Court Opinion

ID: 9876565
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-27 15:02:49.494453+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:46:14.744010
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                Sep 27, 2023
                                                                               09:37 AM(CT)
                                                                             TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                            WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                   CLAIMS

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

 MINA SHALABI,                              )   Docket No. 2021-06-1493
          Employee,                         )
 v.                                         )   State File No. 72776-2021
 AMAZON.COM SERVICES, LLC                   )
          Employer,                         )   Judge Robert Durham
 And                                        )
 AMERICAN ZURICH INS. CO.,                  )
          Insurer.                          )

                       COMPENSATION HEARING ORDER
                            DENYING BENEFITS

       The Court held a Compensation Hearing on September 22, 2023, to determine
whether Mr. Shalabi is entitled to benefits from a foot injury that allegedly occurred on
September 14, 2021. The Court holds Mr. Shalabi did not prove by expert medical proof
that he suffered a compensable injury and denies his claim.

                                       History of Claim

       Mr. Shalabi was struck on his left heel when a co-worker pushed a cart into him on
September 14, 2021. He reported severe foot pain but finished his shift and worked the
next day as well. Amazon provided initial authorized treatment with Dr. Harold Nevels.

        According to his deposition, Dr. Nevels first saw Mr. Shalabi on September 16. He
complained of left heel tenderness when Dr. Nevels pressed on it. Dr. Nevels did not
observe any bruising, marks, or swelling, and Mr. Shalabi’s gait was normal. Despite the
lack of objective signs, Dr. Nevels diagnosed a contusion, “which means a simple bruise
to the skin.”

       Mr. Shalabi returned to Dr. Nevels a few days later complaining of throbbing pain
that was aggravated by “pushing off” to walk. The exam was normal, and Mr. Shalabi did
not have a limp. Dr. Nevels noted that “the symptoms seemed out of proportion with stated

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injury.”

        Dr. Nevels saw Mr. Shalabi for the last time on September 24. Mr. Shalabi claimed
no improvement, although, once again, Dr. Nevels did not observe any abnormalities and
believed the pain complaints were “somewhat exaggerated.” X-rays came back negative.
Dr. Nevels felt that Mr. Shalabi had reached maximum medical improvement and could
return to work at full duty. He did not believe further treatment was necessary and did not
make a specialist referral or assign permanent restrictions or an impairment rating.

       In his deposition, Dr. Nevels concluded that, based on the record, a “simple bruise”
should not cause Mr. Shalabi’s complaints. Thus, he could not say to a reasonable degree
of medical certainty that Mr. Shalabi sustained any work-related injury on September 14.

        After Dr. Nevels’s release, Mr. Shalabi continued to complain of pain, so Amazon
authorized treatment with orthopedist Lucas Richie, M.D. In his deposition, Dr. Richie
said that Mr. Shalabi told him the cart ran directly on the back of his left ankle and foot,
and since that time he had suffered constant, aching pain in his entire foot. His physical
exam did not reveal any bruising, swelling, or open wounds, but Mr. Shalabi claimed every
part of his foot was tender to touch. X-rays did not show any abnormalities that he could
attribute to the work incident.

       Dr. Richie could not explain why Mr. Shalabi should be experiencing global pain in
his foot since it was unlikely that pain in his toes was directly related to a blow to his heel.
He confirmed that the complaints could not be “fully attributed” to the impact and were
“out of proportion” with a collision two weeks earlier. As a result, he could not form a
diagnosis. He could not say within a reasonable degree of medical certainty that Mr.
Shalabi’s symptoms were due to a work-related injury.

       In support of his claim, Mr. Shalabi filed a C-32 Standard Form Medical Report
prepared by Dr. Nicholas Strasser on June 14, 2023. The report does not include Dr.
Strasser’s records or a curriculum vitae, and it does not contain any information as to Dr.
Strasser’s specialization, if any.

        In the report, Dr. Strasser diagnosed Mr. Shalabi with a heel contusion caused by a
strike to the back of the heel. He said the injury did not result in any disablement. He
provided a 0% impairment and said Mr. Shalabi could return to work without restrictions.
He checked the box indicating that Mr. Shalabi would need further medical care, but he
did not recommend any particular treatment.

                            Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

       Amazon does not dispute that Mr. Shalabi’s heel was struck by a cart on September
14, 2021. The dispute is whether the incident resulted in an injury requiring treatment and

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temporary disability benefits, and if so, whether Mr. Shalabi is entitled to further treatment
for his current complaints. Mr. Shalabi has the burden of proving the essential elements of
his workers’ compensation claim by a preponderance of the evidence. Scott v. Integrity
Staffing Solutions, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 24, at *6 (Aug. 18, 2015).

