T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by N i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T C YN T HI A D . C OL E MAN, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. M I C H A E L J . A S T R U E , C om m i s s i one rof S o ci al S ecu ri ty, D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 10- 35286 D . C. N o . 2 : 0 9 - c v - 0 0 0 8 0 - RSL ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on R obe r tS . L a s ni k, C hi e f D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d M a r c h 9, 2011 S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: M cK E O W N , F IS H E R , an d G O U L D , C i rcu i tJu d g es. C ynthi a C ol em an se eks di sabi l i ty i nsurance benef i t s f rom the C om m i ss i on er of S oci al S ec uri ty ( “ C om m i ss i on er ”) . T he adm i ni stra t i ve l aw j ud ge (“ A L J” ) det erm i ned thatC ol em an has the re si du al funct i on al capaci ty t o p er form se dent ary or l i gh tw ork, so l on g as s he ca n sw i t ch betw ee n si tt i ng , st andi ng , and w al ki ng at 

# FI LED MA R 24 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

l ea stbri ef

l y e veryho ur. B as ed on t es t i m on y provi ded b y avo ca t i on al expert ( “V E ” ) th a t C o le m a n c o u ld p e r f o rm th r e e s p e c if

ie d o c c u p a tio n s , th e A L J th e n h e ld tha tC ol e m a n c oul d pe r f orm w ork tha te xi s t s i n s i gni f i c a ntnum be r s i n the eco n o m y. H e th erefo re d en i ed b en efi t s. C o l e m a n f

i l e d s u i ti n d i s tr i c tc o u r t , c o n t e n d i n g th a tth e AL J e rr e d i n two w a y s . F ir s t, C o le m a n f au lte d th e A L J f

o rd is b e lie v in g h e rte s tim o n y o f s e v e r e p a in o n th e g r o u n d s th a th e rf i b r o my a l g i ad i d n o tr e s u l ti n c e r t a i n p h y s i c a l s y mp t o ms a nd tha tC ol e m a n f

a i l e d t o l os e w e i ghta s tr e a tm e ntf orhe robe s i ty . S e c ond, C ol e m a n a r gue d tha tthe A L J vi ol a t e d S oc i a l S e c ur i ty R ul i ng ( “ S S R ” ) 00- 4p by f a i l i ng t o a s k the V E w he the rthe V E ’ s t e s t i m ony c onf l i c t e d w i th the D i c t i ona ry of O c c upa t i ona l T i t l e s ( “ D O T ” ) . T he di s tr i c tc our the l d tha ta ny e rr or s c om m i tt e d by th e A L J w ere h arm l ess. 1. T he A L J r e l i e d on the abs e nc e of obj e c t i ve phy s i c a l s y m pt om s of se vere pai n as abasi s f

or di sbel i evi ng C ol em an’ s t es t i m on y r egar di ng her sy m pt om s. H e e rr ed i nsofaras C ol em an’ s pai n i s r el at ed t o h erfi brom ya l gi a, w h ic h is a“d is e a s e th a t e lu d e s [ o b je c tiv e ] m e a s u r e m e n t.” B e n e c k e v . B a rn h a r t, 3 7 9 F . 3 d 5 8 7 , 5 9 4 (9 th C i r. 2 0 0 4 ) (i n t ern al q u o t at i o n m ark s o m i tt ed ). H e al so erre d b y hol di ng , i n the m i dd l e of adi sc ussi on of C ol em an’ s obesi ty, thather

“ f a i l ur e t o l os e w e i ghtr e f l e c t s on he rc r e di bi l i ty . ” S e e O rn v. A s true , 495 F . 3d3

625, 638 ( 9th C i r . 2007) ( “ [ T ] he f a i l ur e t o f

ol l ow tr e a tm e ntf

orobe s i ty t e l l s us little o rn o th in g ab o u t ac la im a n t’s c r e d ib ility .” ) . A l tho ug h w e f

i nd these errors troub l i ng , w e c on cl ud e thatthey w er e ha rm l e s s . “ [ T ] he r e r e m a i ns s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s uppor t i ng the A L J ’ s c onc l us i ons o n c r e d ib ility ,” C a rm ic k le v . C o m m ’r , S o c . S e c . A d m in ., 5 3 3 F .3 d 1 1 5 5 , 1 1 6 2 ( 9 th C ir. 2 0 0 8 ) ( in tern al q u o tati o n m ar k s a n d altera ti o n o m itted ), in clu d in g C o lem an ’s f a ilu r e to f

