Case Title: State ex rel. Jennings v. Indus. Comm.

Citation: 2003-Ohio-737

Docket Number: 20011380

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2003-03-05T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Cite as State ex rel. Jennings v. Indus. Comm., 98 Ohio St.3d , 2003-Ohio-737.] 
 
 
THE STATE EX REL. JENNINGS, APPELLANT, v. INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF 
OHIO, ET AL., APPELLEES. 
[Cite as State ex rel. Jennings v. Indus. Comm., 98 Ohio St.3d 288, 2003-Ohio-
737.] 
Workers’ compensation — Application for temporary total disability 
compensation filed by claimant who was fired from former position of 
employment — Denial of application by Industrial Commission affirmed, 
when — State ex rel. McCoy v. Dedicated Transport, Inc., applied. 
(No. 2001-1380 — Submitted February 12, 2003 — Decided March 5, 2003.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Franklin County, No. 00AP-961. 
__________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶1} 
Appellant-claimant, Tina Jennings, was industrially injured on 
February 8, 1999.  She was fired in June of that year for unexcused absenteeism.  
There is no evidence that she secured other employment thereafter. 
{¶2} 
In September 1999, she had surgery for her allowed conditions and 
requested temporary total disability compensation (“TTC”).  Appellee Industrial 
Commission of Ohio denied TTC, finding that claimant’s termination constituted a 
voluntary abandonment of her former position of employment.  Unsuccessful in her 
petition in mandamus at the Court of Appeals for Franklin County, claimant now 
appeals to this court as of right. 
{¶3} 
Following the lead of State ex rel. Baker v. Indus. Comm. (2000), 89 
Ohio St.3d 376, 732 N.E.2d 355, our recent decision in State ex rel. McCoy v. 
Dedicated Transport, Inc., 97 Ohio St.3d 25, 2002-Ohio-5305, 776 N.E.2d 51, 
relaxed the prohibition against TTC to claimants who had been fired from the 
former position of employment.  At syllabus, we held: 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
2 
{¶4} 
“A claimant who voluntarily abandoned his or her former position of 
employment or who was fired under circumstances that amount to a voluntary 
abandonment of the former position would be eligible to receive temporary total 
disability compensation pursuant to R.C. 4123.56 if he or she reenters the work 
force and, due to the original industrial injury, becomes temporarily and totally 
disabled while working at his or her new job.”  (Emphasis added.) 
{¶5} 
We stressed, however, that “[i]t is important to note that this holding 
is limited to claimants who are gainfully employed at the time of their subsequent 
disabilities.”  Id. at ¶ 40.  In the present case, there is no evidence that claimant 
secured another job or was removed from subsequent employment by her industrial 
injury.  Accordingly, the commission did not abuse its discretion in denying TTC. 
Judgment affirmed. 
 
MOYER, C.J., RESNICK, F.E. SWEENEY, PFEIFER, COOK, LUNDBERG 
STRATTON and O’CONNOR, JJ., concur. 
__________________ 
 
Gallon & Takacs Co., L.P.A., and Theodore A. Bowman, for appellant. 
 
Jim Petro, Attorney General, and Gerald H. Waterman, Assistant Attorney 
General, for appellee Industrial Commission. 
__________________