       For Mr. Shalabi’s injury to be compensable, it must be “caused by a specific
incident, or set of incidents, arising primarily out of and in the course and scope of
employment and is identifiable by time and place of occurrence… that causes death,
disablement or the need for treatment …” Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(12)(A)(2023). In
this case, the Court holds that the September 14 collision meets the statutory definition of
an “incident” that could give rise to a compensable injury.

        However, that does not end the inquiry. Mr. Shalabi must also prove that the
incident caused him to be disabled or need treatment. To do so, Mr. Shalabi’s testimony
must be supported by medical proof. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(12)(D). He must
show to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the incident contributed more than
fifty percent in causing a disability or need for treatment. Reasonable degree of medical
certainty means “it is more likely than not considering all causes, as opposed to speculation
or uncertainty.” Id. Upon review of the available medical proof, the Court holds that Mr.
Shalabi has not met this burden on either point – disability or need for treatment.

       Based on Mr. Shalabi’s complaints following the incident, Dr. Nevels, as authorized
treating physician, initially provided treatment and even restricted Mr. Shalabi’s activities
so he was unable to work for several days. However, in his deposition, Dr. Nevels noted
that he never saw any objective signs during his exams confirming that Mr. Shalabi
suffered any injury. Mr. Shalabi did not have any bruising, discoloration, swelling, or gait
derangement from the alleged injury, and x-rays were negative. He also felt that Mr.
Shalabi’s pain complaints were “out of proportion” to the stated injury. Based on these
findings, Dr. Nevels concluded that he could not say within a reasonable degree of medical
certainty that Mr. Shalabi sustained any injury on September 14, 2021.

      Dr. Richie confirmed Dr. Nevels’s opinion when he testified that he also did not
observe any objective signs of injury and that Mr. Shalabi’s pain complaints appeared
exaggerated. Given these issues, he could not say that Mr. Shalabi’s current complaints
were due to the alleged work injury either.

        Mr. Shalabi provided a C-32 written medical report from Dr. Strasser stating that
Mr. Shalabi suffered a contusion from a strike to his heel. However, the report was
generated more than a year and a half after the alleged incident. It did not contain any
findings on exam or an explanation for Dr. Strasser’s conclusion. It also did not describe
Dr. Strasser’s qualifications to give such an opinion. Given these factors, the Court gives
little weight to Dr. Strasser’s causation opinion.

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       The Court holds that Mr. Shalabi has not proven by a preponderance of the evidence
that he sustained a work-related injury on September 14, 2021, that resulted in disablement
or the need for treatment. As a result, his request for benefits is denied.

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED THAT:

   1. Mr. Shalabi’s claim for benefits is denied.

   2. This Compensation Order constitutes a final adjudication upon the merits of Mr.
      Shalabi’s claim for benefits.

   3. Amazon shall pay court costs of $150.00 to the Court Clerk within five business
      days of this order becoming final.

   4. Amazon shall prepare and file with the Court Clerk a Statistical Data Form within
      ten business days of the date this order becomes final.

   5. Absent an appeal, this order shall become final in thirty days.

      ENTERED on September 27, 2023.

                                   _____________________________________
                                   ROBERT DURHAM, JUDGE
                                   Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

                                      APPENDIX

Technical Record:
          1. Petition for Benefit Determination
          2. Dispute Certification Notice
          3. Transfer Order
          4. Amazon’s Pre-Hearing Brief
          5. Amazon’s Pre-Hearing Statement
          6. Amazon’s Witness List

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Exhibits:
            1. Expedited Hearing transcript
            2. Dr. Nevels’s deposition with attached exhibits
            3. Dr. Richie’s Deposition with attached exhibits
            4. Dr. Strasser’s Standard Form Medical Report
            5. Medical Bill (For I.D. purposes only)

                             CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

      I certify that a copy of the Order was sent as indicated on September 27, 2023.

  Name                       Regular Via Service sent to:
                              Mail   Email
  Mina Shalabi                 X      X    276 White Bridge Pike #75
                                           Nashville, TN 37209
                                           Anim2000_2000@yahoo.com
  Stephen Morton                      X    Stephen.Morton@mgclaw.com
                                           Amber.Dennis@mgclaw.com

                                          _____________________________________
                                          PENNY SHRUM, Court Clerk
                                          WC.CourtClerk@tn.gov

                                             5
                                              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