Court Opinion

ID: 9391886
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-03 15:39:07.360136+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:29.616730
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                May 03, 2023
                                                                                10:32 AM(CT)
                                                                                 TENNESSEE
                                                                            WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                               APPEALS BOARD

            TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
               WORKERS’ COMPENSATION APPEALS BOARD

Willie Rucker, Jr.                           )   Docket No.     2021-08-0611
                                             )
v.                                           )   State File No. 46819-2020
                                             )
Federal Express Corporation, et al.          )
                                             )
                                             )
Appeal from the Court of Workers’            )
Compensation Claims                          )
Amber E. Luttrell, Judge                     )

                                Affirmed and Remanded

In this interlocutory appeal, the employee contends the trial court erred in denying his
request for medical and temporary disability benefits following an expedited hearing.
The employee alleged he suffered injuries to his head, neck, and back when a crate fell on
him at work. Subsequently, the employee suffered a stroke, which he claims was
causally related to the work accident. The employer did not deny that the original
incident occurred but denied that it resulted in any permanent injury or caused the stroke.
The authorized physicians performed diagnostic testing, provided conservative care,
opined there were no objective findings, and released the employee from their care.
Following an expedited hearing, the trial court determined the employee was not likely to
prevail at a hearing on the merits, as he presented no medical proof to support his
contention the stroke was causally related to the work accident. The employee has
appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record, we affirm the trial court’s decision and
remand the case.

Judge Meredith B. Weaver delivered the opinion of the Appeals Board in which
Presiding Judge Timothy W. Conner and Judge Pele I. Godkin joined.

Willie Rucker, Jr., Memphis, Tennessee, employee-appellant, pro se

Stephen P. Miller and Joseph B. Baker, Memphis, Tennessee, for the employer-appellee,
Federal Express Corporation

                                            1
                                     Memorandum Opinion 1

       Willie Rucker, Jr., (“Employee”) alleged that while in the course and scope of his
work on July 18, 2020, at Federal Express Corporation (“Employer”), a crate fell on him,
hitting his head and upper body. Following this incident, Employer provided him with
orthopedic and neurology panels, and Employee selected Dr. Riley Jones and Dr. Alan
Nadel, respectively.

       At his initial appointment with Dr. Jones on August 26, 2020, Employee
complained of pain in his low back and neck. Dr. Jones ordered MRIs of Employee’s
back, neck, and pelvis, as well as EMGs of his upper and lower extremities and a bone
scan. Dr. Jones also ordered physical therapy, which Employer provided. On December
16, 2020, Dr. Jones opined that the EMGs were normal, and Employee’s complaints were
“degenerative and non-acute.” He further stated that Employee’s orthopedic complaints
did not meet “the 51% causation rule to be considered under Workers’ Compensation.”

        Employee also treated with Dr. Nadel during this time for his neurologic
complaints. At Employee’s initial appointment on September 3, 2020, Dr. Nadel
diagnosed Employee with a “mild posttrauma headache without any residual neurologic
deficit.” After several appointments, Dr. Nadel performed a final examination of
Employee on January 14, 2021, which he stated was “really unremarkable.” Dr. Nadel
also completed a C30A Final Medical Report on that same date releasing Employee at
maximum medical improvement with no permanent impairment.

       Following his release from Dr. Nadel’s care, Employee alleged he suffered a
stroke that was causally related to the work injury. At an expedited hearing convened to
address Employee’s request for medical care and temporary disability benefits, Employee
introduced medical records from March 2021, wherein he was diagnosed with an acute
ischemic stroke. These records contained no statement regarding the cause of the stroke.
Employee further testified he had never had a stroke prior to the work incident in 2020.
Conversely, Employer relied on the medical opinions of both Dr. Jones and Dr. Nadel, as
well as medical records from 2015 indicating Employee suffered from an “acute
cerebrovascular incident” following a home invasion and burglary.

