Downs v. Director, Office of Workers Compensation Programs, U.S. Dept. of Labor

• Decision Date: 27 October 1986
• Docket Number: No. 86-4141,86-4141
• Parties: , 55 USLW 2258 Leonard P. DOWNS, Petitioner, v. DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF WORKERS COMPENSATION PROGRAMS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Texas Star Shipping Co. and Texas Employers Insurance Assn., Respondents. Summary Calendar.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit

Page 193

803 F.2d 193

1988 A.M.C. 303, 55 USLW 2258

Leonard P. DOWNS, Petitioner, v. DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF WORKERS COMPENSATION PROGRAMS, UNITED

STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Texas Star Shipping

Co. and Texas Employers Insurance Assn.,

Respondents.

No. 86-4141

Summary Calendar.

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

Oct. 27, 1986.

Cox, Dodson & Buorum, James H. Bjorum, Corpus Christi, Tex., for petitioner.

Ralph F. Meyer, Corpus Christi, Tex., for Texas Star Ship. & Texas Empls. Inc.

Joshua T. Gillelan, II, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Washington, D.C., for U.S.

Benefits Review Bd., U.S. Dept. of Labor, Washington, D.C., for other interested party.

Petition for Review of an Order of The Benefits Review Board.

Before CLARK, Chief Judge, GARWOOD, and HILL, Circuit Judges.

ROBERT MADDEN HILL, Circuit Judge:

Leonard Downs appealed a dismissal of his settlement modification action by an administrative law judge for lack of jurisdiction. The Benefits Review Board (the Board) affirmed the dismissal. Downs appeals to this court again objecting to the dismissal. For the reasons stated below, we affirm.

I.

Because of the novel procedural history of this appeal, we detail the facts, intervening legal changes, and the parties' arguments so as to explicate the conclusions we then draw.

A.

Leonard Downs was injured on June 21, 1979, while working as a longshoreman for Texas Star Shipping Co., Inc. (Texas Star). As he was loading bales of cotton onboard a vessel in the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, a metal band around one bale snapped and struck him on the left thigh. His skin was punctured and muscle tissue slightly above the knee was partially severed. This injury is commonly known as a "spider bite" on the docks.

During his recuperation, Downs received workers compensation benefits from Texas Employers' Insurance Association (Texas Employers'), the compensation carrier for Texas Star. The benefits were paid pursuant to the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, 33 U.S.C. Sec. 901 et seq. (LHWCA). On September 13 Downs' treating physician, Dr. William Swan, released him to return to work, and Downs resumed work on the waterfront immediately.

Even though Downs had returned to his job, he insisted that he had a continuing disability as a result of the accident. ¹ After obtaining an attorney, Downs filed a claim for further compensation benefits under the LHWCA. Texas Star and Texas Employers' contested Downs' claim on the grounds that Dr. Swan had released him to return to full-time employment and that his continued medical problems were not causally related to the accident on June 21. The claim was initially handled by the deputy commissioner of the Office of Worker's Compensation Programs (OWCP), United States Department of Labor, but when the dispute could not be resolved administratively, it was referred for a formal de novo hearing pursuant to 33 U.S.C. Sec. 919 and 20 C.F.R. Sec. 702.301 (1986).

Prior to the formal hearing, the parties negotiated a settlement covering Downs' compensation claim as allowed by the LHWCA. 33 U.S.C. Sec. 908(i). The settlement provided for a lump sum payment of $12,000 for all compensation benefits arising out of any alleged disability. ² The settlement agreement was presented to an administrative law judge (ALJ) for review and approval at the scheduled formal hearing. After reviewing the evidence regarding the settlement and injury, ³ the ALJ approved the settlement as being the best interest of Downs and issued an order on July 10, 1981, incorporating the settlement arrangement. The settlement amount was paid in full nine days later on July 19.

Following payment, Downs filed motions for reconsideration on September 21, 1981, and March 3, 1982. Both were denied by the ALJ. ⁴ No appeal was taken by Downs from either the order approving the settlement or the orders denying reconsideration; therefore, all the orders became final pursuant to 33 U.S.C. Sec. 921.

On February 26, 1982, Downs, through new counsel, filed a request for modification of the settlement pursuant to section 922 of the LHWCA. 33 U.S.C. Sec. 922. After the deputy commissioner of OWCP denied the request, the matter was referred to another ALJ for a formal hearing. On January 19, 1984, the ALJ dismissed the modification action for lack of jurisdiction because the settlement order had become final and was therefore not subject to modification under section 922.

