Court Opinion

ID: 9958144
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-08 13:35:25.875222+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:17:57.840172
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                    Apr 08, 2024
                                                                                   08:21 AM(CT)
                                                                                 TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                                WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                       CLAIMS

       TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS
         IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS
                          AT NASHVILLE

 DAROLD SWANSON,                               ) Docket No. 2023-06-5023
           Employee,                           )
 v.                                            )
 FACILITY INSTALLATION                         )
 SERVICE,                                      )
          Employer,                            )
 And                                           ) State File No. 860304-2023
 AUTO OWNERS INS. CO.,                         )
           Carrier,                            )
 And                                           )
 TROY HALEY, Administrator,                    )
 SUBSEQUENT INJURY AND                         ) Judge Joshua D. Baker
 VOCATIONAL RECOVERY FUND.                     )

      COMPENSATION ORDER DENYING MOTION TO CONTINUE AND
                 GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS

        The Court held a hearing on Mr. Swanson’s motion to continue and on Facility
Installation’s motion to dismiss on April 1, 2024. Mr. Swanson did not appear but filed a
motion to continue. Because his motion lacks support and was not pursued, the Court
denies Mr. Swanson’s motion to continue. Further, because his petition fails to state a claim
upon which relief can be granted, the motion to dismiss is granted.

                                    Procedural History

        In his petition, Mr. Swanson alleged that he contracted Covid-19 from a co-worker,
who had not told him about his infection “until [Mr. Swanson] started experiencing
symptoms.” On August 11, 2021, Mr. Swanson “went straight to the boss and told him of
the situation.” His supervisor “recommended [he] go to Path Group for free testing.”

       After the test, he “gave [his] test results and doctors [sic] excuse [to his] supervisor
but “got progressively worse, end[ing] up in ICU several times.” He still “suffer[s] from
Afib and blood clots in [his] lungs and heart” that he alleges resulted from Covid-19.

                                              1
       Two years after his injury, Mr. Swanson filed a petition for benefit determination
on July 18, 2023. On the petition, he marked the following statements as true:

Mr. Swanson also left “Section F: Notice” blank, failing to identify if and how he had sent
a copy of his petition to his employer or its insurance carrier.

       In addition to the dispute certification notice, the mediator reported that Mr.
Swanson failed to cooperate in scheduling mediation, failed to submit required medical
records or documentation, and failed to respond “to many efforts to reach him.”

       After the dispute certification notice issued, Mr. Swanson failed to timely request a
hearing, so the Court entered an order for him to appear and show cause why his claim
should not be dismissed for lack of prosecution. In response, he filed a request for expedited
hearing. In turn, Facility Installation filed its motion to dismiss, asserting that Mr.
Swanson’s claim fails on its face, as the claim was untimely filed outside the limitations
period. Facility Installation included a notice in its motion setting the hearing on its motion
to dismiss for April 1, 2024.

       At the show-cause hearing in late February, the Court ordered the parties to
complete written discovery about the statute of limitations issue before the April hearing
on the motion to dismiss and also set an expedited hearing for May.

      On March 25, Mr. Swanson filed a “Response and Motion to Continue” requesting
“an additional 60 days to respond” for “more time to get medical evidence of incapacity,
TCA-50-6-203‘d.’ [sic].” The next day, a docketing notice issued setting a hearing on the
motion to continue for April 1, 2024, the same day as the hearing on Facility Installation’s
motion to dismiss.

       Mr. Swanson failed to appear on April 1, missing the hearing on his motion to
continue and the hearing on the motion to dismiss.

                                          Analysis

       Rule 12.02(6) permits dismissal of a claim for “failure to state a claim upon which
relief can be granted.” Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.02(6) (2023). The motion is resolved by
examining the pleadings alone, and a defendant who files a motion to dismiss “admits the
                                              2
truth of all of the relevant and material allegations contained in the complaint, but . . .
asserts that the allegations fail to establish a cause of action.” Webb v. Nashville Area
Habitat for Humanity, Inc., 346 S.W.3d 422, 426 (Tenn. 2011) (internal quotations and
citations omitted).

        A statute of limitations defense may be raised in a 12.02(6) motion to dismiss for
failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. See Gunter v. Lab. Corp. of Am.,
121 S.W.3d 636, 638 (Tenn. 2003). However, the motion should be denied unless it appears
that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim that would entitle him to
relief. Id. at 639.

