Vision Processing, LLC v. Christie Groves
2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 2019
| 6th Cir. | 2013Background
- Legacy black-lung program started in 1969 with survivor benefits via two routes; 1981 amendments removed automatic survivor benefits and required new proofs; 2010 amendments reinstated fifteen-year presumption and automatic survivor benefits for claims filed after 2005 and pending in 2010; Groves worked 29 years in coal mines and died 2006, widow Christie Groves filed August 1, 2006; ALJ denied survivor benefits finding no pneumoconiosis cause of death; BRB later awarded survivor benefits after supplemental briefing; issue is whether 2010 amendments apply to Groves’ pending survivor claim; court holds they do and automatic survivor benefits apply
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether 1981 or 2010 rules apply | Groves argues 2010 rules apply to pending claims | Vision Processing argues §1556(c) limits to miner claims or pending only for miner claims | 2010 rules apply to Groves’ pending survivor claim |
| Scope of §1556(c) applying to survivor claims | §1556(c) applies to all claims post-2005 regardless of claimant | Language limited to miner claims or not intended to include survivors | §1556(c) covers survivor claims pending as of enactment |
| Constitutional challenges (due process) | Retroactive expansion of proof violates due process | Retroactivity permissible; hearing held; no due process violation | Retroactive effect not unconstitutional; due process not violated |
| Irreconcilability of provisions after 2010 amendments | §932( l ) conflict with the 1981 provisions creates irreconcilable language | Later statute controls; implied repeal possible where conflict exists | Later amendment controls; §932(l) amended prevails; non-irreconcilable otherwise |
| Scrivener’s error issue with other sections | Remaining 1981 language in §§ 901, 921, 922 conflicts with §1556(b) | Omission does not create irreconcilability; later provision governs | No irreconcilability; §932(l) governs; other sections remain supplemental |
Key Cases Cited
- Estate of Cowart v. Nicklos Drilling Co., 505 U.S. 469 (1992) (interpretive consistency; same meaning for identical terms in an Act)
- Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134 (1944) (deference to agency interpretation depending on persuasiveness)
- Stacy, 671 F.3d 378 (2011) (read the word 'claims' to mean all claims; reinforces §1556(c) scope)
- Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc., 514 U.S. 211 (1995) (retroactivity and separation of powers considerations)
- Posadas v. Nat’l City Bank, 296 U.S. 497 (1936) (implied repeal when later statute irreconcilably conflicts with earlier)
- Branch v. Smith, 538 U.S. 254 (2003) (interpretive tools for resolving statutory conflicts)
- Usery v. Turner Elkhorn Mining Co., 428 U.S. 1 (1976) (retroactive liability under Black Lung Benefits Act upheld)
- Morton v. Mancari, 417 U.S. 535 (1974) (statutory interpretation principle; specific statute controls in conflicts)
- Keene v. Consol. Coal Co., 645 F.3d 844 (2011) (retrospective applicability in benefits context (cited))