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 by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). 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 M O N I CA H U TCH EN S, 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- 35513 D. C . No . 6 : 0 8 - c v - 0 0 2 8 0 - HO 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 D i s tr i c tof

O r e gon M i c ha e l R . H oga n, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng

S ubm i tt e d M a y6, 2011 ** P ort l a nd, O r e gon B efo re: T A S H IM A , B E A , an dIK U T A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. T h e A L J g av e s p ec ific an dleg it im ate r ea so n s f o r r ejec ti n g D r. R ich ar d so n ’s opi ni on aboutthe s e ve r i tyof H ut c he ns ’ s m e nt a l i m pa i rm e nt s , s uc h a s the l a c k of s upporti n the tr e a tm e ntr e c or d f orD r . R i c ha r ds on’ s di a gnos e s of bor de r l i ne 

# FI LED MA Y10 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

pers on al i ty di sorderand anx i ety di sorderand the i ncon si st encybetw ee n D r. R i c ha r ds on’ s a s s e s s m e nt s of “ m a rke d” r e s tr i c t i ons of a c t i vi t i e s of

da i l yl i vi ng a nd “m a rk e d ” d if

f ic u ltie s in m a in ta in in g c o n c e n tr a tio n , p e r s is te n c e , o rp a c e w ith H ut chens’ s “ re po rt s of f un ct i on i ng ” and D r. R i char dson ’ s c l i ni ca l ob se rvat i on that H ut chens perf

orm ed i n the avera ge rang e on cog ni t i ve t es t s, re spec t i vel y. In a ddi t i on, the r e c or d a s aw hol e s upport e d the A L J ’ s obs e rva t i on tha tnone of H ut c he ns ’ s tr e a t i ng phy s i c i a ns thoughthe rde pr e s s i ve s y m pt om s w e r e of “s u f f ic ie n t s e v e r ityto r e f

e rh e rf o rp s y c h ia tr ic tr e a tm e n t,” b e c au s e th e o n ly m ent i on of tre atm ent(bey on d a pres cr i pt i on for a“ m od es tdo se ” of Z ol oft ) w as D r. K em p le’s re co m m en d atio n , m ad e m o re th an tw o ye ar s a fterD r. R ich ar d so n ’s e v a lu a tio n , th a t H u tc h e n s s e e kc o u n s e lin g . A c c o r d in g ly , th e A L Jd idn o t e rrin g iv in g little w e ig h t to D r . R ic h a r d s o n ’s o p in io n . See 20 C . F . R . § 4 04 . 15 27 (d)( 4); L es terv. Cha ter , 81 F . 3d 82 1, 83 0– 31 (9th C i r. 19 95 ). T h e A L J g av e cl ear an dco n v i n ci n g reaso n s fo r d i sco u n t i n g H u t ch en s’ s ex cess s y m pt om t e s t i m ony . A m ong othe rr e a s ons , the A L Jnot e d H ut c he ns ’ s i nc ons i s t e nt s t a t e m e nt s r e ga r di ng he rda i l ya c t i vi t i e s , i nc l udi ng the di s t a nc e s he c oul d w a l k, the f a c ttha ts he ne ve rr e port e d pr obl e m s w i th s i tt i ng t o a nytr e a t i ng phy s i c i a n, the i ncon si st encybetw ee n h eral l eged di sabi l i ty onsetdat e of A pri l 1, 20 03 and D r. V al ent i ne’ s A pri l 30 , 20 03 tre atm entno t e des cr i bi ng her f i brom ya l gi a a s3

“ dram at i ca l l y i m prov ed, ” the l ac k o f e vi dence thatst ay i ng i n b ed 18 ho urs aday w as a“ m e di c a l ne c e s s i ty , ” a nd the i nc ons i s t e nc ybe tw e e n H ut c he ns ’ s da i l ya c t i vi t i e s a nd h e rc la im e dlim ita tio n s . T h e s e r e a s o n s a d e q u a te lys u p p o rte dth e A L J ’s c o n c lu s io n s . Se e Sw e n s o n v . Su lliv a n , 8 7 6 F .2 d6 8 3 , 6 8 7 (9 th C ir. 1 9 8 9 ). A n y e rr o r in th e A L J’s st at em en tth at“ th ere [w a] s n o ev i d en ce” th atH u t ch en s’ s u se o f a can e w as a