Downs appealed the ALJ's dismissal, under the procedures of 33 U.S.C. Sec. 921(b), to the Board. The Board affirmed the ALJ's order of dismissal. The Board held that the settlement order had become final; that the ALJ's authority to approve the settlement could not be challenged because this issue had not been raised in a direct appeal; and that section 922 could not be used to reopen and modify a final settlement. --- Ben.Rev.Bd.Serv. --- No. 84-455 (Dec. 29, 1985). Downs now appealed this ruling; we have jurisdiction to review this final decision. 33 U.S.C. Sec. 921(c); see also Newpark Shipbuilding & Repair, Inc. v. Roundtree, 723 F.2d 399, 400 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 818, 105 S.Ct. 88, 83 L.Ed.2d 35 (1985).

B.

During the lengthy history of this case, two other events occurred which affect our consideration of this appeal. First, approximately one year after the settlement order had been issued and become final we decided Ingalls Shipbuilding Div., Litton Systems Inc. v. White, 681 F.2d 275 (5th Cir.1982), overruled in part on other grounds, Newpark Shipbuilding & Repair, Inc. v. Roundtree, 723 F.2d 399 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 818, 105 S.Ct. 88, 83 L.Ed.2d 35 (1985). One of the issues before us in Ingalls Shipbuilding ⁵ was whether an ALJ possessed authority to approve compromise settlements under 33 U.S.C. Sec. 908(i)(A) as then written. ⁶ We noted that this issue had never been addressed by another circuit, but that the Board had previously decided that an ALJ did have approval authority under this section. ⁷ We concluded, however, that section 908(i)(A) only permitted the deputy commissioner to approve settlements. Ingalls Shipbuilding, 681 F.2d at 291. Our conclusion was based upon the unambiguous language of the statute and the lack of any contradictory legislative history. Id. at 290-91. We did not indicate, however, whether our decision would be retroactive so as to affect other final settlement orders which had been approved by ALJs, such as the one involved in this appeal.

The second event which affects our review of this appeal occurred in 1984 while this case was awaiting review by the Board. In that year Congress amended sections 908(i) and 922 of the LHWCA. Section 908(i) was amended to read:

(i)(1) Whenever the parties to any claim for compensation under this Act, including survivors benefits, agree to an settlement, the deputy commissioner or administrative law judge shall approve the settlement within thirty days unless it is found to be inadequate of procured by duress....

Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act Amendments of 1984, Pub.L. No. 98-426, Sec. 8(f), 98 Stat. 1639, 1646 (1984), now codified, 33 U.S.C. Sec. 908(i)(1) (amendment language emphasized).

Section 922 ⁸ was amended by adding a final sentence reading: "This section does not authorize the modification of settlements." Pub.L. No. 98-426, Sec. 16(3), 98 Stat. at 1650. Congress provided that the amendment to section 922 was effective on the date of enactment of the LHWCA, September 28, 1984. Pub.L. No. 98-426, Sec. 28(e)(1), 98 Stat. at 1655. The amendment to section 908(i) became effective 90 days after enactment, or December 28, 1984, and applied to all claims filed or pending on that date. Pub.L. No. 98-426, Sec. 28(b), 98 Stat. at 1655.

C.

On appeal Downs now argues that the 1984 amendments to the LHWCA are not applicable to control this case because retroactivity would violate his "constitutional due process rights." Downs also asserts that Ingalls Shipbuilding should be retroactive so as to invalidate the ALJ's July 10, 1981, settlement order. Alternatively, Downs maintains that even if the settlement order is valid, it is subject to section 922 modification because of "undue influence approaching fraud" on the part of his former attorney.

Texas Star and Texas Employers' counter by arguing that the 1984 amendments foreclose Downs' appeal. They point out that Congress explicitly made the 1984 amendments retroactive to pending claims, and Downs' claim was pending before the Board when the amendments became effective. Alternatively, they argue that the ALJ's authority to approve the settlement cannot be challenged by this collateral attack; that Ingalls Shipbuilding should not be applied retroactively under existing case law; and that section 922 modification is not available to reopen a final settlement order.

II.

The issues presented then are: (1) can the validity of the July 10, 1981, order approving the settlement be attacked, and (2), if not, is a section 922 modification action available to alter the order. We answer each question in the negative, discussing each below in their respective order.

A.

The settlement order cannot be attacked in this proceeding because the 1984 amendment to section 908(i) applies to foreclose the challenge. Downs' attack on the settlement order is predicated on his assertion that the ALJ was without authority to approve the settlement. Downs cites Ingalls Shipbuilding as authority.

The 1984 amendment to section 908(i), however, authorizes administrative law judges to approve lump sum settlements. 33 U.S.C. Sec. 908(i)(1). Furthermore, Congress provided that this amendment should apply to pending claims. 33 U.S.C. Sec. 901. As the effective date of the amendment, December 28, 1984, Downs' action was pending before the Board.

It is an accepted principle of law "that a court is to apply the law in effect at the time it renders its decision, unless...