Case Name: THE SHAW GROUP v. Christian D. KULICK; Christian D. KULICK v. THE SHAW GROUP
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 2005-04-08
Citations: 915 So. 2d 796
Docket Number: No. 2004 CA 0697, 2004 CA 0698
Parties: THE SHAW GROUP v. Christian D. KULICK. Christian D. KULICK v. THE SHAW GROUP.
Judges: Before: PARRO, KUHN, and WELCH, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 915
Pages: 796–807

Head Matter:
THE SHAW GROUP v. Christian D. KULICK. Christian D. KULICK v. THE SHAW GROUP.
No. 2004 CA 0697, 2004 CA 0698.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.
April 8, 2005.
Michael B. Forbes, Hammond, for Appellant Christian D. Kulick.
Brent M. Steier, John J. Rabalais, Janice B. Unland, Robert T. Lorio, Diana L. Tonagel, Covington, for Appellee The Shaw Group.
Before: PARRO, KUHN, and WELCH, JJ.

Opinion:
| .WELCH, J.
In this workers' compensation case, the employee, Christian Kulick, appeals from a judgment granting a motion for summary judgment filed by his employer, The Shaw Group ("Shaw"), that denied workers' compensation benefits to Christian Kulick based on the intoxication defense set forth in La. R.S. 23:1081. Finding that genuine issues of material fact preclude summary judgment, we reverse the judgment of the workers' compensation judge and remand this matter for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On May 30, 2003, Christian Kulick was removing bolts from a manway hole on a storage vessel when the 750 pound cover to the manway hole shifted and fell on him, fracturing both sides of his pelvis as it trapped him between the manway cover and the storage vessel. It is undisputed that at the time of the accident, Christian Kulick was in the course and scope of his employment with Shaw. It is also undisputed that Shaw had in effect a written and promulgated substance abuse rule or policy providing for testing for drug use, and that the urine specimen obtained from Christian Kulick after the accident yielded positive results for THC (marijuana).
Shaw commenced proceedings to contest Christian Kulick's entitlement to workers' compensation benefits on the basis that he forfeited his right to workers' compensation benefits due to intoxication pursuant to La. R.S. 23:1081. Christian Kulick initiated separate proceedings to recover workers' compensation benefits, contending that he was not intoxicated at the time of the accident. He further contended that regardless of the positive drug screen, the accident was unavoidable. The two proceedings were consolidated by agreement of the parties.
|3Shaw filed a motion for summary judgment based on the intoxication defense and the workers' compensation judge rendered judgment granting Shaw's motion. Christian Kulick appeals this judgment on the grounds that genuine issues of material fact exist regarding whether Christian Ku-lick's presumed intoxication at the time of the accident "was not a contributing cause of the accident." We agree.
SUMMARY JUDGMENT
A motion for summary judgment is a procedural device used to avoid a full-scale trial when there is no genuine issue of material fact. Craig v. Bantek West, Inc., 2004-0229 (La.App. 1st Cir.9/17/04), 885 So.2d 1241, 1244-45; Western Sizzlin Steakhouse v. McDuffie, 2002-0935 (La.App. 1st Cir.3/28/03), 844 So.2d 355, 357, writ denied, 2003-1147 (La.6/20/03), 847 So.2d 1236. The summary judgment procedure is favored and is designed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action. La. C.C.P. art. 966(A)(2). The motion should be granted only if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. La. C.C.P. art. 966(B).
On a motion for summary judgment, the burden of proof is on the mover. If, however, the mover will not bear the burden of proof at trial on the matter that is before the court on the motion for summary judgment, the mover's burden on the motion does not require that all essential elements of the adverse party's claim, action, or defense be negated. Instead, the mover need only point out to the court that there is an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party's claim, action, or defense. Thereafter, the adverse party must Lproduce factual evidence sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial. If the adverse party fails to meet this burden, there is no genuine issue of material fact, and the mover is entitled to summary judgment. La. C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2); Robles v. ExxonMobile, 2002-0854 (La.App. 1st Cir.3/28/03), 844 So.2d 339, 341.
