Case Name: Clarence JOYNER, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. DAVISON TRANSPORT, INC., Defendant-Appellant
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1997-01-22
Citations: 688 So. 2d 623
Docket Number: No. 28880-CA
Parties: Clarence JOYNER, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. DAVISON TRANSPORT, INC., Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before HIGHTOWER, WILLIAMS and PEATROSS, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 688
Pages: 623–628

Head Matter:
Clarence JOYNER, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. DAVISON TRANSPORT, INC., Defendant-Appellant.
No. 28880-CA.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.
Jan. 22, 1997.
Rehearing Denied Feb. 20, 1997.
Weems, Wright, Schimpf, Hayter & Car-mouche by Mark A. Perkins, Shreveport, for Defendant-Appellant.
James E. Franklin, Shreveport, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Before HIGHTOWER, WILLIAMS and PEATROSS, JJ.

Opinion:
hPEATROSS, Judge.
In this worker's compensation case, the defendant, Falco S & D, Inc. ("Falco"), appeals an adverse judgment from the Office of Workers' Compensation ("OWC"), wherein the hearing officer ruled that since the job offered to plaintiff, Clarence Joyner ("Joyner"), was not within Joyner's reasonable geographic area, Joyner was entitled to supplemental earnings benefits based on a zero discount. The plaintiff answered the appeal to demand penalties and attorney's fees. For the reasons assigned below, we affirm the judgment of the hearing officer.
FACTS
Joyner, a resident of Springhill, Louisiana, began working as a truck driver for Falco in May, 1990. Four days of the week Joyner worked out of Falco's Haynesville station, which was about nineteen miles from his home, and one day of the week he worked out of Falco's Fillmore station, which is about 42 miles from his home. On November 24, 1992, Joyner fell and injured his back while loading oil into the transport truck he drove for Falco.
Falco made an appointment for Joyner to see Dr. Don Burt the next day. Joyner complained of lower back pain which radiated down his left leg. In May, 1993, Dr. Burt performed a surgical procedure known as a laminotomy after conservative treatment failed to alleviate Joyner's pain. Through this procedure, bone was removed in order to relieve pressure on the impinged nerve and to allow the nerve greater room.
Falco's insurer, Davison Insurance Company, paid Joyner temporary total disability benefits in the amount of $301.19 from December, 1992 until September, 1994. During this period Falco was attempting to find Joy ner a new job since he had been released to return to light-duty work. Falco first offered the job of a parts deliverer, but this position involved lifting heavy equipment and, thus, was not suitable for Joyner. Next, Falco mistakenly offered Joyner the job of 12dispatcher at its Ruston station. This job entailed working on a computer and supervising 25 to 50 people; Joyner did not have the skills required to perform this job. Finally, Falco offered Joyner the position of night dispatcher at the Filmore station. This job required Joyner to travel about 84 miles round trip and work a twelve hour shift four days a week.
After Joyner refused the final job offer, Falco filed a form 1002 with the OWC giving notice of payment modification. Falco reduced Joyner's compensation to supplemental earnings benefits of $75.84 a week, based on an average post injury weekly wage from the tendered dispatcher job of $451.76. In January, 1995, after offering the Filmore dispatcher position to Joyner a second time, Falco terminated Joyner's employment.
Before being terminated, Joyner filed a form 1008 with the OWC asserting that his supplemental earnings benefits should be continued at the amount of $301.19. After the two-day trial the hearing officer ruled that Joyner was entitled to supplemental earnings benefits based on a zero discount. The hearing officer found that the Filmore dispatcher job was not available in Joyner's reasonable geographic area and that the job was not immediately available to Joyner on a fulltime basis due to the lengthy hours of night duty on a full-time basis. The hearing officer also ruled that penalties and attorney's fees should not be awarded because Falco reasonably controverted all issues. From this judgment Falco appeals the award of undiscounted supplemental earnings benefits and Joyner answers to demand penalties and attorney's fees.
DISCUSSION
Supplemental Earnings Benefits
Entitlement to supplemental earnings benefits is governed by LSA-R.S. 23:1221(3).
To recover these benefits, the employee must first prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he is unable to earn wages equal to ninety |3percent or more of the wages he earned before the accident. LSA-R.S. 23:1221(3)(a). Once the employee's burden is met, the burden of proof then shifts to the employer, who, if he wishes to defeat or reduce supplemental earnings benefits, bears the burden of proving that the employee is physically able to perform a certain job, that job was available to the employee and that the job offered or available is in the employee's or the employer's community or reasonable geographic region. LSA-R.S. 23:1221(3)(c)(i); Daugherty v. Domino's Pizza, 95-1394 (La.5/21/96), 674 So.2d 947.
