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. 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 W I L L I A M A . H A R T , J r ., P et i t i on er , v. M A T S O N T E R M I N A L S , I N C .; e t a l., R esp o n d en t s. N o. 08- 74063 N o. 07- 1004 ME MOR AN DU M *

O n P e t i t i on f

orR e vi e w of

a n O r de rof

the D e pa rtm e ntof

L abor A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r11, 2009 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: B . F L E T C H E R , T H O M A S an d N . R . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. W i l l i am H artappeal s adeci si on of the B enef i t s R evi ew B oard (“ B R B ”) a f f i rm i ng the or de rof

a n A dm i ni s tr a t i ve L a w J udge ( “ A L J ” ) a w a r di ng be ne f i t s f or o ccu p at i o n al h eari n g l o ss u n d er th e L o n g sh o re an d H arb o r W o rk ers’ C o m p e n s a tio n A c t, 3 3 U .S .C . § 9 0 1 , e t s e q. ( “ L H W C A ” or“ A c t ” ) . B e c aus e the



# FI LED DE C 29 2009 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

B R B c om m i tt e d no e rr orof l a w a nd a dhe r e d t o the s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s t a nda r d, w e a f f i rm. In cl ai m s broug htbefore the B R B un der the L H W C A , fa ctual d e te rm in a tio n s b ya n A L Ja r e “c o n c lu s iv e if s u p p o rte d b ys u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e in th e r e c o r d c o n s i d e r e d a s awh o l e . ” 3 3 U. S . C . § 9 2 1 ( b ) ( 3 ) . T h i s c o u rtr e v i e ws d e c i s i o n s o f

th e BRB u n d e ras i mi l a rs t a n d a r d ; “ [ th e c o u rt ] r e v i e w [ s ] BRB deci si on s ‘ for e rr ors of l aw and for adherence t o the subst ant i al evi dence st andard. ’ ” G en . Co n st. C o . v. Ca stro , 401 F . 3d 963, 965 ( 9th C i r . 2005) ( quot i ng Alc a la v . D i r . , O WCP , 14 1 F . 3d 94 2, 94 4 (9th C i r. 19 98 )) . F urther, “ thi s c ou rt cann otsubst i tut e i t s vi ew s f or the A L J’ s vi ew s. ” I

d. ( quot i ng C on tai ner S te v e do r i n gCo . v . D i r . , O WCP , 93 5 F . 2d 15 44 , 15 46 (9th C i r. 19 91 ) ( i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed)) . S ub st ant i al evi dence t o sup po rta dec i si on m eans “ such r e le v a n t e v id e n c e a s ar e a s o n ab le m in d m ig h t a c c e p t a s a d e q u a te to s u p p o rt a concl usi on . ” R i chardson v. P eral es , 402 U . S . 389, 401 ( 1971) ( quot i ng C o n s o l. Ed is o n Co . v . NL RB , 30 5 U . S . 19 7, 22 9 (19 38 ) ( i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed)) . T he B R B f

ound the r e c or d c ont a i ne d s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s upport i ng the A L J’s u lt im ate c o n clu sio n th at th e 1 9 9 6 au d io g ra m w as th e b es t m ea su re o f H ar t’ s w o rk -rel at ed h eari n g l o ss. T h e A L J co n si d ered th e resu l t s o f tw el v e au d i o g ram s, p e r f o rm e d f r o m 1 9 7 8 t o 1 9 9 6 wh i l e Hartwa s e m p l o y e d b yMa t s o n , a s we l l a s two3

au d io g r a m s p e r f

o rm e d a f te rH a rt’s r e tir e m e n t. T h e A L Jd e te rm in e d th a t th e r e s u lts o f th e s e au d io g r a m s in d ic a te d th a t H a rt’s h e a r in g h a d in d e e d d im in is h e d w h ile em pl oyed by M at son, bu tthatthe dam age had no tsi gn i fi cant l y i ncre as ed subsequentt o the t erm i nat i on of H art ’ s e m pl oym ent . In addi t i on t o the audi og ram ev i d en ce, th e A L J al so cred i t ed D r. S ch i n d l er’ s t est i m o n y th ath eari n g l o ss becom es m ore s ub t l e a ft erext ended exp osure t o n oi se and that , on ce H artw as re m ov ed fr om the no i syenvi ronm ent , further hear i ng l oss w as no tdu e t o ear l i er e x p o s u r e . T h e A L Js p e c if ic a llyn o te d th a t th e s e c o n c lu s io n s w e r e c o n s is te n t w ith D r . S c hi ndl e r ’ s m e di c a l t e s t i m onyr e ga r di ng how he a r i ng i s da m a ge d. H a rt a r g u e s th a t Ba th I

r o n W o rk s Co r p . v . D i r e c to r, O WCP , 506 U . S . 153 ( 1 9 9 3 ) , r e q u ir e s e m p lo y e r s to c o n d u c t a n au d io g r a m a t r e tir e m e n t in o r d e rto prot ec tthem se l ves f

rom l i abi l i ty f

or further hear i ng l oss a ft erre t i re m ent . H art f a ile d to m a k e th is a r g u m e n t b e f o r e th e A L Ja n d th e B R B . H o w e v e r , w e a d d r e s s it b e c au s e it is p u r e lya n is s u e o f la w . Se e A lohaCar e v . H aw ai i, D e

pt. of H um an Servs. , 572 F . 3d 740, 744–45 ( 9th C i r . 2009) . H a rti s m i s t a ke n r e ga r di ng the i m pactof B ath Iron W

orks . T he L H W C A de f

i ne s w he n a n audi ogr a m i s “ pr e s um pt i ve ” e vi de nc e a nd o th e rw is e a llo w s th e A L Jto d e te rm in e w h ic h e v id e n c e is th e m o s t p r o b a tiv e . See 20 C . F . R . § 702. 441( b) . B ath Iron W orks do es no tcr ea t e acontraryrul e.4

B ath Iron W

orks c onc e rne d w hi c h pr ovi s i on of the A c tgove rne d the c a l c u l a t i o n o f

b e n e f i t s f o rh e a r i n g l o s s . 5 0 6 U . S. a t 1 5 4

– 5 5 . B ath Iron W orks spec i fi ca l l y not ed thata det erm i nat i on of the am ou ntof hear i ng dam aged cause d w a s n o t a n is s u e in th a t c a s e . I d. a t165. T he r e f

or e , the l a ngua ge r e ga r di ng “f r e e z in g ” h e a r in g lo s s is n o t ac h a n g e to a n e m p lo y e r ’s d u tie s u n d e rth e la w . B ath Iron W

orks do es no tst at e thatan em pl oyer m u st perf orm an audi og ram a t r e tir e m e n t o rth a t, if

th e e m p lo y e rd o e s n o t, it w ill au to m a tic a llyb e r e s p o n s ib le f o ra ll h e a r in g lo s s . I n s te a d , B ath Iron W orks po i nt s outthatan em pl oyerm ay prot ec ti t se l f f

rom l i abi l i ty f

or po st -r et i re m enthear i ng l oss by per form i ng an au d i o g ram atret i rem en t . W h i l e th ere i s n o affi rm at i v e du ty i m p o sed b y B ath I r on W orks , em pl oyer s ( w ho fa i l t o fol l ow the advi ce of B ath Iron W orks ) m a yof

t e n be f o u n d liab le f

o rp o s t- r e tir e m e n t h e a r in g lo s s . AF F I R ME D.