APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

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E.L. Reid vs. Don Sunquist, et al

02C01-9610-CC-00327
Lake County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
State vs. Brian Lautenschlager

02C01-9702-CC-00051
Decatur County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
State vs. Sandell

03C01-9606-CC-00237
Rhea County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
Henley vs. State

01S01-9703-CC-00056

Originating Judge:J. O. Bond
Supreme Court 01/26/98
State vs. Robert Dyer

02C01-9612-CC-00443
Henderson County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
Special Judge Hamilton v. Gayden, Jr.

01S01-9705-CV-00106
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. The plaintiff injured his back on June 3, 1995 while in the course of his employment with the defendant. The trial judge found the plaintiff had sustained a 55 percent vocational impairment to the body as a whole. The defendant says the medical evidence submitted at trial was insufficient to show the plaintiff sustained a permanent injury and further says the award was excessive even if the plaintiff sustained permanent injury. The judgment of the trial judge is affirmed. Because there is no contest about the accident which injured the plaintiff, we need not discuss the facts thereof. MEDICAL EVIDENCE The only medical evidence in this case was the testimony of Dr. S. M. Smith, an orthopaedic surgeon. Dr. Smith first saw the plaintiff on August 31, 1995. He testified concerning his examination of the plaintiff and detailed specific findings, not necessary to set out, concerning the injury. When asked his opinion about the plaintiff's injury on the date of August 31, 1995, Dr. Smith said: I felt that he needed an MRI of his lumbar spine, along with an EMG and a nerve conduction study of both lower extremities to fully evaluate the back problem. I also felt that he may need a course of physical activity and possible surgical intervention based upon the findings of the MRI. And at that time, I didn't think I could give him an impairment rating, because his condition had not been fully evaluated.1 Dr. Smith saw the plaintiff on April 3, 1996 and again examined him. When asked about his condition at that time, Dr. Smith said: He continues to have problems with his back. His examination was completely unchanged. And I told him that since we cannot get any studies done, that I would go ahead and rate him based on the physical findings that he has now. And he has enough physical findings to make me think that he has nerve root impingement in the lumbar region. I think that he deserves an MRI to help better elucidate this problem. I would not feel comfortable sending him to PT without an MRI, because if he does have a ruptured disc, then this could make his condition worse. 1 The defendant would not pay for an MRI or EMG because they did not recognize the plaintiff's injury as compensable. The plaintiff could not afford the cost of the tests. 2
Authoring Judge: John K. Byers, Senior Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. John Maddux,
Clay County Workers Compensation Panel 01/26/98
State vs. Horne

03C01-9607-CR-00275

Originating Judge:James E. Beckner
Hawkins County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
State vs. Dewayne Moore

02C01-9705-CC-00167
Madison County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
Jeffrey Glenn Bogle v. Distribution & Auto Service, et al.

01S01-9706-CH-00128
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. The plaintiff filed this suit and alleged he had sustained permanent impairment to his knees as the result of an injury in the course and scope of his employment with the defendant. The trial judge denied the plaintiff's claim for workers' compensation and dismissed his case. The plaintiff says he carried his burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he sustained a work related injury. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. The plaintiff was age 4 at the time of trial. He had a high school education and was trained in automobile body repair work. The plaintiff alleged his knees were injured when he fell off an automobile frame rack and landed on both knees on August 16, 1994. The plaintiff did not see a doctor about his knee problems until late 1994 or early 1995. The evidence of whether the injury to the plaintiff's knees was causally connected to his work with the defendant is based upon the testimony of the plaintiff and one doctor. The plaintiff testified that he considered the work related fall to be minor at first but that later he developed a gradually progressive serious problem in both knees. The plaintiff explained that he could not have known the seriousness of the fall until the onset of symptoms. Dr. Robert Russell, an orthopaedic surgeon, testified that it was not until after he performed arthroscopic surgery on the plaintiff's knees that he concluded the condition was "trauma related." Dr. Russell further testified that the plaintiff's injury was "consistent" with a fall to both knees, but he did not testify based upon a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the plaintiff 's work related fall caused his knee problems. Dr. Russell assessed a 12 percent permanent partial impairment to each knee and restricted the plaintiff from climbing, squatting, and crawling. 2
Authoring Judge: John K. Byers, Senior Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. Robert E. Corlew, III,
Rutherford County Workers Compensation Panel 01/26/98
State vs. Harris

03C01-9704-CC-00134

Originating Judge:Ben W. Hooper, II
Sevier County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
Knight vs. State

03C01-9705-CR-00162

Originating Judge:Lynn W. Brown
Johnson County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/26/98
State vs. Ronald Cass

02C01-9612-CC-00489

Originating Judge:C. Creed Mcginley
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
State vs. Nicole Gray

02C01-9612-CR-00442
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
Schering Healthcare vs. St. Bd. Equalization

02A01-9703-CH-00058

Originating Judge:Floyd Peete, Jr.
Shelby County Court of Appeals 01/23/98
03C01-9610-CR-00407

03C01-9610-CR-00407

Originating Judge:Mayo L. Mashburn
Bradley County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
Riley vs. State

03C01-9705-CR-00181

Originating Judge:E. Eugene Eblen
Morgan County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
State vs. George Woods

02C01-9701-CC-00037
Hardeman County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
State vs. Jason Pickens

02C01-9612-CC-00486
Hardin County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
State vs. Cynthia & Rhodney Roberson

02C01-9702-CC-00083

Originating Judge:Dick Jerman, Jr.
Gibson County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/23/98
State vs. Maurice Manley

02C01-9612-CC-00482

Originating Judge:John Franklin Murchison
Madison County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/22/98
State vs. Wilbur Kerney

02C01-9608-CC-00264

Originating Judge:William B. Acree
Weakley County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/22/98
State vs. Bobbie Weathers

02C01-9703-CC-00123

Originating Judge:John Franklin Murchison
Henderson County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/22/98
Hicks vs. Hicks

03A01-9708-CV-00359
Court of Appeals 01/22/98
03C01-9607-CR-00269

03C01-9607-CR-00269
Knox County Court of Criminal Appeals 01/22/98
James Dollar v. Florida Steel Corporation

02S01-9608-CH-00071
Authoring Judge: William S. Russell, Retired Judge
Originating Judge:Ash, Judge
Madison County Workers Compensation Panel 01/22/98