APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

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02C01-9509-CC-00259

02C01-9509-CC-00259
Lauderdale County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/20/97
Tommye Johnson vs. Edward Johnson, Sr.

02A01-9609-Cv-00217

Originating Judge:George H. Brown
Shelby County Court of Appeals 05/20/97
State vs. Nail

03C01-9406-CR-00197

Originating Judge:Paul A. Swafford
Rhea County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
State vs. Johnson

03C01-9606-CC-00214

Originating Judge:E. Eugene Eblen
Loudon County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
State vs. Beeler

03C01-9607-CC-00264

Originating Judge:Frank L. Slaughter
Sullivan County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
State vs. Lowery

03C01-9604-CC-00146

Originating Judge:William R. Holt
Jefferson County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
State vs. Maurice Garner

02C01-9508-CR-00223

Originating Judge:Arthur T. Bennett
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
State vs. Henry Eugene Hodges

01S01-9505-CR-00080
Davidson County Supreme Court 05/19/97
State vs. Christopher Prentiss

02C01-9604-CR-00112

Originating Judge:Joseph B. Brown
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
State vs. Teague

03C01-9601-CC-00027
Blount County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
Kite vs. Kite

03S01-9610-CH-00099
Supreme Court 05/19/97
03C01-9311-CR-00363

03C01-9311-CR-00363

Originating Judge:Edgar P. Calhoun
Sullivan County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/19/97
Stein vs. Davidson Hotel Company

01S01-9610-CV-00202
Davidson County Supreme Court 05/19/97
01C01-9507-CC-00219

01C01-9507-CC-00219
Cheatham County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/16/97
Earl Barrett v. City of Lebanon, et al.

01S01-9608-CH-00158
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 is a 4-year-old man whose work experience has essentially been limited to manual labor. On August 2, 1994, during the course and scope of his employment by the City of Lebanon and while using a jackhammer, he sprained a neck muscle while attempting to dislodge the implement. He returned to light duty on February 6, 1995 and full duty on March 2, 1995. The issue is whether the evidence preponderates against the judgment of the trial court that the plaintiff retained a 12.5% permanent partial disability to his body as a whole as a result of the cervical strain. Our review is de novo on the record with the presumption of the correctness of the judgment unless the evidence otherwise preponderates. T.C.A. _ 5-6-225(e)(2) and TENN. R. CIV. P. 13(d). The treating physician was Dr. W. Garrison Strickland, board-certified in psychiatry and neurology. His examination and testing revealed mild degenerative changes in the cervical spine. He testified that the results of a functional capacity evaluation were inconsistent, meaning that the plaintiff's efforts were not always sincere. Dr. Strickland declined to state an opinion as to whether the plaintiff had any impairment because there were no objective findings and the functional capacity evaluation was inconsistent. The plaintiff was referred to Dr. Jack Fishbein, an orthopedic surgeon, by his attorney. He saw the plaintiff only on one occasion and testified that he found muscle tightness and limited range of motion with pain radiating from the right shoulder. He assessed 5% impairment to the body as a whole. The trial judge found the testimony of Dr. Fishbein to be more credible than the testimony of Dr. Strickland, who, as stated, declined to state an opinion because he found no objective symptoms and does not give impairment ratings if the functional capacity evaluation is inconsistent. 2
Authoring Judge: William H. Inman, Senior Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. Charles K. Smith,
Wilson County Workers Compensation Panel 05/16/97
01C01-9511-CC-00378

01C01-9511-CC-00378

Originating Judge:Leonard W. Martin
Dickson County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/16/97
Margaret Ann Scruggs v. National Health Corp.

01S01-9504-CH-00052
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. For the reasons set forth below, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. The plaintiff, Margaret Ann Scruggs, injured her neck on December 25, 1991, while employed as a nurse's aid by the defendant, National Healthcorp, L.P., d/b/a/ Merihil Health Care Center, Inc. The plaintiff, was 52 years old at the time of trial. She did not finish the seventh grade. Her employment history consists of working as a private sitter and in various restaurants and factories. She has had training as a nurse's aide. Plaintiff was first treated for her work-related neck injury by Dr.Kenneth J. Phelps. She informed Dr. Phelps that she was experiencing pain from her neck that was radiating down into her left arm causing loss of grip strength in her hand. Dr. Phelps confirmed plaintiff's complaint of pain and loss of grip strength, scheduled physical therapy and imposed lifting restrictions. Dr. Phelps continued to see plaintiff through October, 1992, because she continued to complain of symptoms similar to those she had complained of after the accident. She also indicated she had additional problems such as pain down her back and into her left leg, spasms in her back, difficulty sleeping and panic attacks. From January of 1993 through January of 1994, plaintiff was treated by Dr. Richard Fishbein, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Fishbein diagnosed plaintiff as 2
Authoring Judge: John Maddux, Special Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. Tyrus H. Cobb,
Marshall County Workers Compensation Panel 05/16/97
Naomi Gentry v. Lumbermens Mutual Co., et al.

01S01-9608-CH-00165
Authoring Judge: William H. Inman, Senior Judge
Smith County Workers Compensation Panel 05/16/97
01C01-9601-CR-00041

01C01-9601-CR-00041
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/16/97
01C01-9603-CR-00084

01C01-9603-CR-00084
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/16/97
Franklin Hartsell v. Dallas & Mavis Forwarding Co., et al.

01S01-9608-CH-00164
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, age 54, suffered a job-related myocardial infarction on March 1, 1994. A coronary arteriogram revealed an 8% blockage of his left anterior descending artery which was alleviated by an angioplasty procedure which reduced the blockage to less than 15%. Conservative treatment followed, and he was released to return to full employment on January 1, 1994. From that day forward, the plaintiff has worked steadily and without incident. In July 1991, the plaintiff was hospitalized with chest pains. A cardiac catheterization was performed, which revealed a serious lesion in his left circumflex coronary artery at the left ventricular ridge, with another lesion in his left anterior descending coronary artery. After the 1994 infarction, the lesion in the left anterior artery was substantially worsened. The employer insists that the award is excessive because it was improperly onerated with liability for impairment resulting from pre-existing coronary artery disease. Liability for benefits resulting from impairment as a consequence of the myocardial infarction is conceded. The dispositive issue at trial was the extent of the plaintiff's partial permanent disability. The Chancellor found that the plaintiff had a 5% permanent partial disability and awarded benef its accordingly. Our review is de novo on the record, accompanied by the presumption that the trial court's judgment is correct unless the evidence preponderates otherwise. T.C.A. _ 5-6-225(e)(2). The treating physician, Dr. K.P. Channabasappa, testified that the plaintiff's impairment was 29%, which may be extrapolated to Category II of the AMA Guidelines. He stated in a pre-deposition letter that "it is 29%" and on direct examination testified that the impairment was 29%. There was no countervailing testimony offered. 2
Authoring Judge: William H. Inman, Senior Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. Ellen Hobbs Lyle,
Franklin County Workers Compensation Panel 05/16/97
01C01-9508-CR-00264

01C01-9508-CR-00264
Davidson County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/16/97
Vowell Ventures vs. The City of Martin

02A01-9604-CH-00090

Originating Judge:William B. Acree
Weakley County Court of Appeals 05/16/97
Nancy Olivieri vs. Paul Oliveri

02A01-9512-CV-00282
Court of Appeals 05/16/97
State vs. John Childress

02C01-9605-CC-00154

Originating Judge:Joseph H. Walker, III
Lauderdale County Court of Criminal Appeals 05/16/97