1

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS

AT GRAY

JEREMY HOLT, ) Docket No. 2024-20-1554

Employee, )

v. )

PROFESSIONAL TOUCH 

CLEANING OF THE TRI-CITIES,

 Employer, 

)

)

)

State File No. 15132-2024

and

OHIO SECURITY INSURANCE 

COMPANY,

 Carrier.

)

)

)

)

Judge Brian K. Addington

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER

Jeremy Holt requested medical and temporary disability benefits from a fall at work. 

After an expedited hearing on July 12, 2024, the Court denies his request for the reasons 

below.

History of Claim

Mr. Holt worked for Professional Touch Cleaning of the Tri-Cities. On February 

16, 2024, while at work he began to feel a “spell” coming on while cleaning a closet. He 

testified he can tell when they are about to happen. Apparently, he fell; when he regained 

consciousness, emergency workers were attending to him. Mr. Holt did not know how or 

why he fell but was taken to the hospital and released the same day. He stated no one really 

knows what happened to him. He testified that he has also experienced these spells outside 

of work.

After the fall, he experienced pain in his neck, left shoulder and arm, and the right 

side of his head for a few days. When his neck pain continued, he had an MRI, which 

showed no acute injuries, only degenerative problems and a congenital unfused arch of the 

C1 joint. 

FILED

Jul 22, 2024

02:46 PM(CT)

TENNESSEE COURT OF

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

CLAIMS
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Although Mr. Holt does not know why he fell, he asserted it was anxiety related to 

work. He requested payment of one remaining medical bill of $950.00 and temporary 

disability benefits for the time he missed from work. 

Professional Touch argued that Mr. Holt suffered an idiopathic fall, so his claim his 

not compensable. 

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

To obtain the requested relief, Mr. Holt must show a likelihood of prevailing at a 

hearing on the merits. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(6) (2023). 

The initial question is whether Mr. Holt proved that he suffered an injury that arose 

primarily out of and in the course and scope of his employment. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-

102(12). Mr. Holt testified credibly that he suffered a fall at work. He does not know why 

he fell, but he related that he was suffering from a spell at the time, which has also occurred 

away from work. Although he received medical care from several sources, he presented 

no medical records relating the spell, his fall, or his alleged injuries to his work. An opinion 

from a physician is required to prove the work-relatedness of an injury. Tenn. Code Ann. 

§ 50-6-102(12)(D). He offered none.

Further, Mr. Holt has no knowledge of whether he was injured simply by hitting the 

ground or something in the closet, because the fall left him unconscious. Injuries without 

explanation are considered idiopathic. Without evidence that he was injured by a hazard 

in the closet, Mr. Holt’s injuries are considered idiopathic and not compensable. As the 

Appeals Board has explained, “An idiopathic injury is one that has an unexplained origin 

or cause, and generally does not arise out of the employment unless some condition of the 

employment presents a peculiar or additional hazard.” Bullard v. Facilities Perf. Grp., 

2018 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 37, at *7 (Aug. 7, 2018). 

Typically, an employer furnishes medical treatment after an injury at work under 

section 50-6-204. In instances like Mr. Holt’s case, where the injured worker does not 

know what caused the fall and cannot identify any hazards at work that caused or 

exacerbated his injuries, the employer is not required to authorize medical benefits because 

the injuries are not compensable. Id. at *8-9.

Under these circumstances, the Court cannot find that Mr. Holt’s injuries arose 

primarily out of his employment. He is not likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits at 

this time.

This case is set for a status hearing on September 19, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. 

The parties must dial 855-543-5044 to participate in the hearing.

It is ORDERED.

ENTERED July 22, 2024.
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Brian K. Addington

______________________________________

BRIAN K. ADDINGTON, JUDGE

Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

APPENDIX

Exhibits:

1. Declaration of Jeremy Holt

2. Declaration of Patricia Thiemann

3. Wage Statement

4. Declaration of Jason Sanders 

5. Medical bills

6. Blue Care Tennessee explanation of benefits 

7. Emails 

8. Jeremy Holt’s Deposition transcript

9. Radiology report.

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that a copy of this Order was sent on July 22, 2024.

Name Certified 

Mail

Fax Email Service sent to:

Jeremy Holt,

Employee

X X jeremyholt36@gmail.com

380 Old Mountain View Road

Lot 3

Bluff City, Tennessee 37618

Eric Shen,

Employer’s 

Attorney

X eric.shen@libertymutual.com

laura.johnson-peay@libertymutual.com

______________________________________

PENNY SHRUM, COURT CLERK

wc.courtclerk@tn.gov
For self-represented litigants: Help from an Ombudsman is available at 800-332-2667.

