requested or made, but the court did make certain conclusions of law, the crucial one being that the plaintiff “failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence, that any premiums for workmen’s compensation insurance were due and unpaid from defendants to the state compensation fund. * * Plaintiff made an unsuccessful attempt to obtain from the lower court a definite and express finding on several matters, including (a) the validity or invalidity of the purported contracts of employment made in California and their legal effect, (b) the validity of the commission’s order of January 15, 1950, and the effect of the failure of defendants to seek a timely court review thereof, and (c) whether contracts of employment made in California can invalidate the effect of the Arizona law. Judgment was then entered that plaintiff take nothing by reason of its complaint and defendant was awarded its attorneys’ fees in the sum of $300 plus costs. This appeal followed.
We are somewhat at a loss to know the real basis for the judgment entered by the learned trial court. Obviously however only questions of law are presented, hence we are not bound by the conclusions of either the industrial commission or the trial court but are at liberty to draw our own legal conclusions from the admitted facts. Mountain States Tel. & Tel. Co. v. Sakrison, 71 Ariz. 219, 225 P.2d 707.
It is argued by defendant, without a cross-assignment of error or any
Defendant also contends that Arizona should give the same faith and credit to the contracts in question that California does and that failure of Arizona to do so would be a clear violation of the full faith and credit clause of the federal constitution. Appellate courts of not less than 34 states, as well as the United States Supreme Court, have clearly recognized the power of the respective states to regulate the status of employer and employee, and to enforce the public policy of the state, as it relates to workmen's compensation for employees engaged in interstate or foreign commerce — except where the United States has a different rule. See Ocean Accident & Guarantee Corp. v. Industrial Comm., supra; Alaska Packers Ass'n v. Industrial Accident Comm., 294 U.S. 532, 55 S.Ct. 518, 79 L.Ed. 1044; Industrial Commission of Wisconsin v. McCartin, 330 U.S. 622, 67 S.Ct. 886, 91 L.Ed. 1140, 169 A.L.R. 1179; Cardillo v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 330 U.S. 469, 67 S.Ct. 801, 91 L.Ed. 1028; Pacific Employers Ins. Co. v. Industrial Accident Comm., 306 U.S. 493, 59 S.Ct. 629, 83 L.Ed. 940; Cudahy Packing Co. v. Parramore, 263 U.S. 418, 44 S.Ct. 153, 68 L.Ed. 366, 30 A.L.R. 532; Industrial Indemnity Exchange v. Industrial Accident Comm., 80 Cal.App.2d 480, 182 P.2d 309; and see generally Stumberg, Conflicts of Laws, ch. 7, p. 212 et seq., also Magnolia Petroleum Co. v. Hunt, 320 U.S. 430, 64 S.Ct. 208, 88 L.Ed. 149, 150 A.L.R. 413, a case whose effect has been greatly limited by subsequent decisions.
The status of employer-employee in the instant case.admittedly arose in the first instance in the state of Arizona and thus was regulated by Arizona law. The facts here, as found by the commission, show that the contracts were required by the employer as a condition of employment and were made solely to avoid the payment of premiums to the Arizona fund. The plaintiff’s order did not in any way purport to prohibit the parties to the contracts from taking advantage of the California Work
The wisdom of this extra-territorial coverage under the workmen’s compensation law and the question of whether it creates an onerous burden on the employer by requiring it to pay premiums in two states and the fact that it may have repercussions beyond state lines are legislative matters beyond our province.
Plaintiff contends that it not only is entitled to the premiums sued for but in addition thereto is entitled to a penalty of ten times the amount of premiums due as provided under section 56-977. This court at various times has condemned certain devices adopted by employers to escape the public policy of the state regarding workmen's compensation as reflected in its constitution, statutes, and decisions. See Ocean Accident & Guarantee Corp. v. Industrial Comm., supra; Red Rover Copper Co. v. Industrial Comm., supra; Whipple v. Industrial Commission, 59 Ariz. 1, 121 P.2d 876; and Industrial Commission v. Meddock, 65 Ariz. 324, 180 P.2d 580. It should be noted that in the instant case, as distinguished from some of the others, there was no secretive attempt to evade the Arizona law; the acts were done openly in an attempt to legally avoid the provisions of Arizona's Workmen's Compensation Act pertaining to the payment of premiums. From the correspondence between the parties, which appears in the file, it is obvious that a foundation was laid for a test suit and that there was no misrepresentation on the part of defendant as to its payrolls, hence we hold that plaintiff is not entitled to the penalty, for it would be manifestly inequitable for it to be permitted under the circumstances to recover a penalty of ten times the amount of premiums claimed due. For this reason it is unnecessary to pass upon the related question as to who has the right to recover such penalties, the attorney general in the name of the state, or the commission, sec. 56-977.
