Raines v. City of St. Louis, 50540
| Citation | 711 S.W.2d 544 |
| Decision Date | 20 May 1986 |
| Docket Number | No. 50540,50540 |
| Parties | Harold RAINES, deceased, Dorothy Raines, Widow, et al., Claimants-Appellants, v. CITY OF ST. LOUIS, Employer-Respondent. |
| Court | Missouri Court of Appeals |
Rita M. Montgomery, St. Louis, for claimants-appellants.
James J. Wilson, City Counselor, Robert H. Dierker, Jr., Timothy G. Noble, Associate City Counselors, St. Louis, for employer-respondent.
Claimants, the widow and the unemanicipated children of decedent employee, appeal from an award of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission denying them worker's compensation death benefits. Respondent employer, the City of St. Louis, moves to dismiss the appeal asserting claimants have failed to comply with Rule 84.04, which prescribes the content of appellate briefs. That claimants have failed to comply with Rule 84.04 in several material respects is undeniable. Their statement of facts and their points relied upon are not even marginally acceptable. Nevertheless, we deny respondent's motion in the interests of judicial economy and dispose of the appeal on its merits.
Claimant's decedent was a maintenance worker employed by the City of St. Louis Water Department. While performing his regular duties he suffered a heart attack and died. An autopsy revealed the attack was incident to atherosclerotic heart disease. Though claimants did not deny decedent had a pre-existing heart condition, they asserted the precipitating or immediate cause of the fatal attack was the physical stress of turning a water main valve. Claimants' evidence that decedent's heart attack was work-induced did not persuade the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. Accordingly, claimants were denied worker's compensation death benefits.
Whether decedent's heart attack was induced by the strain of labor was a question of fact which the Commission resolved adversely to claimants. Because the power to judge the credibility of witnesses, to resolve conflicts in testimony, to weigh evidence, and to draw factual inferences is vested in the Commission as trier of fact, our role in reviewing the Commission's award is limited. We examine the record in the light most favorable to the award. If we find the award is supported by competent and substantial evidence, we do not disturb it. Dillard v. City of St. Louis, 685 S.W.2d 918 (Mo.App.1984).
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