State vs. Calvin Scott W2002-01324-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: J. C. Mclin
The Appellant, Calvin Scott, was found guilty by a Shelby County jury of aggravated robbery, two counts of especially aggravated robbery, and two counts of first degree murder. The trial court sentenced Scott to an effective sentence of life plus twenty-two years. In this appeal as of right, Scott raises the following issues for our review: (1) whether the State asserted sufficient race-neutral explanations to support its exercise of peremptory challenges against four African-American jurors; and (2) whether the trial court, after concluding that the State's exercise of a peremptory challenge was improper, should have dismissed the entire panel rather than reseating the juror. We conclude that the State's use of its peremptory challenges was proper, and the trial court did not err by reseating the challenged juror. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Wilson v. Coppinger Color Lab 03S01-9711-CH-00130
Authoring Judge: Roger E. Thayer, Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Earl H. Henley,
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. This appeal has resulted from a finding by the trial court that plaintiff, Constance H. Wilson, sustained a compensable injury while in the employment of her last employer, Telecable. The trial court dismissed the case against the former employer, Coppinger Color Lab, Inc., and held Travelers Insurance Company liable as the insurance carrier for the last employer. The only issue is whether the Last Injurious Injury Rule applies so as to hold the last employer liable for the compensable claim. Plaintiff, age 41 years, began working for Coppinger Color Lab, Inc. during August 1986. She worked eight years before leaving to take a job with Telecable. During her eight year period of employment, she did data entry work with a computer. She estimated that this type of work activity consumed about 85-9% of her time. During the last two years of employment, she started having problems with numbness in both hands. Her condition continued to get worse and she testified the numbness and tingling was almost a daily event. However, she continued to work. Plaintiff went to work for Telecable, her last and present employer, on June 1, 1994 and was employed as a dispatcher which involved computer work to a lesser extent than in her former employment. She stated she did this type of work about 25-5% of the time. The first two weeks of this new job was a training period that required her to watch another employee most of the time. While working she continued to have the same problem with her hands and wrists. During the last part of June 1994 she awoke during the night with severe pain in her left arm between her elbow and wrist which she described as being worse than any pain she had ever encountered before. This scared her and she decided to see a doctor. She continued to work and during her last year of employment, she received a promotion to a job classified as an administrative assistant. Her condition began to improve but the medical evidence is quite clear that she needs to have surgery for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome injury. 2
Wilson
Workers Compensation Panel
Braden v. Modine Mfg. 03S01-9702-CV-00019
Authoring Judge: Roger E. Thayer, Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. James B. Scott,
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. At the time of the trial below, three claims for benefits were at issue. They were: (1) a claim for a back injury in 1994, (2) a claim for an ankle injury in 1995, and (3) a claim under T.C.A. _ 5-6-241 to reconsider the back injury award of 1994. The trial court made the following awards: (1) 12 _% permanent partial disability to the body as a whole for the 1994 back injury, (2) 1% permanent disability to the left leg, and (3) increased the 12 _% back injury award to 55% to the body as a whole. The employer, Modine Manufacturing Company, Inc., and the insurance carrier, Sentry Insurance Company, have appealed from the rulings of the trial court with respect to the 1% award to the left leg and the 55% award to the body as a whole. Our review of these cases is de novo on the record of the trial court accompanied by a presumption of the correctness of the findings of fact unless we find the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. T.C.A. _ 5-6-225(e)(2). The employee, Inez Braden, was 55 years of age at the time of the first trial and had completed the eighth grade. She began working for Modine in 1979 and worked for about 16 _ years before being terminated by her employer as a result of a general lay-off of employees during January 1996. 1994 Injury Plaintiff testified that during March 1994 she sustained an injury to her back when she was leaning over to obtain a piece of equipment. She was off work for awhile; received therapy treatment; and returned to light duty work. She testified she eventually returned to regular "rotation work" which was prohibited by her medical restrictions and this made her back hurt more. Dr. Robert C. Jackson, testified by deposition and stated she suffered from a strain and gave a 5% medical impairment. He also noted there were degenerative disc changes and said this made it easier to sustain a straining type injury. He opined she should only do light duty work on a 2
Knox
Workers Compensation Panel
Indiana Lumbermen's v. Meade 03S01-9712-CV-00146
Authoring Judge: Joe C. Loser, Jr., Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Richard Ladd,
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The employer insists the award of permanent partial disability benefits is excessive and the employee insists he is permanently and totally disabled. Additionally, the employee contends "the trial court erred in rejecting the testimony of the vocational specialist in its totality." As discussed below, the panel has concluded the judgment should be affirmed. The trial court awarded permanent partial disability benefits based on sixty percent to the body as a whole. Appellate review is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of correctness of the findings of fact, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(2). The extent of an injured worker's disability is an issue of fact. Jaske v. Murray Ohio Mfg. Co., 75 S.W.2d 15 (Tenn. 1988). Where the trial judge has seen and heard the witnesses, especially if issues of credibility and weight to be given oral testimony are involved, considerable deference must be accorded those circumstances on review. Jones v. Sterling Last Corp., 962 S.W.2d 469 (Tenn. 1998). The employee or claimant, Meade, is 58 years old with a third grade education, an intelligence quotient of 74 and experience as a laborer. He suffered a compensable soft tissue injury to his back, which is the subject of this case. The undisputed medical proof is that he has a permanent impairment of five percent to the body as a whole and is permanently restricted from any repeated bending, stooping or squatting, heavy lifting, working over heavy terrain, excessive ladder or stair climbing, strenuous pushing or pulling, or working with his hands above the level of his shoulders. One doctor restricted him from lifting even twenty pounds occasionally. The claimant attempted to return to work but, because of his restrictions, could not perform his duties, and was not working at the time of the trial. He has no other educational, vocational or job training. A vocational expert testified that he had no reasonably transferable job skills from former employment and opined his vocational disability was one hundred percent. The expert qualified his opinion by saying that although the claimant 2
Ruth/Raymond Wells vs. J.C Penny W2002-00102-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Judge Holly M. Kirby
Trial Court Judge: George H. Brown
This is a premises liability case. The plaintiff customer was shopping in a retail store. After a dispute with an unidentified customer over which customer would purchase certain merchandise, the unidentified customer grabbed the plaintiff's wrist. The plaintiff customer sued the retail store, asserting that the store had a duty to protect her from the customer's assault. The store moved for summary judgment, which the trial court granted. We affirm, finding that the assault was unforeseeable, and therefore the retailer did not have a duty of care to protect the customer from it.
