Court Opinion

ID: 5134095
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2021-12-10 18:07:01.6509+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:23:41.754015
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                           Dec 10, 2021
                                                                                          10:53 AM(CT)
                                                                                       TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                                      WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                             CLAIMS

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

    MAX TONEY,                                     ) Docket No. 2021-05-0586
            Employee,                              )
    v.                                             )
                                                   )
    INTERLOCK EXPRESS, LLC,                        ) State File No. 40645-2021
    1A SMART START LLC, and,                       )
    SMART START OF TN,                             )
             Employer,                             )
    And                                            )
                                                   )
    ZURICH AMERICAN INS. CO.,                      ) Judge Dale Tipps
             Carrier.                              )

         COMPENSATION ORDER GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT

        Interlock Express filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on October 26, 2021. The
central issue is whether Interlock Express is entitled to summary judgment on grounds that
it is not an “employer” as defined in the Workers’ Compensation Law, and therefore it is
not subject to the law. The Court agrees and holds Interlock Express is entitled to summary
judgment.
                                       Procedural History
      Mr. Toney alleged he suffered work-related injuries on May 14, 2021. Interlock
Express denied the claim. Mr. Toney filed a Petition for Benefit Determination seeking
medical and temporary disability benefits.1 Interlock Express filed this Motion for
Summary Judgment, and the Court heard arguments by telephone on December 8, 2021.

1
 Mr. Toney also filed Petitions for Benefit Determination seeking benefits from 1A Smart Start, LLC and
Smart Start of TN. Neither of those entities joined in this summary judgment motion or filed their own.

                                                  1
                                             Facts
        Interlock Express filed a statement of undisputed material facts with citations to the
record in compliance with Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure 56.03. Mr. Toney sent an
email to the clerk responding to the statement and attempting to submit additional evidence.
Because the response did not cite to the record or provide any new affidavits, as required
by the rule, the Court deems the statement of undisputed facts admitted and summarizes
the relevant facts as follows:
   1. At the time of Mr. Toney’s alleged injury, Interlock Express had three employees.
   2. Interlock Express is not a common carrier or construction business, and it does not
      employ farm or agricultural laborers.
       Based on these facts, Interlock Express argued the Court should grant summary
judgment because it affirmatively negated an essential element of Mr. Toney’s claim – that
Interlock Express is an “employer” as defined by the statute – and that the facts are
insufficient for him to prove this element.
      In addition to his email response, Mr. Toney participated in the hearing. He
admitted that Interlock Express had only three employees but contended that it and the
Smart Start entities were structurally related and acting as a single business.
                                      Law and Analysis
        Summary judgment is appropriate “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to
interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there
is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment
as a matter of law.” Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04 (2021).

        As the moving party, Interlock Express must do one of two things to prevail on its
motion: (1) submit affirmative evidence that negates an essential element of Mr. Toney’s
claim, or (2) demonstrate that his evidence is insufficient to establish an essential element
of his claim. Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-16-101 (2021); see also Rye v. Women’s Care Ctr. of
Memphis, MPLLC, 477 S.W.3d 235, 264 (Tenn. 2015). If Interlock Express is successful
in meeting this burden, Mr. Toney must then show that the record contains specific facts
upon which the Court could base a decision in his favor. Rye, at 265.
       The essential element at issue in this case comes from Tennessee Code Annotated
section 50-6-102(13), which provides: “Employer” includes “any individual, firm,
association or corporation . . . using the services of not less than five (5) persons for pay[.]”,
except as provided in § 50-6-902[.]
       The undisputed facts show that, at the time of Mr. Toney’s alleged injury, Interlock
Express was not an employer subject to the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law. Thus,
Interlock Express met its burden of negating an essential element of the claim. This means

                                                2
Mr. Toney must show that the record contains specific facts upon which the Court could
find in his favor, such as proof of a recognized exception to the statutory definition of
“employer.”
        As noted above, Mr. Toney did not provide any additional admissible evidence.
This leaves the Court without proof of any applicable exceptions. Mr. Toney’s evidence
is therefore insufficient to establish this essential element of his claim, and the Court must
hold that Interlock Express is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law.
IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED as follows:

   1. Interlock Express’s Motion for Summary Judgment is granted, and Mr. Toney’s
      claim against it is dismissed with prejudice to its refiling.

   2. Mr. Toney’s claims against 1A Smart Start, LLC and Smart Start of TN are
      unaffected by this order.

   3. Unless appealed, this order shall become final thirty days after entry.

       ENTERED December 10, 2021.

                                           ______________________________________
                                           Judge Dale A. Tipps
                                           Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

                                              3
                          CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

   I certify that a copy of the Order was sent as indicated on December 10, 2021.

Name                      Certified   Via     Service Sent To
                          Mail        Email
Max Toney                    X          X     3011 Honeysuckle Dr.
                                              Spring Hill, TN 37174
                                              Max_toney@icloud.com
Travis Ledgerwood,                      X     rfiorello@wimberlylawson.com
Atty. for Interlock
Xpress, LLC
Kelly A. Campbell,                      X     kcampbell@wimberlylawson.com
Atty for 1A Smart Start
and Zurich Am. Ins. Co.

                                      ______________________________________
                                      Penny Shrum, Court Clerk
                                      Wc.courtclerk@tn.gov

                                         4
                        Compensation Hearing Order Right to Appeal:
     If you disagree with this Compensation Hearing Order, you may appeal to the Workers’
Compensation Appeals Board or the Tennessee Supreme Court. To appeal to the Workers’
Compensation Appeals Board, you must:
   1. Complete the enclosed form entitled: “Notice of Appeal,” and file the form with the
      Clerk of the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims within thirty calendar days of the
      date the compensation hearing order was filed. When filing the Notice of Appeal, you
      must serve a copy upon 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 of 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 bear the responsibility of ensuring a complete record on appeal. You may request
      from the court clerk the audio recording of the hearing for a $25.00 fee. A licensed court
      reporter must prepare a transcript and file it with the court clerk within fifteen calendar
      days of the filing the Notice of Appeal. Alternatively, you may file a statement of the
      evidence prepared jointly by both parties within fifteen calendar days of the filing of the
      Notice of Appeal. The statement of the evidence must convey a complete and accurate
      account of the hearing. The Workers’ Compensation Judge must approve the statement
      of the evidence before the record is submitted to the Appeals Board. If the Appeals
      Board is called upon to review testimony or other proof concerning factual matters, the
      absence of a transcript or statement of the evidence can be a significant obstacle to
      meaningful appellate review.

   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. The appealing
      party has fifteen calendar days after the date of that notice to submit a brief to the
      Appeals Board. See the Practices and Procedures of the Workers’ Compensation
      Appeals Board.
To appeal your case directly to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Compensation Hearing
Order must be final and you must comply with the Tennessee Rules of Appellate
Procedure. If neither party timely files an appeal with the Appeals Board, the trial court’s
Order will become final by operation of law thirty calendar days after entry. See Tenn.
Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(7).

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