Purdy & Whitfield v. Department of Labor & Industries

On May 14, 1939, Willis H. Benham, a logger, was struck by a falling tree and died the next day. Mabel Benham, his divorced wife and the mother of his three minor children, filed a claim with the department of labor and industries seeking a pension for the children. Purdy & Whitfield, undertakers, filed a claim for services rendered in connection with Ben-ham’s funeral. The supervisor of the department rejected both claims on the ground that the deceased was not, at the time of his injury, a workman within the purview of the workmen’s compensation act. On rehearing, the joint board of the…