The amount of supplemental earnings benefits is then based on the difference between the average weekly wage earned by the employee prior to the accident and the employee's earning capacity after the injury. Daugherty, supra. On appellate review, the issue of reduction of supplemental earnings benefits is governed by the manifest error or clearly wrong standard of review. Freeman v. Poulan/Weed Eater, 93-1530 (La.1/14/94), 630 So.2d 733.
It is well established that the worker's compensation act is remedial in nature, and that the provisions of the worker's compensation law should be liberally construed in favor of the claimant. Daugherty, supra.', Pinkins v. Cardinal Wholesale Supply, Inc., 619 So.2d 52 (La.1993), and cases cited therein. As part of the determination of whether an employer has carried its burden under LSA-R.S. 23:1221(3)(c)(i) of proving work is available to the claimant, courts must consider all factors that affect the claimant's ability to engage in the offered or available employment. Daugherty, supra.
In the present case, Joyner was offered a job which would require him to drive 42 miles to the Filmore station, work a twelve hour shift and drive 42 miles back to his home, four days a week. While all physicians testified that Joyner |4would physically be able to perform this job , we conclude that the healing officer was not clearly wrong in ruling that the job was not within Joyner's reasonable geographic area and that the job was not "immediately 'available' to Joyner." In Henton v. Walker & Wells Contractors, Inc., 25,821 (La.App.2d Cir. 5/4/94), 637 So.2d 672, writ denied, 94-1491 (La.9/23/94), 642 So.2d 1295, this court found that the hearing officer was not clearly wrong in concluding that the defendant had failed to prove that there was work available to the claimant in his reasonable geographic area that he was physically able to perform. The factors considered by this court in that ease included the distances of fifteen to forty miles from the claimant's home to the jobs offered, the fact that claimant had no means of transportation and lived in a rural area and the fact that prior to his injury the claimant's employer had provided him with transportation.
In the present case, there are a number of factors the hearing officer may have considered. First, Joyner still complained of pain in his back; no physician could state that Joyner was no longer experiencing any pain. Second, Joyner would have to drive a total of 84 miles, four days a week, from his home in Springhill to the station in Filmore. While it is true that Joyner drove to Filmore one day a week prior to his accident, he had not previously driven this distance four days out of the week with pain in his back. Third, Joyner testified that he did have a vehicle, but it was old with high mileage and he did not trust it to drive this distance four days a week. Finally, Joyner would be working a night shift of twelve hours, after driving 42 miles, and would have to drive 42 miles back to his home; he essentially would be working fourteen hours. With this litany of factors, we cannot say that the hearing officer was clearly wrong in her ruling.
IsFalco also argues that if this court finds the Filmore job unavailable to Joyner, the supplemental earnings benefits should still be discounted by at least a minimum wage figure since the claimant was released to return to light duty work. Falco, however, has failed to introduce any evidence of a job available to Joyner within his reasonable geographic area and, thus, Falco has not met its burden of proof as required by LSA-R.S. 23:1221(3) to have the supplemental earnings benefits discounted by any amount. Daugherty, supra at 955. The hearing officer was correct in refusing to discount the supplemental earnings benefits by the minimum wage figure.
Penalties and Attorney's Fees
Joyner argues that because Falco was arbitrary and capricious in reducing the supplemental earnings benefits, the hearing officer erred in denying penalties and attorney's fees. A compensation insurer or employer is hable for attorney's fees when it arbitrarily, capriciously or without probable cause, terminates or refuses to pay benefits. LSA-R.S. 23:1201.2; Holmes v. International Paper, 559 So.2d 970 (La.App. 2d Cir. 1990). That determination depends primarily upon the facts existing and known to the employer at the time the employer denies benefits. Holmes, supra. Whether the employer and/or insurer should be east with penalties and attorney's fees is a question of fact which should not be disturbed on appeal absent manifest error. Vernon v. Wade Correctional Institute, 26,053 (La.App.2d Cir. 8/19/94), 642 So.2d 684.
In the present case, the hearing officer found that Falco had reasonably controverted all issues therein. Falco claimed that it did not know that the parts deliverer job entailed the heavy lifting, and that the Ruston dispatcher position was offered by mistake. Falco also claimed that since all physicians stated Joyner could perform the Filmore job, it thought the job would be suitable for Joyner. |6Falco also presented evidence that the position was always a twelve hour job and that the position had always been in existence. Based on the record presented to us, we conclude that the hearing officer did not commit manifest error in denying penalties and attorney's fees,
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the hearing officer is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
. It is interesting to note that the certified rehabilitation counselor Galloway testified that the drive and hours of the Filmore job worried him because of Joyner's pain; the orthopedic surgeon Green stated that it would be better if Joyner did not have to drive this far; and the orthopedic surgeon Burt stated that it might be better if Joyner had a job where he did not have to drive this distance or work a twelve hour shift.