When appropriate under Articles 966 and 967, summary judgment is available in workers' compensation cases. See La. C.C.P. art. 966(A)(2); La. R.S. 23:1317(A); Craig, 885 So.2d at 1244; Sept v. City of Baker, 98-1190 (La.App. 1st Cir.5/18/99), 733 So.2d 748, 751, abrogated on other grounds by Dufrene v. Video Co-Op, Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corp., 2002-1147 (La.4/9/03), 843 So.2d 1066. In determining whether summary judgment is appropriate, appellate courts review evidence de novo under the same criteria that govern the trial court's determination of whether summary judgment is appropriate. Independent Fire Ins. Co. v. Sunbeam Corp., 99-2181, 99-2257 (La.2/29/00), 755 So.2d 226, 230; Allen v. State ex rel. Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority, 2002-1072 (La.4/9/03), 842 So.2d 373, 377. An appellate court thus asks the same questions as does the trial court in determining whether summary judgment is appropriate: whether there is any genuine issue of material fact, and whether the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ernest v. Petroleum Service Corp., 2002-2482 (La.App. 1st Cir.ll/19/03), 868 So.2d 96, 97, writ denied, 2003-3439 (La.2/20/04), 866 So.2d 830. The review of a summary judgment in a workers' compensation case is conducted in the same manner. Davis v. AMS Tube Corp., 2000-1311 (La.App. 1st Cir.6/22/01), 801 So.2d 466, 468, writ denied, 2001-2122 (La.11/2/01), 800 So.2d 877.
In Smith v. Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, Inc., 93-2512 (La.7/5/94), 639 So.2d 730, 751, the Louisiana Supreme Court set forth the following [ ^parameters for determining whether an issue is genuine or a fact is material:
In determining whether an issue is "genuine," courts cannot consider the merits, make credibility determinations, evaluate testimony or weigh evidence .
A fact is "material" when its existence or nonexistence may be essential to plaintiffs cause of action under the applicable theory of recovery. "[F]acts are material if they potentially insure or preclude recovery, affect a litigant's ultimate success, or determine the outcome of the legal dispute." Simply put, a "material" fact is one that would matter on the trial on the merits. [Citations omitted.] (Emphasis added.)
Because it is the applicable substantive law that determines materiality, whether a particular fact in dispute is material can be seen only in light of the substantive law applicable to the case. Foreman v. Danos and Curole Marine Contractors, Inc., 97-2038 (La.App. 1st Cir.9/25/98), 722 So.2d 1, 4, writ denied, 98-2703 (La.12/18/98), 734 So.2d 637. Thus, we now turn to a discussion of the law applicable to this case.
INTOXICATION DEFENSE
In order for Christian Kulick to receive workers' compensation benefits, he must establish by a preponderance of the evidence, "personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment" with Shaw. La. R.S. 23:1031(A). This issue is undisputed. However, La. R.S. 23:1081(1)(b) provides that an employee may not recover workers' compensation benefits if his injury was caused by intoxication, unless the intoxication resulted from activities which were in pursuit of the employer's interests or in which the employer procured the intoxicating beverage or substance and encouraged its use during the employee's work hours. Louisiana Revised Statute 23:1081(5) provides that an employee is presumed to be intoxicated if there is evidence of use of a non-prescribed controlled dangerous substance. In such cases and in order to support a finding of intoxication, an employer need only prove the use of such drugs by the employee by a preponderance of the evidence. La. R.S. 23:1081(8). Appropriate drug tests | (¡performed as a result of a written and promulgated drug testing policy are admissible as evidence in such cases. La. R.S. 23:1081(8) and (9). Once the employer has satisfied its burden of proving intoxication at the time of the accident, a presumption of causation due to the intoxication arises. La. R.S. 23:1081(12); see also La. R.S. 23:1081(8). The burden then shifts to the employee to prove that "the intoxication was not a contributing cause of the accident . " La. R.S. 23:1081(12).
According to this statute, there are two separate presumptions that apply in intoxication cases. First, evidence of on- or off-the-job use of a non-prescribed controlled substance creates a presumption that the employee was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Once the employer has proven that the employee was intoxicated, the second presumption arises, that such intoxication caused the accident. At that point, the burden of proof shifts to the employee to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the intoxication was not a contributing cause of the accident. If he does so, the intoxication defense of the employer is defeated. Johnson v. EnviroBlast, 2001-0200 (La.App. 1st Cir.12/28/01), 804 So.2d 924, 927.