       Generally, a 12.02(6) dismissal at this procedural stage is premature because “[b]y
its very nature, a Rule 12.02 motion to dismiss asserts that the claim fails on its face,
without the need for the court to consider other evidence.” Watson v. Lowe’s Home Ctrs.,
Inc., 2023 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 4, at *8 (Feb. 3, 2023). Evidence is usually
“necessary to determine whether the statute of limitations serve[s] to bar the claim.” Id.

       However, Facility Installation has shown that Mr. Swanson’s petition fails on its
face. Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-203(b)(1) reads where an “employer has not
paid workers’ compensation benefits to or on behalf of the employee, the right to
compensation under this chapter shall be forever barred, unless . . . a petition for benefit
determination is filed . . . within one (1) year after the accident resulting in injury.”

       Here, Mr. Swanson did not file his petition until nearly two years after his alleged
injury. He acknowledged in his petition that his employer did not pay workers’
compensation benefits, as he marked that his employer had not furnished medical treatment
or paid him for missing work due to his injury.

        After a defendant has established that a claim is barred by the statute of limitations,
the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show his claim should not be time-barred, usually by
application of tolling doctrines like the discovery rule. Redwing v. Cath. Bishop for the
Diocese of Memphis, 363 S.W.3d 436, 464, 467 (Tenn. 2012). The discovery rule tolls the
statute of limitations until by reasonable care and diligence it is discoverable and apparent
that a compensable injury has been sustained. Ernstes v. Printpack, Inc., 2023 TN Wrk.
Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 25, at *9 (June 6, 2023).

       Mr. Swanson acknowledged on his petition that he was injured at a specific time on
a certain date when his co-worker infected him. He told his boss on August 11, 2021, that
he thought his co-worker had made him ill, then immediately sought testing and treatment.
Because he immediately related his infection to work, the discovery rule does not apply
here.

                                              3
       He filed a motion to extend his response time to the motion to dismiss by 60 days
and to continue the hearing so he could gather evidence to prove he was incapacitated from
timely filing a petition. Section 50-6-203(d) permits tolling in cases of “physical or mental
incapacity” that could extend the limitations period “for one (1) year from the date when
the incapacity ceases.”

        However, the Court set his motion to continue for April 1, and he did not attend the
hearing. Further, his motion lacks specificity or any explanation as to what type of
incapacity he alleges or how long it lasted. Also, Mr. Swanson never mentioned in his
petition that he had a physical or mental incapacity that would have prevented him from
filing his petition within one year of the date of injury. As Mr. Swanson did not diligently
pursue or adequately support his motion, the Court denies it.

        In sum, because Mr. Swanson admitted in his petition that Facility Installation did
not pay workers’ compensation benefits and has alleged an August 11, 2021 injury but did
not file his petition until July 2023, the Court grants the motion to dismiss with prejudice
against its refiling. Facilities Installation shall pay the $150.00 filing fee to the Court Clerk
within five days of entry of this order. Unless appealed, this order becomes final 30 days
after entry.

       It is ORDERED.

                                             ENTERED April 8, 2024.

                                            ______________________________________
                                            JOSHUA D. BAKER, JUDGE
                                            Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

                                               4
                         CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

    I certify that a copy of this Order was sent as shown on April 8, 2024.

Name                     Certified   Fax       Email   Service sent to:
                          Mail
Darold Swanson,                                 X      2419 Woodale Lane
Employee                                               Nashville, TN 37207
                                                       dinkswanson@gmail.com
Michael Haynie,                                 X      mhaynie@manierherod.com
Employer’s Attorney
Patrick Ruth,                                   X      patrick.ruth@tn.gov
Attorney for the Fund

                                       ______________________________________
                                       PENNY SHRUM, COURT CLERK
                                       wc.courtclerk@tn.gov

                                           5
                                          Right to Appeal:
      If you disagree with the Court’s Order, you may appeal to the Workers’ Compensation
Appeals Board. To do so, you must:
   1. Complete the enclosed form entitled “Notice of Appeal” and file it with the Clerk of the
      Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims before the expiration of the deadline.
               If the order being appealed is “expedited” (also called “interlocutory”), or if the
                 order does not dispose of the case in its entirety, the notice of appeal must be filed
                 within seven (7) business days of the date the order was filed.
               If the order being appealed is a “Compensation Order,” or if it resolves all issues
                 in the case, the notice of appeal must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days of
                 the date the Compensation Order was filed.
      When filing the Notice of Appeal, you must serve a copy on the opposing party (or attorney,
      if represented).