“ m e di c a l ne c e s s i ty ” w a s ha rm l e s s be c aus e the A L Jga ve othe rr e a s ons f or d is c o u n tin g H u tc h e n s ’s te s tim o n yr e g a r d in g h e rab ilityto w a lk . See Carm i ckle v . C om m ’r , 53 3 F . 3d 11 55 , 11 62 –6 3 (9th C i r. 20 08 ). T h e A L J d i dn o terr i n d i sco u n t i n g A d am s’ s l ay w i tn ess t est i m o n y, b ecau se the A L J’ s r ea son for do i ng so, nam el y thatthe l i m i t at i on s s he al l eged w er e i nc ons i s t e ntw i th the a c t i vi t i e s s he de s c r i be d H ut c he ns a s doi ng ( s uc h a s l i ght hous e w ork, be i ng as c or e ke e pe ra ts of tba l l ga m e s , a nd vol unt e e r i ng w i th c hi l dr e n) w a s “g e rm a n e ” to A d a m s . Se e i d. a t1164. T he A L Ja l s o di d note rri n di s c ount i ng the opi ni ons of H ut c he ns ’ s tr e a t i ng ph ys i ci ans. B ec ause there w as no evi dence thatF N P S ki nn erw as “ ac t i ng as [D r. D u n c a n ’s ] a g e n t” in tr e a tin g H u tc h e n s , G om ezv. Cha ter , 74 F . 3d 96 7, 97 1 (9th C i r. 1 9 9 6 ) ; se e 20 C F R § 4 04 . 15 13 (d)( 1), the A L J nee ded t o p rovi de on l y a“ germ ane” r e a s o n f o rg iv in g little w e ig h t to S k in n e r ’s o p in io n . See T urner v . C om m ’r , 613 F . 3d 12 17 , 12 23 –2 4 (9th C i r. 20 10 ). T he A L J provi ded such a rea son, w hi ch w as thatT o the ext entthe A L J e rr ed i n st at i ng thatthe tre atm entre cord i nd i ca t ed 1 th atH u t ch en s p o ssessed “ n o rm al m u scl e stren g th , ” th e erro r w as h arm l ess b ecau se th e A L Jn e v e rth e le s s h a d“ap r o p e rb a s is ” b yw h ic h to r e je c t S k in n e r ’s o p in io n . Ca rm ic kle , 533 F . 3d a t1164. 4 S ki nne r ’ s opi ni on tha tH ut c he ns ha d c om m uni c a t i ve , m a ni pul a t i ve , a nd envi ronm ent al l i m i t at i on s w as i ncon si st entw i th the re cord. T here w as no evi dence in th e tr e a tm e n t r e c o r do f H u tc h e n s h a v in g d if

f ic u ltys p e a k in g , a n dth e o n ly e vi de nc e of

e nvi r onm e nt a l a nd m a ni pul a t i ve l i m i t a t i ons w e r e H ut c he ns ’ s s ubj e c t i ve statem en ts, w h ich th e A L J c o u ldre as o n ab ly d isco u n t afterfin d in g H u tch en s’s exce ss sy m pt om t es t i m on y “ no tent i re l y c re di bl e, ” se e B ray v . C om m ’r , 554 F . 3d 12 19 , 12 28 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). 1 F in ally, th e A L J’s o b se rv atio n th at p h ys ical th er ap ist K ah l an dD r. K em p le’s o p i n i o n s w ere i n co n si st en tw i th “ [H u t ch en s’ s] d ai l y act i v i t i es” w a s a“ s pe c i f i c a nd le g itim a te ” r e a s o n f

o rg iv in g th e m little w e ig h t. See L es ter , 8 1 F .3 da t 8 3 0 ; see a l so B u rch v. B a rn h a rt , 40 0 F . 3d 67 6, 68 0– 81 (9th C i r. 20 05 ). AF F I RME D.