Court Opinion

ID: 9535083
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:45:21.380854+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:33:10.088522
License: Public Domain

NEIGHBORS, Justice,
specially concurring and dissenting:
I concur in the court’s conclusion that the judgment of the court of appeals should be reversed. However, I would reach this result on a different basis. In addition, I dissent to section II of the majority’s opinion adopting the “preponderance of the evidence” standard to be used in determining whether the referee’s findings were contrary to the weight of the evidence. On this issue, I join section III of Justice Quinn’s dissenting opinion.
I.
In Baca v. Helm, 682 P.2d 474, 478 (Colo.1984) (Neighbors, J., concurring), I wrote a specially concurring opinion expressing my view that causation is an ultimate conclusion of fact. I believe that the inquiry into whether there has been a “change in condition” in a worker’s compensation claimant within the meaning of section 8-5-119, 3 C.R.S. (1973), is indistinguishable from the initial inquiry into causation. The majority states:
If the referee’s findings that the claimant’s condition had worsened and that the worsening was attributable to his 1975 injury were findings of ultimate facts, then the Commission had the power to set aside the referee’s decision since it is empowered to make independent conclusions regarding ultimate facts.
At 1119. In my opinion, this is not a hypothetical statement, but a correct summary of the facts and legal principles applicable to this appeal. Therefore, I would reverse the court of appeals’ holding for the reasons I expressed in Helm.
II.
In Helm, 682 P.2d at 479, I stated: “[T]he legislature intended that the commission’s authority to reverse referees’ findings of evidentiary fact be drastically curtailed” based on the legislative history which gave rise to the amendments to section 8-53-106(2), 3 C.R.S. (1973). I believe that the “miscarriage of justice” standard discussed by Justice Quinn in his dissenting opinion more accurately reflects the legislative intent expressed by this history. Indeed, this test is all but compelled by the legislature’s intent to limit the power of the commission to reverse the evidentiary findings made by a referee in worker’s compensation proceedings.