In The Circuit Court For Baltimore City v. Holmes
Decision Date | 25 October 2010 |
Docket Number | No. 141,Case No. 24-C-07-007817,141 |
Parties | In the Circuit Court for Baltimore City WAL*MART STORES, INC., et al. v. LARRY HOLMES, SR., et ux. |
Court | Court of Special Appeals of Maryland |
HEADNOTE — LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT — SURVIVAL OF DISABILITY BENEFITS UNDER MARYLAND WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT
When a surviving spouse asserts a claim for permanent disability benefits according to the Maryland Workers' Compensation Act, Md. Code § 9-632 of the Labor and Employment Article, that spouse must either show dependency, as defined in the Act or in case law, or, alternatively, evidence of a legal obligation of support that was owed to him or her by the decedent, covered employee. A legal obligation of support is one that arises either by an order or decree from a court of competent jurisdiction, or from a legally enforceable agreement between the spouses.
Opinion by Greene, J.
Larry Holmes, Sr., ("Mr. Holmes") Respondent in this case, seeks to collect permanent partial disability benefits under the Maryland Workers' Compensation Act, Md. Code §§ 9-101-9-1201 of the Labor and Employment Article (the "Act")1 that would have been due to his wife, Patricia L. Holmes ("Mrs. Holmes"), had she not died of causes unrelated to the injuries she sustained in the course of her employment with Wal Mart Stores, Inc., Petitioner ("Wal Mart"). Mr. Holmes relies upon § 9-632(d) of the Act, which provides for the survival of benefits to a non-dependent spouse where the deceased worker had "a legal obligation to support" the surviving spouse on the date of death. Respondent contends that "a legal obligation to support" a surviving spouse is inherent in the marital relationship and continues until given up, either voluntarily or by court order. We disagree with Respondent's position, and hold that for purposes of § 9-632(d) "a legal obligation to support" a surviving spouse does not arise by virtue of the marital tie alone and, for that reason, we shall reverse the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals in Holmes v. Wal Mart, 187 Md. App. 690, 979 A.2d 744 (2009) and remand to that court with directions to affirm the judgment of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were married in 1969. They were not living together at the time of Mrs. Holmes's compensable injury, which occurred on November 3, 1999 in the course of her employment with Wal Mart. The Workers' Compensation Commission ("Commission") awarded Mrs. Holmes temporary total disability benefits following her timely claim.2 Mr. and Mrs. Holmes reunited in 2003 and were living as husband and wife for approximately three years until her death on December 4, 2006.3
Mrs. Holmes received compensation for her injury until November 28, 2006, when she was found to have reached maximum medical improvement from her injuries.4 At that time, Mrs. Holmes could have applied to the Commission for an award of either permanentpartial or permanent total disability benefits. Unfortunately, on December 4, 2006, Mrs. Holmes died of causes unrelated to her work-related injuries before she could seek such benefits. On May 7, 2007, Mrs. Holmes's attorney filed post-mortem issues with the Commission seeking permanent disability benefits and alleging that the right to collect those benefits should pass to Larry Holmes, Sr., as Mrs. Holmes's surviving spouse.
The Commission held a hearing on September 19, 2007 to consider whether Mrs. Holmes's unexercised right to collect permanent benefits would inure to the benefit of Mr. Holmes. At that hearing, the Commission determined that Mr. Holmes was not a dependent5of Mrs. Holmes and that Mrs. Holmes had no surviving minor children. Consequently, Mr. Holmes ability to pursue his wife's claim is controlled by § 9-632(d) of the Act:
(Emphasis added.).
On October 3, 2007, the Commission found that Mr. Holmes had presented insufficient evidence to show that Mrs. Holmes had "a legal obligation to support" him at the time of her death and therefore, any right to claim her permanent partial benefits did not pass to him. The Commission heard and considered substantially similar arguments presented in Mr. Holmes's reply brief in this Court, particularly that "a legal obligation to support" arises as a result of the marital bond, exists until given up by either spouse, andexists by implication from Md. Code , § 10-201 of the Family Law Article, which imposes criminal penalties for willful non-support of a spouse.
Subsequent to the Commission's determination that Mr. Holmes was ineligible to claim benefits under § 9-632(d), Mr. Holmes filed a Petition for Judicial Review in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. On February 29, 2008, the Circuit Court granted Wal Mart's motion for summary judgment and affirmed the Order of the Commission.
Mr. Holmes then filed a timely appeal to the Court of Special Appeals. On September 2, 2009, following oral arguments, the Court of Special Appeals issued its opinion reversing the judgment of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Holmes v. Wal Mart Stores, Inc., 187 Md. App. 690, 979 A.2d 744 (2009). The Court of Special Appeals held that benefits survive to the spouse "unless the spouse has agreed to or has been adjudicated to have given up his or her right of support." Holmes, 187 Md. App. at 714, 979 A.2d at 748.
On December 9, 2009, we granted certiorari, Walmart v. Holmes, 411 Md. 599, 984 A.2d 244 (2009), to answer the following question posed by Wal Mart, which we have reworded slightly for clarity:
Did the Court of Special Appeals err when, in a case of first impression, it held that for the purposes of § 9-632 of the Labor and Employment Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland a spouse has a legal obligation to support his or her surviving spouse solely by virtue of the marital tie and in the absence of a court order, decree, or other adjudication establishing a legal obligation to pay support?
Section 9-745(b) of the Labor and Employment Article, provides that the decisions of the Commission are presumptively correct. This presumption, however, does not extend to questions of law. See Beyer v. Decker, 159 Md. 289, 291, 150 A. 804, 805 (1930) ( )(citations omitted).
In Baltimore v. Kelly, we considered the appropriate standard of review on appeal from a grant of summary judgment by a Circuit Court engaged in judicial review of a decision by the State Workers' Compensation Commission:
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