Court Opinion

ID: 4765992
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2021-08-16 13:11:45.801403+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:09:14.841805
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                               Aug 16, 2021
                                                                               07:31 AM(CT)
                                                                             TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                            WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                   CLAIMS

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

ANTHONY HAYES,                              )   Docket No. 2018-08-1204
         Employee,                          )
v.                                          )
ELMINGTON PROPERTY MGMT.,                   )   State File No. 56539-2018
         Employer,                          )
And                                         )
ACCIDENT FUND GENERAL INS.                  )   Judge Deana C. Seymour
CO.,                                        )
         Carrier.                           )

                             COMPENSATION ORDER

       This case came before the Court for a Compensation Hearing on July 28, 2021.
For the following reasons, the Court dismisses the case.

                                   History of Claim

      On July 27, 2018, Mr. Hayes fell while working as a maintenance technician for
Elmington. He reported his fall and received authorized treatment at an emergency clinic,
which placed him on light-duty restrictions and referred him for orthopedic treatment.

      After the referral, Mr. Hayes selected orthopedic surgeon, Dr. David Deneka, from
a panel. Dr. Deneka conservatively treated Mr. Hayes’s left knee and released him at
maximum medical improvement. He assigned no permanent impairment but noted Mr.
Hayes should return as needed.

       Afterward, Mr. Hayes filed a Petition for Benefit Determination for medical
treatment of back and neck symptoms allegedly related to his fall but not addressed by
Dr. Deneka. He also requested temporary and permanent disability benefits.

      After issuance of a Dispute Certification Notice, Mr. Hayes requested an
Expedited Hearing that occurred June 21, 2019. After the hearing, the Court ordered

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Elmington to schedule an appointment with Dr. Deneka to provide additional medical
treatment related to his fall but denied temporary disability benefits. Mr. Hayes appealed,
and the Appeals Board affirmed the trial court’s order, found the appeal frivolous, and
remanded the case.

      After the remand, Mr. Hayes returned to Dr. Deneka for his neck and back
complaints. However, those complaints fell outside of Dr. Deneka’s area of practice. So,
Elmington provided a new panel of physicians from which Mr. Hayes chose Dr. Mark
Harriman.

      After evaluating Mr. Hayes, Dr. Harriman concluded, “[s]pecifically, I can state
with greater than 50% assurance that [Employee’s] complaints of lumbar and cervical
neck pain are not related to his on-the-job injury of July 27, 2018.” 1

      After Dr. Harriman’s evaluation, the Court entered a Scheduling Order on January
14, 2020, setting a Compensation Hearing for June 17. However, before the hearing, Mr.
Hayes filed a motion and appeals, which delayed the hearing. Thus, the Court set another
Scheduling Hearing, and Elmington filed a motion for partial summary judgment.

      The Court revised the scheduling order deadlines and reset the Compensation
Hearing for October 2. It also set a telephonic hearing on Elmington’s motion for partial
summary judgment. However, due to Mr. Hayes’s disruptions during the summary
judgment hearing, the Court rescheduled it as an in-person hearing on September 2.

       In the meantime, Mr. Hayes filed an appeal listing three separate orders. The
Appeals Board dismissed the appeal as untimely on September 1. Immediately afterward,
court staff emailed the parties to confirm the hearing would proceed on September 2.
When Mr. Hayes failed to appear, court staff attempted to reach him by telephone.

      The Court heard Elmington’s motion for partial summary judgment and entered an
order granting the motion. Mr. Hayes appealed, and the Court continued the
Compensation Hearing until the Appeals Board ruled.

      On November 10, the Appeals Board affirmed the order granting partial summary
judgment and remanded the case. The Court attempted to coordinate a new
Compensation Hearing date, but Mr. Hayes did not respond. Thus, the Court entered an

1
   Dr. Harriman’s initial report noted he performed an independent medical evaluation, so the Court
ordered Elmington to provide another panel. Then, Dr. Harriman clarified that his report was improperly
titled and stated, “the report should have been titled as a medical opinion with option to treat.” Based on
this opinion, the Court granted Elmington’s motion to reconsider, finding the employer had satisfied its
obligation to provide Mr. Hayes a panel. Mr. Hayes appealed, but the Appeals Board dismissed the appeal
as untimely and remanded the case.

                                                    2
order setting the Compensation Hearing for February 17, 2021. Due to inclement
weather, the Court continued the hearing and set a status hearing to reset the hearing date.

     Mr. Hayes did not appear at the status hearing. Therefore, the Court set the
Compensation Hearing for March 24.

