Travelers Insurance v. Hammond
Travelers Insurance v. Hammond
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. I dissent from the judgment of affirmance for the reason that the majority opinion is based on a misinterpretation of the record. The majority opinion states that the new agreement of January 10, 1951, “specified that the claimant was 60% disabled”. This agreement is as follows: “It is agreed between the parties to the above case as follows: 1. On July 19, 1948, Ernest Hammond, while employed by R. D. Cole Manufacturing Company, earning eighty ($80) dollars a week, sustained injuries as the result of an accident which arose out of and in the'course of his employment; and under agreement filed with and approved by the board claimant has been paid com
Opinion of the Court
1. Findings of fact made by the Board of Workmen’s Compensation are, in the absence of fraud, conclusive on the courts where there is any evidence to support them. Liberty Mutual Ins. Co. v. Haygood, 81 Ga. App. 726 (59 S. E. 2d 731); Shealy v. Benton, 82 Ga. App. 514 (61 S. E. 2d 582); American Mutual Liability Ins. Co. v. Duncan, 83 Ga. App. 863 (65 S. E. 2d 59); Code § 114-710.
2. An agreement fixing compensation between the employer and employee, approved by the Board of Workmen’s Compensation, and not appealed from, is res judicata as to the matters therein determined, and the parties are precluded from thereafter contradicting or challenging the matters thus agreed upon. Lumbermen’s Mutual Cas. Co. v. Cook, 195 Ga. 397, 399 (24 S. E. 2d 309); Hartford Accident &c. Co. v. Carroll, 75 Ga. App. 437, 444 (43 S. E. 2d 722).
3. A change of condition, within the rule that after entering an award the Board of Workmen’s Compensation may increase or decrease the compensation allowed thereunder due to a change of condition, means a change of the physical condition of the claimant subsequent to the first award. It is true that mere proof by the claimant that he was, prior to the original award,, injured in a greater degree than that found by the board, or stipulated by the parties in a settlement agreement approved by the board, and that his original injury has continued in the same degree and to the same extent as it was at the time of the original agreement, does not justify an increased award based on change of condition, no change having occurred subsequently to the agreement, or award. Moore v. American Liability Ins. Co., 67 Ga. App. 259 (19 S. E. 2d 763); Fralish v. Royal Indemnity Co., 53 Ga. App. 557 (186 S. E. 567); American Mutual Liability Ins. Co. v. Hampton, 33 Ga. App. 476 (127 S. E. 155).
4. Where, however, as here, an original settlement agreement based upon a 60% disability is agreed upon between the parties and approved by the Board of Workmen’s Compensation, which agreement, by its express
The judge of the superior court did not err in affirming the award based on change of condition.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Travelers Insurance Co. Et Al. v. Hammond
- Cited By
- 23 cases
- Status
- Published