o llo w r e p e a te d m e d ic a l r e c o m m e n d a tio n s th a t s h e tr e a t h e rp a in w ith e xe r c i s e a nd i nc r e a s e d a c t i vi ty l e ve l s , s e e , e . g. , F a i rv. B ow e n, 885 F . 2d 597, 603- 0 4 (9 th C i r. 1 9 8 9 ). T h e A L J’ s erro rs th erefo re “ d o [] n o tn eg at e th e v al i d i ty o f [h i s] u lt im ate c re d ib il ity c o n clu sio n ” o r h is re su lt in g d eter m in atio n o f C o lem an ’s r e s i dua l f

unc t i ona l c apa c i ty . C a rm i c kl e , 533 F . 3d a t1162 ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m arks and al t er at i on om i tt ed). 2 . A s th e C o m m i ssi o n er co n ced es, th e A L J fu rth er erred b y fai l i n g t o ask the V E i f the V E ’ s t es t i m on y c on fl i ct ed w i th the D O T . S ee M as sa chi v. A strue, 486 F . 3d 1149, 1152- 53 ( 9th C i r . 2007) . T hi s e rr orw oul d be ha rm l e s s i f no confl i ctexi st ed or i f the V E “ prov i ded suffi ci entsupp ortfor [ hi s] concl usi on so as to ju s tif y a n y p o te n tia l c o n f

lic ts .” I d . a t 1 1 5 4 n .1 9 . A s i n M as sa chi , ho w ever , w e a re fa ce d w i th “ an apparentconfl i ct ” a nd an i n su ffi ci en t“ b asi s fo r th e [V E ’ s] d ev i at i o n . ” Id . U n d er th e D O T ’ s d efi n i t i o n s,S i m i l a r l y , the A L J ’ s c onc l us i on tha tC ol e m a n c a n pe r f orm he rpr i or 1 occupat i on of adm i ni stra t i ve cl erk con fl i ct s w i th the D O T ’ s c l as si fi ca t i on of that o c c u p a tio n a s lig h t. T h e A L J “m u s t d e f in itiv e ly e x p la in th is ” c o n f lic t, b u t f a ile d to do so. P i nt o v . M as sanari , 24 9 F . 3d 84 0, 84 7 (9th C i r. 20 01 ). 4 s e de nt a ry w ork “ i nvol ve s s i tt i ng m os tof the t i m e , ” a nd the r e l e va nttype of l i ght w ork “ r e qui r e s w a l ki ng ors t a ndi ng t o as i gni f i c a ntde gr e e . ” D i c t i ona ry of O ccu p at i o n al T i t l es A p p . C (4 th ed . 1 9 9 1 ). M an y o ccu p at i o n s i n v o l v i n g th ese r e qui r e m e nt s c oul d nota c c om m oda t e C ol e m a n’ s ne e d t o s w i t c h be tw e e n s i tt i ng, st andi ng , and w al ki ng on an ho url y bas i s. T he V E neverthel es s t es t i fi ed that C ol em an coul d p er form ce rt ai n sedent ary a nd l i gh toccupat i on s, cr ea t i ng an ap p a r e n tc o n f

l i c twi th th e DO T. 1 T he V E ’ s e xp l anat i on s f or thi s t es t i m on y w er e bri ef and, so fa r a s the re cord re veal s, i nv ol ved u ni nform ed gu es sw ork abo utthe nature of the spec i fi ed oc c upa t i ons . S uc h s pe c ul a t i ve e xpl a na t i ons a r e i ns uf f i c i e ntt o r e c onc i l e the c onf l i c t . S e e , e . g. , T om m a s e tt i v. A s true , 533 F . 3d 1035, 1042 ( 9th C i r . 2008) (hol di ng that“ bri ef

and i nd ef

i ni t e t es t i m on y” i s not“ pers uasi ve evi dence” e xpl a i ni ng ac onf

l i c t ) . A c c or di ngl y , w e r e ve r s e the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s hol di ng tha tthe A L J ’ s vi ol a t i on of

S S R 00- 4p c ons t i tut e d ha rm l e s s e rr or . W e r e m a nd t o the di stri ctcourtw i th i nstruct i on s t o rem and t o the C om m i ss i on erso thatthe A L J m ay he a rf ur the rt e s t i m ony f

r om the V E a nd c om pl y w i th S S R 00- 4p.5

AF F I RME D I N P AR T , RE V E RS E D I N P AR T , AN D R E MAND E D. E a c h p a r ty to b e a rits o w n c o s ts o n ap p e a l.