Barron v. Ellis Hosp.

• Decision Date: 30 October 1997
• Parties: , 1997 N.Y. Slip Op. 9042 In the Matter of the Claim of Robin BARRON, Respondent, v. ELLIS HOSPITAL et al., Appellants. Workers' Compensation Board, Respondent.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

Page 698

663 N.Y.S.2d 698

235 A.D.2d 189, 1997 N.Y. Slip Op. 9042

In the Matter of the Claim of Robin BARRON, Respondent, v. ELLIS HOSPITAL et al., Appellants.

Workers' Compensation Board, Respondent.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division,

Third Department.

Oct. 30, 1997.

James P. O'Connor, State Insurance Fund (Carl D. Copps, of counsel, Albany), New York City, for Ellis Hospital and another, appellants.

Dennis C. Vacco, Attorney General (Howard B. Friedland, of counsel), New York City, for Workers' Compensation Board, respondent.

Before CREW, J.P., and WHITE, YESAWICH, SPAIN and CARPINELLO, JJ.

WHITE, Justice.

Appeal from a decision of the Workers' Compensation Board, filed April 5, 1996.

The facts giving rise to this appeal are that as the result of sustaining a work-related injury in 1992, claimant was receiving workers' compensation benefits when he was arrested and incarcerated on March 3, 1994. He remained in pretrial detention until August 31, 1994, when he entered a guilty plea to various criminal charges which resulted in an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment. Pursuant to Penal Law § 70.30(3), the 237 days claimant spent in jail prior to his conviction were credited against his sentence. This prompted claimant's employer, Ellis Hospital, and its workers' compensation insurance carrier, the State Insurance Fund (hereinafter collectively referred to as the employer), to seek a credit for the payments it made to claimant during his 237 days of pretrial detention. The Workers' Compensation Board affirmed the Workers' Compensation Law Judge's determination denying the employer's request. This appeal ensued.

In Matter of Bilello v. A.J. Eckert Co., 43 A.D.2d 192, 350 N.Y.S.2d 815, appeal dismissed 34 N.Y.2d 663, 355 N.Y.S.2d 581, 311 N.E.2d 652, we held that a recipient of workers' compensation benefits is entitled to continue to receive such benefits up to the date of conviction regardless of whether he or she was in jail awaiting criminal trial (see, Matter of Tallini v. Martino & Son, 58 N.Y.2d 392, 395, 461 N.Y.S.2d 754, 448 N.E.2d 421). For the reasons that follow, we decline the employer's invitation to extend Bilello by permitting it to discontinue benefits for the period of a claimant's pretrial detention that is credited against his or her sentence by operation of Penal Law § 70.30(3).

The majority in Bilello pointed out that the denial of benefits to a claimant who is incarcerated awaiting trial while continuing to pay benefits to a claimant who was able to post bail presents a serious question of denial of equal protection of the laws (Matter of Bilello v. A.J. Eckert Co., supra, 43 A.D.2d at 194, 350 N.Y.S.2d 815). The 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection is the right to be free from invidious discrimination in statutory classifications or other governmental activity (see, Bernheim v. Litt, 79 F.3d 318, 323). Even though a governmental activity has different effects upon wealthy and poor citizens, that does not necessarily offend the Equal Protection Clause so long as the challenged classification does not involve a suspect class and is rationally related to a legitimate governmental purpose (see, Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools, 487 U.S....