       Mr. Hayes then challenged the Court’s jurisdiction. The Court entered an order
confirming its jurisdiction, and Mr. Hayes appealed. Elmington moved to dismiss the
appeal. The Court continued the Compensation Hearing until the Appeals Board
remanded the case. The Appeals Board then dismissed the appeal and remanded for
assessment of attorney fees, and Elmington filed a motion to reset the Compensation
Hearing.

       Court staff provided the parties with proposed hearing dates, but Mr. Hayes did
not respond. The Court entered an order assessing attorney fees and an order setting the
Compensation Hearing for May 19. Mr. Hayes appealed both orders on April 21, and the
Appeals Board dismissed the appeals as frivolous, awarded attorney fees, and remanded
the case.

       Two days before the Compensation Hearing, Mr. Hayes advised the clerk he could
not attend the May 19 hearing because of a scheduled medical procedure. The Court
continued the hearing when it learned an appeal was still pending before the Tennessee
Supreme Court. Elmington moved for the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal.

       After the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, the Court issued a notice on May
18 resetting the Compensation Hearing for July 28. Elmington filed a motion on May 20
to allow a witness to appear by phone and served Mr. Hayes. He did not respond. The
Court granted the motion and restated the July 28 trial date in its June 10 order. The clerk
also sent an email to the parties on July 23 regarding the Compensation Hearing date,
time, and location.

      On July 28, the Court convened an in-person hearing. Elmington appeared through
counsel. Mr. Hayes neither appeared nor filed anything in support of his claim as required
by the Scheduling Order. After waiting over thirty minutes for Mr. Hayes to appear,
Elmington moved for dismissal.

                       Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

       Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-216 (2020) directs the Court to apply the
law fairly and impartially, favoring neither the employee nor the employer. Mr. Hayes
chose to represent himself. He must comply with the same standards as those required of
represented parties. Watson v. City of Jackson, 448 S.W.3d 919, 926 (Tenn. Ct. App.
2014).

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       Here, the Court considers Elmington’s motion to dismiss under Tennessee Rules
of Civil Procedure 41.02(1). This rule provides that a defendant may move for
involuntary dismissal of an action against it when the plaintiff fails to prosecute his
claim, comply with the rules, or comply with an order of the court. The Court finds all
three grounds apply.

       Mr. Hayes did not prosecute his case. Under Tennessee Code Annotated section
50-6-239, he must prove every element of his case by a preponderance of the evidence.
He had full opportunity to pursue his case. However, Mr. Hayes elected to file numerous
motions and appeals that delayed pursuit of his claim instead of developing his evidence
to prosecute his case.

       Next, Mr. Hayes did not comply with the Court’s rules. He filed no documentation
to support his claim for benefits and did not appear for trial.

       Finally, Mr. Hayes did not comply with the Court’s order setting the case for
hearing. After he exhausted his appeals, the Court reset the Compensation Hearing for
July 28. It restated the July 28 trial date in its June 10 order granting Elmington’s motion
to allow a witness to appear at the hearing by phone. On July 23, the clerk sent an email
to the parties regarding the Compensation Hearing date, time, and location. All pleadings
were served on Mr. Hayes at the addresses provided to the Court, Appeals Board, and the
Supreme Court. Based on the entire record, the Court finds no justification for Mr.
Hayes’s failure to appear or contact the Court.

       The Court notes that Rule 41.02 “is necessary to enable the court to manage its
own docket, and to protect defendants against plaintiffs who are unwilling to put their
claims to the test but determined to subject them to the continuing threat of eventual
judgment.” Osagie v Peakload Temp. Serv., 91 S.W.3d 326, 329 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2002).
Based on these procedural safeguards and the entire record, the Court exercises its
discretion and dismisses this case.

       IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED as follows:

       1.     Mr. Hayes’s claim is dismissed with prejudice.

       2.     Elmington shall pay the $150.00 filing fee to the Clerk within five business
              days after this order becomes final under Tennessee Compilation Rules and
              Regulations 0800-02-21-06 (Aug. 2019).

       3.     Elmington shall file form SD-2 with the Clerk within ten business days of
              this order becoming final.

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     4.     Unless appealed, this order shall become final in thirty days.

     ENTERED August 16, 2021.

                                 ____________________________________
                                 Judge Deana C. Seymour
                                 Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

                          CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

     I certify that a copy of this Order was sent as indicated on August 16, 2021.

          Name             Certified   U.S.    Email Service sent to:
                            Mail       Mail
Anthony Hayes,                X         X         X     General Post
Employee                                                555 South 3rd Street
                                                        Memphis, TN 38101-9998
                                                        Ah.hayes1@gmail.com
Stephen P. Miller,                                X     smiller@mckuhn.com
Employer’s Attorney

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

   The Court considered all filings in the technical record located in TNComp.

                                           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