Opinion ID: 1967836
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Total Incapacity

Text: The defendant asserts that there is no competent medical evidence in the record to support the trial judge's findings that plaintiff was totally incapacitated as a result of the surgery and that the Appellate Division, therefore, committed reversible error in affirming the award. It is well settled that the employee bears the burden of producing competent evidence to support her petition for benefits. Meketsy v. Roger Williams Foods, 526 A.2d 1276, 1277 (R.I.1987). When the employee seeks benefits for total incapacity, she bears the burden of demonstrating that as a result of the injury, [she] is physically unable to earn any wages in any employment   . Section 28-33-17(b)(2). The trial judge evaluates the testimony of any witnesses, and may reject some or all of the witness's testimony as being unworthy of belief. Such an evaluation is a finding of fact that, if supported by competent evidence, is binding. Buonauito v. Ocean State Dairy Distributors, Inc., 509 A.2d 988, 991 (R.I.1986). To support its argument, defendant notes that the only evidence of plaintiff's post-surgery capacity for work is Dr. Stern's testimony. According to defendant, because the trial judge rejected Dr. Stern's testimony on the medical need for plaintiff's surgery, the doctor's testimony on plaintiff's incapacity after the surgery lacks credence and is otherwise unworthy of belief. See McAree v. Gerber Products Co., 115 R.I. 243, 256, 342 A.2d 608, 615 (1975) (stating that uncontroverted testimony is binding on the Workers' Compensation Commission unless it contains inherent contradictions or lacks credence or is unworthy of belief). [2] The trial judge was responsible for evaluating Dr. Stern's testimony, and was entitled to either accept or reject the testimony in whole or in part. Buonauito, 509 A.2d at 991. Thus, the trial judge was permitted to reject Dr. Stern's testimony about the medical need for the plaintiff's surgery, and to accept Dr. Stern's testimony about the plaintiff's incapacity after the surgery. This evaluation is a finding of fact, that, if supported by competent evidence, is binding. Id. Upon a thorough review of the record, this Court finds that Dr. Stern's testimony, as well as the plaintiffs testimony about her own incapacity, constitutes legally competent evidence sufficient to support the Appellate Division's findings.