The crux of the matter here presented hinges on the jurisdiction of the commission to enter its order of January 15, 1950, determining the “status” of the 25 employees in question.' Defendant vigorously challenges the power or authority of the commission to hold the hearing (which defendant requested) and to make the order determining the amount of insurance premiums due it for wages paid in California. Defendant argues that the commission “exceeded its lawful jurisdiction, and such order and the proceedings leading thereto are null and void. Such proceedings and order do not bind an employer or constitute competent evidence in an action to recover premiums.”
There can be no doubt as to the commission's right to issue "orders", which term is defined by section 56-930 as follows: "`Order' shall mean and include any rule, regulation, direction, requirement, standard, determination or decision of the commission * * *." and such orders are subject to court review, sec. 56-914. A partial list of cases from this jurisdiction involving "orders" entered by the commission, or its right to enter same, include the excellent case of Holmes v. Osborn, 57 Ariz. 522, 115 P.2d 775; and Industrial Commission v. Meddock, supra; Gene Autry Productions v. Industrial Commission, 67 Ariz. 290, 195 P.2d 143; Haggard v. Industrial Commission, supra, and O'Neill v. Martori, supra.
Apparently our recent decision in the last mentioned case has been the cause of some confusion as strangely enough both parties partially rely upon it to support diametrically opposed positions. We therefore feel it necessary to clarify the final holding which reads: “The Commission having exceeded its jurisdiction in issuing the ‘orders’ in question, the lower court’s judgment vacating and setting them aside was in all respects proper.” [69 Ariz. 270, 212 P.2d 998.] (Emp. sup.) In that case we were dealing with several orders and findings of the commission, i. e., (a) whether certain truckers and other persons were employees of Martori Bros, or were independent contractors, (b) amount of premiums due the commission and .(c) summary orders amounting to a “writ of execution” suspending the benefits of the policy until its orders were complied with. In that case timely steps were taken to obtain a court review of the lawfulness and reasonableness of such orders. The case was submitted upon the record made before the commission; and the trial court, as it had a right to do, upon the evidence before it, reached a conclusion differing from that of the commission as to (a) and (b) supra, and correctly determined that
We hold that the commission had jurisdiction to enter the order in question here and since no timely direct attack was made thereon by defendant in the manner prescribed by section 56-914, the order became res judicata and was not subject to defendant’s collateral attack. The trial court erred in not accepting the conclusive showing made by the commission and in failing to enter judgment for it.
The judgment is reversed with directions to enter judgment for plaintiff as prayed for except as to the claimed penalties.
Judgment reversed with directions.
070rehearing
On Motion for Rehearing.
Motion for rehearing was filed by the appellee upon the ground that the construction we gave to the pertinent sections of our Workmen’s Compensation Act and to article 18, section 3 of the constitution of Arizona, makes them repugnant both to the due process and the full faith and credit clauses of the federal constitution. Amend. 14; art. 4, § 1. These matters present no question not fully considered heretofore. Counsel appearing amicus curiae have, however, in addition challenged the correctness of the following statement in the closing part of our opinion as to commission’s order becoming res adjudícala, viz.:
“We hold that the commission had jurisdiction to enter the order in question here and since no timely direct attack was made thereon by defendant in the manner prescribed by section 56-914, the order became res judicata and was not subject to defendant’s collateral attack. The trial court erred in not accepting the conclusive showing made by the commission and in failing to enter judgment for it.”
Rehearing was granted and after a careful review of the whole'matter we are convinced that there is no merit to appellee’s motion. We concede however that our holding, supra, to the effect the commission’s order became res judicata was erroneous. The paragraph quoted above is therefore stricken from the opinion heretofore rendered and the following statement is substituted therefor, viz.:
In all other respects the original opinion is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF ARIZONA v. J. & J. CONST. CO. Et Al.
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published