Court Opinion

ID: 9845139
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:15:49.92365+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:52.720928
License: Public Domain

TYSON, Judge,
concurring in part, dissenting in part.
I concur in parts I and III of the majority’s opinion. I respectfully dissent from part II. Plaintiff failed to introduce competent evidence to establish a causal relationship between the compensable injury by accident and the ensuing deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The expert testimony was mere speculation and possibility, and failed to establish the required causal connection.
Plaintiff must produce competent evidence establishing a causal relationship between the injury and the employment. Peagler v. Tyson Foods, Inc., 138 N.C. App. 593, 597, 532 S.E.2d 207, 210 (2000). Testimony of an expert that is merely speculative or that raises no more than a mere possibility is not admissible as to the issue of causal relationship. Lockwood v. McCaskill, 262 N.C. 663, 669, 138 S.E.2d 541, 545-46 (1964); see also Ballenger v. Burris Indus., Inc., 66 N.C. App. 556, 567, 311 S.E.2d 881, 887 (1984) (stating that an expert is not competent to testify regarding causal relation based on mere speculation or possibility). “Could” or “might” refers to probability and not mere possibility. See Lockwood, 262 N.C. at 668, 138 S.E.2d at 545. Here, both experts testified only as to possibility and not probability.
Our Supreme Court has previously “allowed ‘could’ or ‘might’ expert testimony as probative and competent evidence to prove causation.” Young v. Hickory Bus. Furniture, 353 N.C. 227, 233, 538 S.E.2d 912, 916 (2000) (citations omitted). However, “ ‘could’ or *379‘might’ expert testimony [is] insufficient to support a causal connection when there is additional evidence or testimony showing the expert’s opinion to be a guess or mere speculation.” Id. (citing Maharias v. Weathers Bros. Moving & Storage Co., 257 N.C. 767, 767-68, 127 S.E.2d 548, 549 (1962)). Here, additional testimony shows the experts’ opinions to be mere guess and speculation.
In addition to the testimony cited by the majority, Dr. Ratterree also testified in response to a question of whether he had an opinion “as to whether the twisting injury on July 13,1996 could or might have been a significant contributing factor to deep venous thrombosis,” that “[i]n my opinion it probably is not, but I cannot say, you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. ...” and
[i]n my opinion it would be unlikely .... I cannot say that she had turned and this had been brewing even before that, because a lot of DVTs are totally asymptomatic for a long time ... I know these clots take time to develop, so I can’t say that she wasn’t brewing something even before then. It’s just a galaxy of possibilities.
(Emphasis supplied).
The expert medical testimony does not show a causal relationship between the injury by accident and the DVT. See Harvey v. Raleigh Police Dept., 96 N.C. App. 28, 35, 384 S.E.2d 549, 553, disc. review denied, 325 N.C. 706, 388 S.E.2d 454 (1989) (plaintiff has the burden of proving each element of compensability). There is no competent evidence to support the Industrial Commission’s finding and conclusion that plaintiff’s DVT was causally related to her twisting injury. I would reverse the Opinion and Award of the Commission. I respectfully dissent.