On a motion for summary judgment, the workers' compensation judge is precluded from making evaluations of credibility of the witnesses. The credibility of a witness is a question of fact, thus, a trial judge cannot make credibility determinations on a motion for summary judgment. Hutchinson v. Knights of Columbus, Council No. 5747, 2003-1533 (La.2/20/04), 866 So.2d 228, 234; Independent Fire Ins. Co., 755 So.2d at 236; and Boland v. West Feliciana Parish Police Jury, 2003-1297 (La.App. 1st Cir.6/25/04), 878 So.2d, 808, 814, writ denied, 2004-2286 (La.11/24/04), 888 So.2d 231. In deciding a motion for 17summary judgment, the court must assume that all of the witnesses are credible. Id.
ANALYSIS
In this case, Shaw presented the following evidence in support of its motion for summary judgment: the result from the drug test performed on Christian Kulick, which was positive for THC (marijuana); the acknowledgment form signed by Christian Kulick on May 12, 2003, regarding Shaw's written and promulgated substance abuse policy and his consent to be tested; and an affidavit executed by an EH & S (safety) manager for Shaw, regarding his post-accident investigation.
Even though Christian Kulick denies he ingested marijuana on the day of the accident, he admits that the burden of overcoming the presumption of intoxication and the causal relationship between intoxication and the accident is shifted to him. Since Christian Kulick will bear the burden of proof at trial to rebut the presumption that he was intoxicated and that his presumed intoxication was "not a contributing cause of the accident" in order to defeat his employer's intoxication defense pursuant to La. R.S. 23:1081(12), his burden of proof at the summary judgment stage is to produce factual evidence sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his burden of proof at trial that he was not intoxicated at the time of the accident and/or that his presumed intoxication was "not a contributing cause of the accident." One way the employee may be able to satisfy his burden of proving that his presumed intoxication was "not a contributing cause of the accident" is to show that the accident was unavoidable.
In opposing Shaw's motion for summary judgment, Christian Kulick offered his deposition testimony, as well as that of his co-worker and son, Jason Kulick, who witnessed the accident. While Christian Kulick admitted that he may have smoked marijuana within the week prior to the accident, he denied smoking marijuana on the day of the accident and he testified that he was not under its | sintoxicating effects, or otherwise impaired, at the time of the accident. This uncontradicted testimony was corroborated by the deposition testimony of Jason Kulick. Additionally, according to their deposition testimony, when the manway cover shifted and fell, Christian Kulick's back was facing the manway cover, and therefore, he did not know the cover was falling until it hit him.
Shaw's EH & S (safety) manager's affidavit states that if Christian Kulick had moved two inches to either the left or right, or sat down in the manway hole, the manway cover would not have struck him. However, we note that if Christian Kulick could not see the manway cover falling, then he would have had no reason to maneuver to avoid it. The workers' compensation judge stated in his oral reasons for judgment that Christian Kulick offered no expert testimony suggesting that drug use would not have affected his thinking or reaction time at the time of injury. While this may be true, Christian Kulick cannot be required to anticipate unexpected and unseen falling objects. Christian Kulick submitted evidence indicating that he did not cause the manway cover to shift and fall and that he had his back to the cover when it unexpectedly fell, and thus, he could not avoid the accident.
The workers' compensation judge noted in his oral reasons for judgment that both Christian Kulick and Jason Kulick testified by deposition that Christian Kulick was not suffering from the intoxicating effects at the time the injury occurred or immediately prior to the accident and that his "marijuana intake was far removed from the incident." However, the workers' compensation judge found this evidence was "self serving." The workers' compensation judge also stated in his oral reasons for judgment that Christian Ku-lick's testimony that he was alert and acting normally was insufficient to defeat the adverse presumption. These types of findings might appropriately defeat an employee's claim for benefits following a trial on the merits because of the deference given to the workers' | flcompensation judge's credibility determinations. However, at the summary judgment stage, the workers' compensation judge's finding that the "self-serving" deposition testimony was insufficient to create genuine issues of material fact regarding whether the presumed intoxication was "not a contributing cause of the accident" was an inappropriate credibility determination.
