Rita Faye Hurst v. Claiborne County Hospital and Nursing Home et al.

Court Description:

Authoring Judge: Justice Sharon Lee

Trial Court Judge: Judge Elizabeth C. Asbury

An employee filed suit for workers compensation benefits for injuries sustained in a work-related motor vehicle collision. The trial court later dismissed the case with full prejudice based on a settlement approved by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (the Department ). Over seven years later, the employee filed a motion in another workers compensation case to compel medical benefits for her injuries related to the collision. The trial court granted the employee s motion to compel, referencing in its order this case number (#15,665) and the case number in which the motion was filed (#13,393). In a separate order, the trial court awarded the employee her attorney fees and costs. We vacate the trial court s orders, finding that the trial court did not have subject matter jurisdiction to compel medical benefits for the employee s physical injuries.