Horsman Dolls, Inc. v. Unemployment Compensation Commission
Horsman Dolls, Inc. v. Unemployment Compensation Commission
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This matter is before the court as an appeal under Buie 3 :81-8 from final decisions of the Unemployment Compensation Commission rendered April 1, 1948. Certiorari was allowed by a justice of the former Supreme Court prior to September 15, 1948.
Horsman Dolls, Inc., is a subject employer under the Unemployment Compensation Act. The act as originally passed
The decision under review fixed the contribution rate for the company at 3.6% for the years 1942 and 1943 and therefore the amount of benefits paid is important since that amount is a factor in determining “reserve ratio” and dependent upon that, the contribution rate.
Horsman Dolls, Inc., is the successor of Regal Doll Co. The change in.name took place in 1939. The 1942 rate for Horsman Dolls was fixed at 2.7%. Thereafter the Commission recomputed the Horsman Dolls rate at 3.6%. The increased rate came about as a result of combining the Regal account for the period January 1, 1936-December 31, 1939, and the Horsman account for the period January 1, 1940-December 31, 1941. When Horsman Dolls was notified of the 3.6% contribution rate it filed a petition for hearing and as a result of information obtained at the hearing and in a memorandum of the Commission dated October 27, 1943, learned that the charges against its account, as most recent employer, were $93,266.16 of which $91,094.77 arose from benefits charged against Regal.
When the Commission in May, 1939, ceased sending the informational letter and the original B-ll which gave notice of the allowance of the benefit, the employer no longer received the notice required by the statute. The revised B-ll, in the absence of an explanatory letter, gave the employer notice only that a claim had been made. The employer is never affected by the mere making of a claim. The statute requires notice to the employer that an allowance had been
In its brief the Commission argues that Horsman Dolls cannot challenge the procedure followed by the deputy because of its failure to comply with Regulation 20.02 which we quote below:
“20.02. Separation Notices Required Under Conditions Which May Disqualify:
“(a) Whenever a worker is separated from his employment (permanently or for an indefinite period or for an expected duration of seven or more days) under conditions which may disqualify such worker from benefits pursuant to the provisions of Section 5 of the Law, his employer shall within twenty-four hours after such separation deliver to such worker or mail to his last known address, if delivery is impossible or impracticable, a separation notice on such form as may be prescribed by the Commission. Such notice shall set forth: (1) the worker’s full name; (2) his social security account number; (3) the last day on which he was employed; (4) a brief statement of the reason for the separation; (5) such other information as is required by such form. The employer shall immediately send a copy of such separation notice to the office of the Commission at Trenton.
“(b) Upon request by the Commission for any information with respect to the separation of any worker separated from his service for an employer or employing unit, such employer or employing unit shall, within forty-eight hours following the receipt of such request, furnish the Commission with the information requested. Any employer who fails either to furnish the separation notice referred to in Regulation 20.02 (a) to a worker separated from his employment and to the office of the Commission at Trenton, or to indicate thereon that such worker may be disqualified for benefits under any provision of Section 5 of the Law, or to furnish any other information requested by this Commission, shall be presumed to have admitted that such worker is not disqualified under any of the provisions of Section 5 of the Law.”
The statute requires the deputy promptly to notify an interested party of the decision and we hold that the failure of Horsman Dolls, Inc., to give the notice of separation called for by the regulation does not excuse the failure of the Commission to perform its statutory duty. The Commission argues that the “decision” required by the statute was made when the first check in payment of benefits was sent to the employee,
The decisions under appeal are reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.