Right to Appeal:

If you disagree with the Court’s Order, you may appeal to the Workers’ Compensation 

Appeals Board. To do so, you must:

1. Complete the enclosed form entitled “Notice of Appeal” and file it with the Clerk of the 

Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims before the expiration of the deadline.

 If the order being appealed is “expedited” (also called “interlocutory”), or if the 

order does not dispose of the case in its entirety, the notice of appeal must be filed 

within seven (7) business days of the date the order was filed.

 If the order being appealed is a “Compensation Order,” or if it resolves all issues 

in the case, the notice of appeal must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days of 

the date the Compensation Order was filed.

When filing the Notice of Appeal, you must serve a copy on the opposing party (or attorney,

if represented). 

2. You must pay, via check, money order, or credit card, a $75.00 filing fee within ten calendar 

days after filing the Notice of Appeal. Payments can be made in-person at any Bureau office 

or by U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or other delivery service. In the alternative, you may file an 

Affidavit of Indigency (form available on the Bureau’s website or any Bureau office) 

seeking a waiver of the filing fee. You must file the fully-completed Affidavit of Indigency 

within ten calendar days of filing the Notice of Appeal. Failure to timely pay the filing 

fee or file the Affidavit of Indigency will result in dismissal of your appeal.

3. You are responsible for ensuring a complete record is presented on appeal. If no court 

reporter was present at the hearing, you may request from the Court Clerk the audio 

recording of the hearing for a $25.00 fee. If you choose to submit a transcript as part of your 

appeal, which the Appeals Board has emphasized is important for a meaningful review of 

the case, a licensed court reporter must prepare the transcript, and you must file it with the 

Court Clerk. The Court Clerk will prepare the record for submission to the Appeals Board, 

and you will receive notice once it has been submitted. For deadlines related to the filing of 

transcripts, statements of the evidence, and briefs on appeal, see the applicable rules on the 

Bureau’s website at https://www.tn.gov/wcappealsboard. (Click the “Read Rules” button.)

4. After the Workers’ Compensation Judge approves the record and the Court Clerk transmits 

it to the Appeals Board, a docketing notice will be sent to the parties.

If neither party timely files an appeal with the Appeals Board, the Court Order 

becomes enforceable. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(3) (expedited/interlocutory 

orders) and Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(7) (compensation orders).
LB-1099 rev. 01/20 Page 1 of 2 RDA 11082 

NOTICE OF APPEAL 

Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

www.tn.gov/workforce/injuries-at-work/ 

wc.courtclerk@tn.gov | 1-800-332-2667 

Docket No.: ________________________

State File No.: ______________________ 

Date of Injury: _____________________ 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Employee

v.

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Employer

Notice is given that ____________________________________________________________________ 

[List name(s) of all appealing party(ies). Use separate sheet if necessary.]

appeals the following order(s) of the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims to the 

Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (check one or more applicable boxes and include the date filestamped on the first page of the order(s) being appealed):

□ Expedited Hearing Order filed on _______________ □ Motion Order filed on ___________________

□ Compensation Order filed on__________________ □ Other Order filed on_____________________

issued by Judge _________________________________________________________________________. 

Statement of the Issues on Appeal 

Provide a short and plain statement of the issues on appeal or basis for relief on appeal: 

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Parties

Appellant(s) (Requesting Party): _________________________________________ ☐Employer ☐Employee 

Address: ________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________ 

Email: __________________________________________________________ 

Attorney’s Name: ______________________________________________ BPR#: _______________________ 

Attorney’s Email: ______________________________________________ Phone: _______________________ 

Attorney’s Address: _________________________________________________________________________ 

* Attach an additional sheet for each additional Appellant *
LB-1099 rev. 01/20 Page 2 of 2 RDA 11082 

Employee Name: _______________________________________ Docket No.: _____________________ Date of Inj.: _______________ 

Appellee(s) (Opposing Party): ___________________________________________ ☐Employer ☐Employee 

Appellee’s Address: ______________________________________________ Phone: ____________________ 

Email: _________________________________________________________ 

Attorney’s Name: _____________________________________________ BPR#: ________________________ 

Attorney’s Email: _____________________________________________ Phone: _______________________ 

Attorney’s Address: _________________________________________________________________________ 

* Attach an additional sheet for each additional Appellee *

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

I, _____________________________________________________________, certify that I have forwarded a 

true and exact copy of this Notice of Appeal by First Class mail, postage prepaid, or in any manner as described 

in Tennessee Compilation Rules & Regulations, Chapter 0800-02-21, to all parties and/or their attorneys in this 

case on this the __________ day of ___________________________________, 20 ____. 

 ______________________________________________ 

[Signature of appellant or attorney for appellant]