Opinion ID: 75862
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: discussion and certification

Text: 23 Provident appeals the decision of the district court, raising as its primary issue whether Hallum's disability is due to Injuries, that is, accidental bodily injuries occurring while the Policy was in force. Provident contends that since Hallum failed to prove that his CTS was temporally and spatially connected with an identifiable event occurring while the Policy was in force, his CTS cannot be classified as an injury within the plain language of the Policy. Hallum counters with two arguments: (1) Provident failed to provide any evidence contradicting the medically supported contention that his CTS was due to an injury and (2) Provident failed to provide any evidence justifying its arbitrary classification of Hallum's disability as a sickness. Because Georgia's substantive law governs the resolution of this issue in this diversity action, 1 and because the parties concede, and our independent research confirms, that the issue presented for resolution in this appeal is unsettled under Georgia law, we deem it appropriate to certify the following question for resolution by the Georgia Supreme Court: WHETHER, UNDER GEORGIA LAW, CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME, WHICH IS CAUSED BY REPETITIVE HAND MOTION, IS MORE PROPERLY CLASSIFIED AS AN INJURY UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF A DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE POLICY WHICH DEFINE AN INJURY TO MEAN ACCIDENTAL BODILY INJURIES OCCURRING WHILE YOUR POLICY IS IN FORCE, OR WHETHER CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME IS MORE PROPERLY CLASSIFIED AS A SICKNESS UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE SAME POLICY WHICH DEFINE SICKNESS TO MEAN SICKNESS OR DISEASE WHICH IS FIRST MANIFESTED WHILE YOUR POLICY IS IN EFFECT? 24 In certifying this question, we do not intend the particular phrasing of the question to limit the Georgia Supreme Court in its consideration of the problem posed by this case and in its analysis of the record certified in this case. This latitude extends to the Georgia Supreme Court's restatement of the issue and the manner in which an answer is given. In order to assist the Georgia Supreme Court's consideration of this case, the entire record, along with the briefs of the parties, shall be transmitted to that Court. 25 QUESTION CERTIFIED.