Insurance Co. of North America v. Russell

• Decision Date: 08 September 1980
• Docket Number: Nos. 36095,36096,s. 36095
• Citation: Insurance Co. of North America v. Russell, 271 S.E.2d 178, 246 Ga. 269 (Ga. 1980)
• Parties: INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA et al. v. RUSSELL. RUSSELL v. INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA et al.
• Court: Georgia Supreme Court

Page 178

271 S.E.2d 178

246 Ga. 269

INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA et al. v. RUSSELL.

RUSSELL v. INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA et al.

Nos. 36095, 36096.

Supreme Court of Georgia.

Argued April 15, 1980.

Decided Sept. 8, 1980.

Charles L. Drew, Atlanta, Richard C. Kissiah, Greenville, for appellants.

John W. Folsom, Decatur, Glenville Haldi, Atlanta, for appellee.

HILL, Justice.

The question for decision here is the constitutionality of the conclusive presumption of dependency in favor of widows (but not widowers) under our workers' compensation law, and if unconstitutional, whether that conclusive presumption shall be available to both widows and widowers.

Following the death of his wife as a result of gunshot wounds sustained in the course of a robbery at her place of employment, her surviving spouse, Jack B. Russell, applied for workers' compensation benefits. Under Georgia's workers' compensation law, in order to recover death benefits from a deceased spouse's employer (excluding burial expenses), the surviving spouse must prove total or partial dependency. Code Ann. § 114-413. The law, however, conclusively presumes that a wife is wholly dependent for support "upon a husband whom she had not voluntarily deserted or abandoned at (the) time of the accident," Code Ann. § 114-414(a), and that a husband is wholly dependent for support "upon a wife with whom he lived at the time of her accident if he is then incapable of self-support and actually dependent upon her." Code Ann. § 114-414(b). After a provision as to dependency of children, Code Ann. § 114-414(c) (not affected by this decision), the law provides that "In all other cases, questions of dependency, in whole or in part, shall be determined in accordance with the facts at the time of the accident ...." Code Ann. § 114-414. ¹ Jack Russell submitted evidence of partial dependency; he also timely challenged the constitutionality of Code Ann. § 114-414(a) on the ground that it denied him his right to equal protection under the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution by providing a conclusive presumption of dependency for a wife but not for a husband. The administrative law judge found that Russell was not partially dependent on his deceased wife and declined to rule on the constitutionality of Code Ann. § 114-414(a), finding that issue beyond the scope of his authority. The full board affirmed, adopting the findings and conclusions of the administrative law judge. On appeal, however, the superior court reversed, sustaining Russell's challenge to the constitutionality of Code Ann. § 114-414(a) and holding that "the dependency of a widower must be determined in exactly the same manner and under the same standards as the dependency of a widow." The superior court remanded with direction that an award be made to the widower in conformity with its decision. The employer and its insurer, Insurance Company of North America, then filed an application to appeal which was granted by this court.

1. Some months after the entry of the superior court's order, the United States Supreme Court held unconstitutional a similar conclusive presumption of dependency for widows but not widowers in Missouri's workers' compensation statute. Wengler v. Druggists Mutual Ins. Co., --- U.S. ----, 100 S.Ct. 1540, 64 L.Ed.2d 107 (1980). In accordance with that decision, we affirm the order of the trial court to the extent it declared the different treatment of widows and widowers to be unconstitutional.

2. The superior court's order implicitly holds that since a conclusive presumption of dependency for wives alone violates equal protection, the remedy for the constitutional deficiency is to extend the benefit of the presumption to husbands. But as the United States Supreme Court noted in Wengler, supra, the defect may be cured by the state courts either by extending the presumption to widowers or by eliminating it for widows. Wengler, supra, --- U.S. at ----, 100 S.Ct. at 1546, 47, 64 L.Ed.2d at 116-117. The reason a choice is available is that Code § 114-414(a) is not, per se, unconstitutional. It is the different treatment accorded widows and widowers by Code § 114-414(a), (b) which is unconstitutional under the equal protection clause. This difference in treatment can be remedied by giving widowers the rights available under § 114-414(a) or by restricting widows to the rights available under § 114-414(b), or by a combination thereof resulting in elimination of the disparity. (We reject the suggestion of appellee's counsel that the entire workers' compensation act could be declared unconstitutional and the tort system reinstalled.)

The question is how best to facilitate legislative intent where the expressed intent to differentiate between widows and widowers cannot be carried out. Code § 114-414, supra, appears as part of the Code of 1933. That section was first enacted in 1920 (Ga.L.1920, p. 188). When enacted (whether the year chosen be 1920 or 1933), husbands most often supported their wives and wives were dependent upon husbands. Hence the General Assembly provided that death benefits would be paid to a widow but a widower would have to show his dependency. Worker's compensation has never been like life insurance. In view of the other dependency provisions of our workers' compensation law, we do not find that, given the choice, the General Assembly would have provided that an able-bodied widower should be entitled to death benefits absent a showing of dependency upon his deceased wife.

From our reading of Code Ann. § 114-414, the legislative intent can best be accomplished by eliminating the conclusive presumption of dependency of widows. Widows, whom the General Assembly intended to benefit, may still prove dependency and in many instances the proof will be a relatively simple matter not subject to dispute. And widowers, whom the General Assembly clearly intended to recover benefits only in cases of actual dependency, are still required to prove dependency. This result being more consonant with the statutory scheme, we reverse the order of the trial court insofar as it extended the benefit of the conclusive presumption of dependency to widowers. Arp v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Bd., 19 Cal.3d 395, 138 Cal.Rptr. 293, 563 P.2d 849 (1977). But see Passante v. Walden Printing Co., 53 A.D.2d 8, 385 N.Y.S.2d 178, 181 (1976); Tomarchio v. Township of Greenwich, 75 N.J. 62, 379 A.2d 848, 854 (1977).

On the other hand, a widow may recover death benefits under § 114-414(a) as it was written even without proof that she was being supported by her deceased husband, if she had not voluntarily deserted or abandoned him, whereas a widower can recover under § 114-414(b) as written only upon proof that he was living with her, was incapable of self-support and was actually dependent upon her. To restrict widows to the limited presumption of dependency under § 114-414(b) was not the legislative intent. We therefore find that, given the choice, the General Assembly would not have made § 114-414(b) as written applicable to widows, just as we have found that it would not have made § 114-414(a) applicable to widowers. A court has the power to merge into one two provisions invalid under the equal protection clause when the result achieved is more consistent with legislative intent than the result that would attend complete invalidation of one or...