Court Opinion

ID: 9580267
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:03:41.560965+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:36:10.716439
License: Public Domain

HARTZ, Judge (concurring in part, dissenting in part). I concur in the result, except for the remand for further proceedings regarding prejudgment interest. Although I agree with much of the majority opinion, I am writing separately because I have several disagreements with the majority and would decide some issues on different grounds. I will discuss the issues in the order in which they appear in the majority opinion. I.TOTAL DISABILITY BENEFITS Under the ODDL an employee is totally disabled if he or she is physically unable “to perform any work for remuneration or profit in the pursuit in which the employee was engaged.” NMSA 1978, § 52-3-4(D) (Repl.Pamp.1991). The record contains sufficient evidence upon which the workers’ compensation judge could properly have found that Worker was not able to perform any work as a sheet-metal fabricator, the pursuit in which he had been engaged at the time of his disability. Worker’s capacity to work as a bookkeeper was irrelevant to the determination of whether he was totally disabled under the ODDL, because bookkeeping was not the pursuit in which he was engaged at the time of his disability. Therefore, I join in parts “1” and “2” of the majority opinion, with one reservation. My reservation is that the opinion appears to misread Salazar v. Kaiser Steel Corp., 85 N.M. 254, 257-58, 511 P.2d 580, 583-84 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 85 N.M. 229, 511 P.2d 555 (1973). As I understand Salazar, a worker who performs a job may nevertheless be disabled from performing the job if there are medical reasons why the worker should not be performing the tasks of the job. There is no evidence in the record before us to indicate that Worker was medically incapacitated from performing the job of bookkeeper. Therefore, I fail to see the relevance of Salazar to the majority discussion of Worker’s employment as a bookkeeper. II. BENEFITS FOR DEPRESSION Expert testimony established that the chemicals to which Worker was exposed can cause toxic solvent syndrome, the symptoms of which can include psychological problems. I agree with the majority that the ODDL would provide medical benefits for psychological injury directly caused by the chemicals to which Worker was exposed. I am not convinced, however, that the evidence relied upon by the majority established to a reasonable degree of medical probability that Worker’s psychological problems were caused by his exposure to toxic solvents. For example, Dr. Garcia-Cantu testified only that Worker’s central nervous system “possibly” was “medically implicated.” Other testimony noted in the majority opinion is, in context, rather ambiguous. Nevertheless, I would not reverse for failure of Worker to prove causation. My review of the record indicates that Employer’s briefs on appeal failed to note substantial significant testimony pertinent to the issue of causation. Because of Employer’s failure to present this issue properly on appeal, the judgment cannot be reversed on this ground. See SCRA 1986, 12-213(A)(3) (Repl.1992); Martinez v. Southwest Landfills, 115 N.M. 181, 848 P.2d 1108 (Ct.App.1993). III. AWARD OF VOCATIONAL BENEFITS I agree with the majority that we should affirm the Judge’s award of vocational benefits to Worker. The fact that Worker was employed for a brief time as a bookkeeper does not necessarily mean that he was qualified for regular employment in that position. For example, he may have deficiencies in his skills that for some reason did not surface during the brief period of his employment. Employer has failed to establish that the Judge abused his discretion in ordering that “[a] vocational rehabilitation plan shall be developed for [Worker].” IV. PREJUDGMENT INTEREST I concur in all of part “6” of the majority opinion, except for the final two sentences. I would reverse the award of prejudgment interest and not remand for reconsideration of that issue. I agree that Worker did not raise below the contention that he was entitled to prejudgment interest pursuant to Rule WCD 89-4(V)(A). I can think of no reason for Worker not to submit findings necessary for the application of the rule, other than that Worker might have decided as a tactical matter to focus solely on NMSA 1978, Section 56-8-4 (Repl.1986), as a source of authority for prejudgment interest. To remand at this time for a determination of the applicability of the rule would place a substantial burden upon both Employer and the Administration. The Judge who heard this matter has been appointed to the district court. Any further findings in this ease would need to be made by a new workers’ compensation judge. To rule on the reasonableness of Employer’s actions in this proceeding would require the new judge to become familiar with a great deal, perhaps all, of the factual and procedural background of the case. Both parties would be entitled to make presentations to the judge, at least to argue from the evidence of record. I suspect that the attorney’s fees for each party would be comparable to the amount of prejudgment interest at stake. I also find it relevant that the Judge who heard the case rejected Worker’s requested findings that “[t]here was no reasonable basis for [Employer] to deny that [Worker] suffered from an occupational disease as a result of [Worker’s] employment by [Employer],” and “[t]here was no reasonable justification for non-payment of weekly compensation benefits from February 7, 1990 to the present and [Worker] is, therefore, entitled to prejudgment interest.” In these circumstances, I think it is inappropriate to remand for the purpose of giving Worker an opportunity to pursue a theory of relief that he did not pursue in the original proceeding. Finally, one additional observation concerning the efficacy of Rule WCD 89-4(V)(A)(3). Even if we are incorrect in holding that Section 56-8-4 does not apply to proceedings pursuant to the ODDL, Rule WCD 89-4(V)(A)(3) would still control the award of prejudgment interest in this case. Section 56-8-4(B) does not compel the award of prejudgment interest. It permits an award of prejudgment interest by the court “in its discretion.” The Administration has the authority to issue a rule regarding the circumstances in which workers’ compensation judges should exercise such discretion. The rule would be binding on workers’ compensation judges, so that prejudgment interest could be awarded only in accordance with the rule. See New Mexico State Racing Comm’n v. Yoakum, 113 N.M. 561, 564, 829 P.2d 7, 10 (Ct.App.1991), cert, denied, 113 N.M. 352, 826 P.2d 573 (1992).