Opinion ID: 2081733
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Petitioner's Prima Facie Case

Text: Petitioner argues that she satisfied her initial burden to make a prima facie showing that her mental disability was incurred in the performance of duty, that the government did not present substantial evidence in the record to rebut the inference created by her prima facie case, and that the Board's conclusion that the etiology of her disability was a non-work-related injury is therefore in error. The government responds that petitioner failed to establish a prima facie case that her illness was incurred in the performance of duty, and thus, there was no inference that caused the burden of production to shift to the government to disprove that the disability was caused by a work-related injury. In its analysis the Board did not expressly apply the burden-shifting scheme for determining whether petitioner had presented evidence that created an inference that her disability resulted from an injury incurred in the performance of duty. Instead, it reviewed the evidence of record as a whole in reaching a conclusion that the disability was not incurred in the performance of duty. The burden-shifting scheme we have established reflects the policy embraced in the statute that police officers and firefighters who are disabled due to injuries suffered while in service of the public good should be afforded more generous retirement provisionsunless and until it can be proven that the disability is not related to an injury suffered in the performance of their public duties. The evidentiary burden to prove a prima facie case is not onerous, cf. Texas Dep't of Cmty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981); there merely needs to be a sufficient basis to permit a reasonable inference that the disabling injury was incurred in the performance of duty. On this record, petitioner amply met her initial burden of making a prima facie showing that her mental illness was related to an on-duty causative event, as her testimony, MPD and doctor's reports and expert testimony all support this finding. To summarize, Dr. Filson's retirement report linked the petitioner's mental disability to her complaints of harassment and insubordination by co-workers, and indicated that her condition had been ruled POD by MPD. Petitioner testified about the harassment she experienced, and record evidence of her complaints corroborated her claims. A memorandum from the Director of MDEAP, found a reasonable basis for the classification of petitioner's injury as having been incurred in the performance of duty. Additionally, a supplemental retirement report by Dr. Filson noted that the petitioner had no previous psychiatric treatment with medication prior to her illness, and had performed well on the job as commander of two hundred officers until the disability rendered her incapable of fulfilling her duties as a lieutenant. Moreover, at the hearing Dr. Filson testified that petitioner's illness had developed as a result of problems she experienced with on-the-job harassment and disparate treatment. Dr. Filson opined to a reasonable scientific certainty that there was no evidence of a preexisting condition. He reiterated the opinion in his supplemental retirement report that petitioner's high level of functioning as a lieutenant prior to the onset of her mental condition corroborated that the illness was precipitated by on-the-job stresses because a person with an underlying mental disorder would not have a history of functioning so well. Based on his knowledge of petitioner's case, Dr. Filson concluded that in his expert opinion Lt. Pierce's mental disability is directly related to the events of harassment and discrimination that she noted. Based on the evidence presented, Pierce met her burden of making a prima facie showing that her disabling illness was incurred in the performance of duty.