       Following the expedited hearing, the trial court entered an order denying the
requested disability and medical benefits, stating Employee had presented no expert
medical proof to support his contention that his stroke was causally related to the work
incident. It further relied on Dr. Nadel’s medical records indicating there were no
objective findings and releasing Employee from neurological care.
1
 “The appeals board may, in an effort to secure a just and speedy determination of matters on appeal and
with the concurrence of all judges, decide an appeal by an abbreviated order or by memorandum opinion,
whichever the appeals board deems appropriate, in cases that are not legally and/or factually novel or
complex.” Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0800-02-22-.03(1) (2020).
                                                   2
        Employee has appealed that order, stating on his notice of appeal that “Dr. Riley
Jones, M.D., and Dr. Nadel made a false injury report on me and said no need to see me
anymore/said I was too old to work at FedEx.” Employee did not file a brief on appeal,
although he did file a “Statement” indicating there is a video of the incident he would like
Employer to produce. There is no indication in the record Employee previously sought
this video and was denied access; further, he does not provide any reasoning or legal
explanation for the necessity of the video, as Employer does not deny the incident
occurred. Moreover, Employee has pointed to no documents, records, or pleadings filed
with the trial court or admitted into evidence regarding the purported “false injury
report(s)” of Drs. Jones and Nadel. Finally, Employee has presented no argument as to
how the trial court erred in its order. As such, we are unable to discern any factual or
legal issues for review. As stated by the Tennessee Supreme Court, “[i]t is not the role of
the courts, trial or appellate, to research or construct a litigant’s case or arguments for
him or her.” Sneed v. Bd. of Prof’l Responsibility of the Sup. Ct. of Tenn., 301 S.W.3d
603, 615 (Tenn. 2010). We cannot comb the record for possible errors and raise issues
and arguments for Employee, as we would then be acting as his counsel, which the law
clearly prohibits. See Webb v. Sherrell, No. E2013-02724-COA-R3-CV, 2015 Tenn.
App. LEXIS 645, at *5 (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 12, 2015). As mandated by Tennessee
Code Annotated section 50-6-239(c)(7), we must presume the trial court’s factual
findings are correct, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise.

       The trial court reviewed numerous medical records and considered the testimony
of Employee at the expedited hearing. The authorized physicians opined that there were
no objective findings and no permanent injury primarily related to the work incident, and
Employee presented no medical evidence that his subsequent stroke was causally related
to the accident at work. Accordingly, we agree with the court’s determination that
Employee did not establish that he was likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits.

       For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the decision of the trial court and remand the
case. Costs on appeal have been waived.

                                             3
                      TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
                        WORKERS’ COMPENSATION APPEALS BOARD

Willie Rucker, Jr.                                    )      Docket No. 2021-08-0611
                                                      )
v.                                                    )      State File No. 46819-2020
                                                      )
Federal Express Corporation, et al.                   )
                                                      )
                                                      )
Appeal from the Court of Workers’                     )
Compensation Claims                                   )
Amber E. Luttrell, Judge                              )

                                   CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the Appeals Board’s decision in the referenced
case was sent to the following recipients by the following methods of service on this the 3rd day
of May, 2023.

 Name                              Certified   First Class   Via   Via     Sent to:
                                   Mail        Mail          Fax   Email
 Willie Rucker, Jr.                                                  X     willruck777@gmail.com
 Stephen P. Miller                                                   X     smiller@mckuhn.com
                                                                           mdoherty@mckuhn.com
                                                                           jbaker@mckuhn.com
 Amber E. Luttrell, Judge                                            X     Via Electronic Mail
 Kenneth M. Switzer, Chief Judge                                     X     Via Electronic Mail
 Penny Shrum, Clerk, Court of                                        X     penny.patterson-shrum@tn.gov
 Workers’ Compensation Claims

Olivia Yearwood
Clerk, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
220 French Landing Dr., Ste. 1-B
Nashville, TN 37243
Telephone: 615-253-1606
Electronic Mail: WCAppeals.Clerk@tn.gov