Lumbermen's Mutual Casualty Co. vs. Louis Monteleone

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I N S P E C I A L T H E S U P R E M E W O R K E R S ' C O U R T O F T E N N E S S E E C O M P E N S A T I O N A T A P P E A L S FILED P A N E L N A S H V I L L E May 21, 1998 Cecil W. Crowson Appellate Court Clerk L U M B E R M E N ' S M U T U A L I N S U R A N C E C O M P A N Y , P l a i n t i f f / A p p e l l e e v . L O U I S F O R D R 1 M O O 0 a J . M O T E L E O N E , D e f e n d a n t / A p p e l l a n t . ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) N o . D A V I D S O N H O N . R E S P O N D E N T / A P P E L L A N T : Y L E E . R G E R S , R I 0 N o r t h n c h e s t e r I C H A R D S C H A R D S O S p r i n g , T N 3 7 0 1 S 0 1 - 9 7 0 4 - C V - 0 0 0 8 1 T H O M A S F O R O N N & D U N C A N S t r e e t 3 5 5 C O U N T Y , E B P K W . C I R C U I T B R O T H E R S , P E T I T I O N E R / A P P E L L E E : D W A R D U . B A U T L E R , V I N E . O . B o x 2 6 n o x v i l l e , T M E M O R A N D U M B B S & B A B B 4 9 N 3 7 9 0 1 - 2 6 4 9 O P I N I O N M E M B E R S P A N E L : O F J U D G E L Y L E R E I D , A S S O C I A T E J U S T I C E , S U P R E M E J O S E P H C . L O S E R , J R . , R E T I R E D J U D G E W I L L I A M S . R U S S E L L , R E T I R E D J U D G E C O U R T A F F I R M E D R U S S E L L , T h i s t o t h e a p p e a l S p e c i a l i n a w o r k e r s ' W o r k e r s ' c o m p e n s a t i o n C o m p e n s a t i o n c a s e A p p e a l s h a s P a n e l b e e n o f S P . J . r e f e r r e d t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h T e n n e s s e e C o d e A n n o t a t e d S e c t i o n 5 0 - 6 - 2 2 5 ( e ) ( 3 ) o f f o r f a c t h e a r i n g a n d a n d c o n c l u s i o n s L u m b e r m e n ' s c o m p e n s a t i o n f i l e d e m p l o y e e o f M o t e l e o n e ' s t h i s t o h a v e h a p p e n e d b y R o c k T e n n i n j u r y p r o p e r 6 - 2 0 1 w a s i n c l u d i n g o c c u r r e d i n j u r y C o m p a n y f u l l a s t i m e l y w a s m e d i c a l l i f e t i m e m e d i c a l a n d a L o u i s a n a n d o f f i n d i n g s M a y t r i a l 3 0 , b y j u d g e T e n n e s s e e C o n s e q u e n t l y , t o n o R o c k a b a c k o f h e l d c l a i m e d e m p l o y m e n t C o d e c o m p e n s a b l e e v e n a n d , n o i f i t A n n o t a t e d t h e c o u r t A s a i n s u r a n c e s u f f e r e d a h e l d b a c k d i d , S e c t i o n m a t t e r t h e 2 o f t h a t b y c a r e . f o r m e r 1 9 9 4 . e m p l o y e e ' s h i s i n j u r y M o t e l e o n e ' s t h e h a d T e n n a d j u d i c a t i o n f r o m e m p l o y e e w o r k e r s ' n a m e d a n c o m p e n s a t i o n . p a i d p a r t o f 3 0 , 1 9 9 4 ; t h e M o t e l e o n e , J . a l l e g e d s c o p e t h e a r i s i n g t h i s o f a b o u t g i v e n . w e r e C o u r t c o m p a n y s e e k i n g M a y o n r e q u i r e d s u r g e r y , 1 9 9 2 , o u t o r h e a r i n g e x p e n s e s a a g a i n s t c o u r s e o n e n t i t l e d b e c a u s e i n t h e S u p r e m e C o m p a n y , f o r C o m p a n y , g r o w i n g o c c u r r e d n o t i c e M o t e l e o n e a l l a c a r r i e r T e n n i n t h e I n s u r a n c e p e t i t i o n R o c k t o l a w . M u t u a l r i g h t s A f t e r o f i n s u r a n c e C o m p a n y , b a c k r e p o r t i n g t h a t o f n o 5 0 M r . f a c t , p r o b l e m s , c a r r i e r . T h i s c o m p e n s a b l e b a c k c o u r t - a p p r o v e d s e t t l e m e n t w a s T h e t h r e e e m p l o y e r o f l a r g e d o s e s L i e n , h a d n o t r e p o r t b u t t h e o f i n c r e a s e d a n b a c k 4 % . D r . 