   2. You must pay, via check, money order, or credit card, a $75.00 filing fee within ten calendar
      days after filing the Notice of Appeal. Payments can be made in-person at any Bureau office
      or by U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or other delivery service. In the alternative, you may file an
      Affidavit of Indigency (form available on the Bureau’s website or any Bureau office)
      seeking a waiver of the filing fee. You must file the fully-completed Affidavit of Indigency
      within ten calendar days of filing the Notice of Appeal. Failure to timely pay the filing
      fee or file the Affidavit of Indigency will result in dismissal of your appeal.

   3. You are responsible for ensuring a complete record is presented on appeal. If no court
      reporter was present at the hearing, you may request from the Court Clerk the audio
      recording of the hearing for a $25.00 fee. If you choose to submit a transcript as part of your
      appeal, which the Appeals Board has emphasized is important for a meaningful review of
      the case, a licensed court reporter must prepare the transcript, and you must file it with the
      Court Clerk. The Court Clerk will prepare the record for submission to the Appeals Board,
      and you will receive notice once it has been submitted. For deadlines related to the filing of
      transcripts, statements of the evidence, and briefs on appeal, see the applicable rules on the
      Bureau’s website at https://www.tn.gov/wcappealsboard. (Click the “Read Rules” button.)

   4. After the Workers’ Compensation Judge approves the record and the Court Clerk transmits
      it to the Appeals Board, a docketing notice will be sent to the parties.
      If neither party timely files an appeal with the Appeals Board, the Court Order
      becomes enforceable. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(3) (expedited/interlocutory
      orders) and Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(7) (compensation orders).

       For self-represented litigants: Help from an Ombudsman is available at 800-332-2667.
                                              NOTICE OF APPEAL
                                      Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
                                        www.tn.gov/workforce/injuries-at-work/
                                        wc.courtclerk@tn.gov | 1-800-332-2667

                                                                                  Docket No.: ________________________

                                                                                  State File No.: ______________________

                                                                                  Date of Injury: _____________________

         ___________________________________________________________________________
         Employee

         v.

         ___________________________________________________________________________
         Employer

Notice is given that ____________________________________________________________________
                         [List name(s) of all appealing party(ies). Use separate sheet if necessary.]

appeals the following order(s) of the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims to the
Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (check one or more applicable boxes and include the date file-
stamped on the first page of the order(s) being appealed):

□ Expedited Hearing Order filed on _______________ □ Motion Order filed on ___________________
□ Compensation Order filed on__________________ □ Other Order filed on_____________________
issued by Judge _________________________________________________________________________.

Statement of the Issues on Appeal
Provide a short and plain statement of the issues on appeal or basis for relief on appeal:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Parties
Appellant(s) (Requesting Party): _________________________________________ ☐Employer ☐Employee
Address: ________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________
Email: __________________________________________________________
Attorney’s Name: ______________________________________________ BPR#: _______________________
Attorney’s Email: ______________________________________________ Phone: _______________________
Attorney’s Address: _________________________________________________________________________
                           * Attach an additional sheet for each additional Appellant *

LB-1099 rev. 01/20                              Page 1 of 2                                              RDA 11082
Employee Name: _______________________________________ Docket No.: _____________________ Date of Inj.: _______________

Appellee(s) (Opposing Party): ___________________________________________ ☐Employer ☐Employee
Appellee’s Address: ______________________________________________ Phone: ____________________
Email: _________________________________________________________
Attorney’s Name: _____________________________________________ BPR#: ________________________
Attorney’s Email: _____________________________________________ Phone: _______________________
Attorney’s Address: _________________________________________________________________________
                              * Attach an additional sheet for each additional Appellee *

                                             CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, _____________________________________________________________, certify that I have forwarded a
true and exact copy of this Notice of Appeal by First Class mail, postage prepaid, or in any manner as described
in Tennessee Compilation Rules & Regulations, Chapter 0800-02-21, to all parties and/or their attorneys in this
case on this the __________ day of ___________________________________, 20 ____.

                                                           ______________________________________________
                                                            [Signature of appellant or attorney for appellant]

LB-1099 rev. 01/20                                 Page 2 of 2                                        RDA 11082