Taylor v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore
Decision Date | 12 April 1982 |
Docket Number | No. 981,981 |
Citation | 51 Md.App. 435,443 A.2d 657 |
Parties | Dennis R. TAYLOR v. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, et al. |
Court | Court of Special Appeals of Maryland |
John J. Dilli, Jr., Towson, for appellant.
L. William Gawlik, Asst. City Sol. of Baltimore City, Baltimore, with whom were Benjamin L. Brown, City Sol. of Baltimore City and Sheldon H. Press, Chief Sol. of Baltimore City on brief, Baltimore, for appellees.
Argued before MOORE, LOWE and WILNER, JJ.
This appeal is expressly limited to an Order of the Baltimore City Court dated May 28, 1981. The order appealed from denied appellant's motion for a new trial of an administrative appeal to that court, which had affirmed the decision of a claims examiner of the Fire and Police Employees Retirement System. Although the original appeal from the Claims Examiner's decision to the Baltimore City Court questioned findings of fact, as well as construction of law by the Examiner, appellant's motion for new trial was limited solely to the court's construction of the retirement laws regarding disability benefits. By appealing from the order denying his motion, not only does appellant limit himself to that which was addressed upon that motion, Carter v. State, 286 Md. 649, 651, 408 A.2d 1335 (1979), but he places the burden upon himself of convincing this Court that the trial judge abused his discretion in denying the motion for new trial. His gamble was successful. The judge did abuse his discretion by misconstruing the law applicable to the case and sustaining the construction by the Claims Examiner as a proper interpretation of the law. We will remand this case to the Baltimore City Court, directing it to remand to the Claims Examiner for a determination of appellant's entitlement to benefits under proper construction of the law.
Appellant, Dennis R. Taylor, had been employed as a Baltimore City fire fighter since July 20, 1970. On January 5, 1978, he suffered an injury to his left elbow. According to a Statement of Undisputed Facts, appellant applied for a "special" disability retirement on October 3, 1979. His application was denied.
The Claims Examiner's opinion was affirmed upon appeal by an opinion of the Baltimore City Court on April 23, 1981 which was modified by an opinion dated May 28, 1981, denying the motion for a new trial. Erroneously assuming in both opinions that appellant's incapacity had been found by the Examiner to have been "sustained in the performance of his duties ...", the judge addressed a single issue of statutory interpretation. He pointed out that the two relevant sections in Article 22 of the Baltimore City Code relating to disability retirement benefits are § 34(c) and § 34(e); the former dealing with "Ordinary disability retirement benefits" read (prior to 1979) as follows:
In 1979, the following language was added:
"For all claimants who became members of this system on or after July 1, 1979, and have been determined to be qualified for an ordinary disability benefit, the following shall be applicable:
If the claims examiner determines that the member has suffered any permanent disability which prevents the member from the further performance of the duties of the member's job classification in the employ of the City of Baltimore, the City shall within thirty (30) days of the expiration of the appeal period as provided in Section 33(1), or, if an appeal is taken, within thirty (30) days of the final determination of all appeals, refer the member to the Civil Service Commission for vocational counseling and job evaluation to determine whether the member is suitable for re-employment with the City in another position at the same rate of compensation as he was receiving in his last position.
During the period such member is being counseled, he shall temporarily receive the ordinary disability benefits under this section until such time as the Civil Service Commission has determined that either the member is suitable for re-employment in another position or that the City cannot offer any alternative employment. If the determination by the Civil Service Commission is that the member is re-employable, the member shall either be re-employed within one year and the award of ordinary disability benefits terminated, or else the member shall be retired on ordinary disability retirement subject to the other provisions of this subtitle. If the determination by the Civil Service Commission is that the member is not re-employable, the member shall be retired on ordinary disability retirement subject to the other provisions of this subtitle."
The briefer section dealing with "Special disability benefits" was, and remains, as follows:
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