1 9 9 2 t h e M o t e l e o n e k i d n e y r e a c t i o n t o G e o r g e H . D r . L i e n h a d a n d w a s i n j u r y , o f p r e v i o u s l y a p p r o v e d t o h e b a c k t o D r . L i e n w h i l e l i f t i n g b o x e s , a s h e n o w c l a i m s , i n d i c a t e t h a t I t p a r t i a l h e r e p o r t e d d e v e l o p e d u p o n M r . D r . o f o r i g i n a l 8 % i n j u r y w a s h a d g r a d u a l L i e n M o t e l e o n e ' s d i s a b i l i t y t h e t h a t a o n s e t h a d b a c k , t o a n d i n c r e a s e d b e e n d o h i s b y s e t t l e d a n f o r s u m . t r i a l i n j u r y M r . M a y 3 0 , o n i m m e d i a t e l y i n j u r y a n d c o u r t h e l d b o t h M o t e l e o n e 1 9 9 4 , r e p o r t e d t h e t h a t t h e i s s u e s . A n n o t a t i o n a s s e s s e d h e f a i l e d t h e t h e t h o s e 5 0 - 6 - 2 2 5 w e r e t h a t l i f t i n g B o t h t h e r e o f C e r t a i n l y S e c t i o n w a s f a c t . e m p l o y e e a g a i n s t t o t e s t i f i e d w h e n t h a t r e p o r t i n g p r e p o n d e r a t e a r e h i s o p e r a t i o n H o w e v e r , M r . p h y s i c i a n - s u r g e o n , t a k e . t o t a l w e n t p a i n . p e r m a n e n t t o a e m p l o y e e i n j u r y r e c o r d s p r e s e n t e d t h a t a t t r i b u t e d h e W h e n s u r g i c a l A t o n t h a t c a r r i e r t e s t i f i e d h i s a f t e r d o c t o r ' s l u m p t h a t c a r e . d i d a d d i t i o n a l t h a t s u r g e r y l i f e t i m e o r i g i n a l h e m o t r i n b a c k a n o t h e r w h o s u g g e s t e d p e r f o r m e d r e n d e r o f i n s u r a n c e p a i n b a c k t h e w i t n e s s e s c o n v i n c i n g c o m p l a i n e d a a n d t h e c a r r y c r e d i b l e f i n d i n g s . ( e ) ( 2 ) , w e r e c e i v e d b o x e s ; n e w t h a t a n d a h e a n e w o c c u r r e n c e s h a r p l y t o h e o f d i s p u t e d . T h e t r i a l o f p r o o f h i s b u r d e n e v i d e n c e P e r a f f i r m . d o e s T e n n e s s e e C o s t s o n n o t C o d e a p p e a l a p p e l l a n t . W I L L I A M C O N C U R : 3 S . R U S S E L L , S P E C I A L J U D G E L Y L E J O E R E I D , C . A S S O C I A T E L O S E R , J R . , J U S T I C E S P E C I A L J U D G E 4 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE AT NASHVILLE FILED May 21, 1998 LUMBERMEN S MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, Davidson Circuit Cecil W. Crowson No. 94C-3083 Appellate Court Clerk ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Plaintiff/Appellee, v. LOUIS J. MOTELEONE, Defendant/Appellant. Hon. Thomas W. Brothers, Judge NO. 01S01-9704-CV-00081 Affirmed JUDGMENT ORDER This case is before the Court upon motion for review pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-225(e)(5)(B), the entire record, including the order of referral to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel, and the Panel's Memorandum Opinion setting forth its findings of fact and conclusions of law, which are incorporated herein by reference; Whereupon, it appears to the Court that the motion for review is not welltaken and should be denied; and It is, therefore, ordered that the Panel's findings of fact and conclusions of law are adopted and affirmed, and the decision of the Panel is made the judgment of the Court. Costs are taxed to the defendant-appellant and his surety, for which execution may issue if necessary. It is so ordered this 21st day of May, 1998. PER CURIAM Reid, Sp.J., Not Participating 5

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