Shelby
Court of Appeals
Nathan v. Harris v. Wendel Adkins d/b/a Tennessee Riders, Inc., Valiant Ins. Co. and Stephen N. Ciancio 01S01-9801-CV-00009
Authoring Judge: Joe C. Loser, Jr., Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. Hamilton V. Gayden Jr.,
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The employer and its insurer contend in this appeal that the trial court erred in awarding the medical expenses of a nonauthorized provider and that the award of permanent partial disability benefits is excessive. As discussed below, the panel has concluded the judgment should be affirmed. The employee or claimant initiated this civil action to recover medical and disability benefits for injuries resulting from a work related accident which occurred on May 23, 1995. After a benefit review conference and trial, the trial court awarded, inter alia, medical expenses and disability benefits based on sixty percent to the body as a whole. Our review is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of correctness of the findings of fact, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(2). At the time of the trial, the claimant was thirty years old with a high school education and vocational training in automobile repair. He was in good health before the accident. On the date of the accident, the claimant was working for the employer, Tennessee Riders, operating a mower next to I-4 when his tractor was struck from the rear by a speeding pick-up truck. The truck's bumper struck him in the back and its hood struck him in the head. He was soon transported to the emergency room at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, where he was treated and released.1 When the accident occurred, his supervisor, Wendell Adkins, was operating a mower about one hundred yards ahead of him, but did not talk to him at the scene. However, two co-workers visited the claimant to inquire about his condition soon after the accident. He has not returned to work for Tennessee Riders. When his condition worsened, he contacted Dr. Melvin Law, who diagnosed S1 radiculopathy and two bulging discs with nerve root impingement. The doctor provided conservative care, including a back brace, and referred the claimant to a neurologist. Dr. Law assessed his permanent impairment at ten percent to the whole body and restricted him from lifting more than twenty pounds, thirty minutes of continuous standing and walking and thirty minutes of continuous sitting. The neurologist, Dr. Morgan, advised him not to return to work as a mower operator. This doctor diagnosed disequilibrium, post-concussive syndrome and intermittent paresthesias of the hands, possibly resulting from a mild spinal cord contusion or brachial plexus stretch type injury and assessed his permanent medical impairment at fourteen percent to the whole body, of which nine percent was from persistent labyrinthine vertigo. Dr. Morgan restricted the claimant from repetitive bending or prolonged standing of more than two hours and from lifting more than twenty-five pounds; and he referred 1 The claimant testified that St. Thomas refused to treat him because he did not have any identification, but performed a CT scan when he returned and demanded it. 2
Davidson
Workers Compensation Panel
Sharon Abbott v. Quebecor Printing 01S01-9805-CV-00087
Authoring Judge: Joe C. Loser, Jr., Special Judge
Trial Court Judge: Hon. James E. Walton,
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The employer, Quebecor, insists the trial judge erred in finding that the plaintiff suffered a permanent compensable injury and that the claim is barred by the last injurious injury rule. As discussed below, the panel has concluded the judgment should be affirmed. The employee or claimant, Abbott, initiated this action for the recovery of workers' compensation benefits for a gradually occurring injury to her right arm. After a trial on the merits, the trial court awarded, inter alia, permanent partial disability benefits based on twenty-five percent to the right arm. Appellate review is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of correctness, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(2). The claimant began working for this employer in March of 1994, feeding loads of paper into feeding pockets to make magazines. She worked four twelve hour shifts and was off for three days, then worked three twelve hour shifts and was off for four days. From the repetitive use of her right hand and arm, she gradually developed disabling pain and was referred by the employer to Dr. Cooper Beazley, who prescribed steroid injections. She was unable to work for about four weeks. Shortly after returning to work, she was involved in an automobile accident. After that accident, she did not return to work for the employer. Dr. Beazley diagnosed lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow. He was equivocal as to whether the injury was permanent. Dr. Dewey Thomas, who examined and evaluated the claimant, assigned a permanent impairment rating of ten percent to the right arm. His testimony established a causal connection between the injury and the repetitive use of the claimant's right arm at work and was supported by the lay proof offered by the claimant. The only evidence offered at trial by the employer was the testimony of its insurance administrator, who testified that the claimant did not complain after the steroid injections. At the time of the trial, the claimant was working with pain for another employer. She testified that her disability had not increased as a result of her new job. Where a condition develops gradually over a period of time resulting in a definite, work-connected, unexpected, fortuitous injury, it is compensable as an injury by accident. Brown Shoe Co. v. Reed, 29 Tenn. 16, 35 S.W.2d 65 (1961). Trial courts are not required to accept the opinion of a treating physician over any other conflicting expert medical testimony. The trial judge did not abuse his discretion by accepting the testimony of Dr. Thomas concerning causation and permanency. The first issue is resolved in favor of the claimant. The successive or "last injurious" injury rule is that where an employee 2
