Court Opinion

ID: 9946544
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-29 20:31:06.342583+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:24:41.283628
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                  Feb 29, 2024
                                                                                  02:17 PM(CT)
                                                                               TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                              WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                     CLAIMS

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

  William Tucker,                                )   Docket No. 2023-06-01704
               Employee,                         )
  v.                                             )
  LU, Inc.,                                      )   State File No. 44728-2022
               Employer,                         )
  And                                            )
  Bridgefield Cas. Ins. Co.,                     )   Judge Kenneth M. Switzer
                Carrier.                         )

                ORDER AMENDING EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER

       LU filed a motion to amend the February 16, 2024 Expedited Hearing Order
regarding temporary total disability benefits. For the reasons below, the Court alters the
order in part.

                                  Motion and Response

       The Expedited Hearing Order required LU to pay past temporary total disability in
a lump-sum totaling $13,698.12, from November 8 through February 6, 2024. In addition,
the order stated that LU must pay weekly benefits in the amount of $1,065.41 until Mr.
Tucker reaches maximum medical improvement or is able to return to work.

      LU argues in its motion that on February 20, Mr. Tucker’s attorney informed its
counsel that LU paid him his full wages from November 8 until February 16. Payment
stopped on February 16.

       LU asks in the motion that the Expedited Hearing Order be altered to relieve it of
the obligation to pay the past temporary total disability award of $13,698.12 as well as the
ongoing order to pay temporary total disability benefits to the extent that the past payments
exceed the compensation rate. He did not request a credit against any award of permanent
disability benefits.

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       Mr. Tucker agrees that no past temporary disability benefits until February 16 are
owed, but he insists that the order for continuing weekly benefits should not be reduced by
any “credit” of salary paid minus temporary total disability benefits due from November
8, 2023, to February 16, 2024.

       LU filed a notice of appeal on February 26 of the expedited hearing order.

                                     Law and Analysis

       A motion to alter or amend a judgment shall be filed and served within thirty (30)
days after the entry of the judgment. Tenn. R. Civ. P. 59.04 (2023). The Court of Workers’
Compensation Claims retains jurisdiction to resolve a timely filed motion to alter or amend
the court’s decision, and a notice of appeal filed before the trial court’s disposition of the
motion will be considered filed on the day the trial court files its order resolving the motion.
Watson v. LaborSmart, Inc., 2017 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 13, at *13 (Feb. 3,
2017).
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       Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-207(1)(B)(i) says that an employer may
“choose to continue to compensate an injured employee at the employee’s regular wages
or salary” during the employee’s period of temporary total disability. Further, subdivision
207(1)(B)(ii) provides that when an employee receives payments under subdivision
(1)(B)(i) and the claim is determined by a court to be compensable, the employer shall be
given credit for the payments. However, “The credit shall be no more than the employee
would have been otherwise paid under subdivision (1)(A)[.]” (Emphasis added).

        Here, LU chose to pay Mr. Tucker his full wages, as the statute permits. But by the
statute’s plain language, the credit shall be no more than Mr. Tucker would have been
otherwise paid, i.e. his compensation rate. LU’s credit ended on February 16 when they
stopped paying his full salary.

       By agreement, the order to pay past temporary disability benefits is vacated. LU or
the carrier must pay the weekly benefit, starting February 17 and ongoing, of $1,065.41
until Mr. Tucker reaches maximum medical improvement or is able to return to work.

      The Court reminds that a status hearing is set for April 29, 2024, at 9:15 a.m.
Central Time. You must call 615-532-9552 or 866-943-0025 to participate.

       IT IS ORDERED.

                                    ENTERED February 28, 2024.

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                                   ________________________________________
                                   JUDGE KENNETH M. SWITZER
                                   Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

                            CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

       I certify that a copy of this Order was sent as indicated on February 28, 2024.

Name                   Certified   Regular       Email   Sent to
                       Mail        mail
Julie Reasonover,                                  X     julie@reasonoverlaw.com
employee’s attorney                                      kat@reasonoverlaw.com
Greg Fuller,                                       X     ghfuller@mijs.com
Houston Gunn,                                            hgunn@mijs.com
employer’s attorneys                                     kaceicys@mijs.com

                                   _______________________________________
                                   Penny Shrum
                                   Clerk, Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
                                   WC.CourtClerk@tn.gov

                                             3
                                              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