As part of our de novo review of this motion for summary judgment, we are required to accept the uncontradicted testimony that Christian Kulick did not smoke marijuana on the day of the accident; that he was alert and acting normally at the time of the accident; that he did not cause the manway cover to shift and fall; and that he had his back to the cover when it unexpectedly fell, as credible. Therefore, we find that Christian Kulick presented sufficient factual support through his own uncontradieted testimony and that of his son/co-employee to establish that, if found to be credible, he will be able to satisfy his burden of proof at trial that he was not intoxicated at the time of the accident and/or that his presumed intoxication was "not a contributing cause of the accident."
Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the workers' compensation judge | inand we remand this matter for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion. All costs of this appeal are assessed against the appellee, The Shaw Group.
KUHN, J.,dissents with reasons.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
. Another employee had previously removed the manway hole cover for the purpose of cleaning the inside of the storage vessel. Christian Kulick was supposed to remove the old bolts from the manway hole and re-install the manway cover with new bolts.
. La. R.S. 23:1081(12): "[OJnce the employer has met the burden of proving intoxication at the time of the accident, it shall be presumed that the accident was caused by the intoxication. The burden of proof then is placed upon the employee to prove that the intoxication was not a contributing cause of the accident in order to defeat the intoxication defense of the employer."
. However, we note that following a trial on the merits, credibility determinations by a l workers' compensation judge are subject to the strictest deference on appeal and are subject to the manifest error standard of review. Johnson, 804 So.2d at 927.
. The following cases were decided after trial on the merits and held that the employee failed to satisfy his burden of proving his presumed intoxication was not a contributing cause of the accident based, in part, on credibility determinations: Johnson, 804 So.2d at 928 ("considering the obvious credibility determinations made herein"); Johnson v. Abraham Payton Roofing and Co., 99-1967 (La.App. 4th Cir.4/5/00), 761 So.2d 30, 33 ("as the claimant, Mr. Johnson is an interested witness"); Porche v. S & M Construction, 97-923 (La.App. 5th Cir.4/15/98), 711 So.2d 429, 432 ("it is clear the hearing officer found the employee's testimony to be incredible"); and Barker v. Allen Canning Co., 95-252 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 10/4/95), 663 So.2d 320, 322, writ denied, 95-2688 (La. 1/12/96), 666 So.2d 323 (employee's "testimony is discounted because the hearing officer found that he lacked credibility"). See also Zeringue v. Wireways, Inc., 97-0856 (La.App. 1st Cir.4/8/98), 714 So.2d 13, 16, writ denied, 98-1257 (La.6/19/98), 721 So.2d 475 (record is devoid of evidence, including testimony of the employee, that the employee's intoxication did not contribute to the accident).
. The following cases are persuasive to our determination, because the courts found the witnesses to be credible. In each one, the employee tested positive for drugs following work-related accidents, but was found to have satisfied the burden of proving that the presumed intoxication was not a contributing cause of the accidents: Boise Cascade Corp. v. Dean, 99-1356 (La.App. 3rd Cir.5/3/00), 767 So.2d 76, 80, writ denied, 2000-2505 (La. 11/13/00), 774 So.2d 146 (employee satisfied his burden where numerous co-workers spoke or interacted with the employee on the day of the accident and not one of them found anything unusual about his behavior or thought he might be intoxicated and where the expert testimony established the length of time of real impairment from smoking marijuana as somewhere between five and six hours); Sweeden v. Hunting Tubular Threading, Inc., 2001-724 (La.App. 5th Cir. 12/12/01), 806 So.2d 728, 730 (employee satisfied his burden with his own testimony that he smoked marijuana two days before the accident, but not on the day of the accident, and by co-employee testimony that he did not appear to be impaired or under the influence at the time); Forrester v. New Orleans Iron Works, 2003-1194 (La.App. 5th Cir.2/23/04), 869 So.2d 216, 218 (employee satisfied his burden with his own testimony and with his supervisor's testimony that he did not act intoxicated at the time of the accident); and Kennedy v. Camellia Garden Manor, 2002-1027 (La.App. 3rd Cir.2/5/03), 838 So.2d 99, 103-04 (employee satisfied his burden with his own testimony that he was not under the influence of marijuana on the day of the accident, by the fact that he had not been sent home that day by his employer for appearing intoxicated, and because the accident was not the sort of accident which was caused by intoxication).