Court Opinion

ID: 5119270
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2021-10-19 14:05:57.034869+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:22:11.778145
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                   Oct 18, 2021
                                                                                   01:35 PM(CT)
                                                                                TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                               WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                      CLAIMS

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

 JANE PACK,                                    ) Docket No. 2020-06-0866
         Employee,                             )
                                               )
 v.                                            )
 NASHVILLE CSC,                                ) State File No. 7672-2020
         Employer,                             )
 and                                           )
 INDEMNITY INSURANCE                           )
 COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA,                     ) Judge Joshua D. Baker
         Carrier.                              )
                                               )

        COMPENSATION ORDER GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT

       The Court heard Nashville CSC’s Motion for Summary Judgment on October 4,
2021. The issue was whether Ms. Pack’s claim is barred by the statute of limitations. For
the reasons below, the Court enters summary judgment in Nashville CSC’s favor.

                                       Claim History

      Ms. Pack alleged a June 12, 2019 injury, asserting she gradually injured her right
shoulder while operating power jacks for Nashville CSC. Nashville CSC never provided
medical or temporary disability benefits. Ms. Pack filed her petition for benefit
determination on June 12, 2020.

        In her deposition, Ms. Pack sometimes meandered in answering questions about
how she became injured. She initially attributed her shoulder pain to general employment
duties, like “pulling the pallet jacks.” Then, she described a specific incident when “pulling
a product from the pallet jack, just pulling a product with my arm, my hand, with the
shoulder.” Her testimony about what she told supervisors about her injury also changed.
On one hand, she stated she mentioned the pain to them but did not report it as work-related
or ask for medical care; on the other hand, she said she reported a work injury but received
no response.

       However, Ms. Pack consistently testified that she knew her shoulder pain was work-
related before visiting her doctor in June 2019. She specifically recalled telling a
supervisor named C.W. about her right shoulder pain in “April or May 2019” and wanted
her supervisor to complete paperwork for reporting a work-accident. She then “just forgot
about it” when he did not help her initiate a claim. Further, her medical records show she
told her doctor her shoulder pain began two or three months before her first visit on June
12, 2019.

       Neither party disputed that Ms. Pack filed her petition on June 12, 2019, and
Nashville CSC denied the claim. In support of summary judgment, Nashville CSC cited
Ms. Pack’s deposition testimony as undisputed evidence that she injured her shoulder and
reported it to her supervisor in April or May 2019, more than a year before she filed suit.

       In opposition to summary judgment, Ms. Pack claimed the date of her injury was
disputed but provided no affidavit or other sworn testimony to support this assertion.
Instead, she said that her testimony concerning when she became injured at work was
“retrospective and speculative.”

                                     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 (2020).

        As the moving party, Nashville CSC must do one of two things to prevail on its
motion: (1) submit affirmative evidence that negates an essential element of Ms. Pack’s
claim, or (2) demonstrate that Ms. Pack’s evidence is insufficient to establish an essential
element of her claim. Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-16-101 (2020); see also Rye v. Women’s Care
Ctr. of Memphis, MPLLC, 477 S.W.3d 235, 264 (Tenn. 2015). If Nashville CSC does
either or both, Ms. Pack must respond by producing specific facts showing a genuine issue
for trial. Id.; Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.06.

         Nashville CSC argued that it has successfully negated the essential element that Ms.
Pack timely filed her claim. Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-203(b)(1) governs
the time within which a petition must be filed when an employer has not provided benefits,
as in this case. Specifically, the right to compensation is forever barred “unless the notice
required by § 50-6-201 is given to the employer and a petition for benefit determination is
filed . . . within one (1) year after the accident resulting in injury.”

       Here, the undisputed facts show that Nashville CSC did not provide benefits, Ms.

                                              2
Pack’s injury began in April or May 2019 when pulling pallets or product from a pallet,
and she filed her petition on June 12, 2020. Given her testimony that she knew her injury
was work-related before June 2019, Nashville CSC has negated an essential element of her
claim. Therefore, Ms. Pack must “demonstrate the existence of specific facts in the record
which could lead a rational trier of fact to find in her favor[.]” Rye, at 265.

        While Ms. Pack filed a response that characterized several facts as disputed, her
testimony demonstrates she understood her injury was work-related as early as April or
May of 2019. Further, while she argued this testimony concerning the occurrence of her
injury was “retrospective and speculative,” she filed no affidavits to support this assertion.
Without any additional proof, her argument on the speculative nature of her testimony is
not sufficient to overcome summary judgment. Id.; Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.06. (An employee
“may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of her pleading” but must respond by
producing affidavits, pleadings, depositions, responses to interrogatories, or admissions
that set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.). Since the
undisputed material facts show Ms. Pack filed her petition more than one year after she
first knew of her workplace injury in April or May 2019, Nashville CSC’s motion for
summary judgment is granted, and Ms. Pack’s claim is dismissed with prejudice.

      Costs are taxed to Nashville CSC under Tennessee Compilation Rules and
Regulations 0800-02-21-.07, to be paid within five days of this order becoming final.
Nashville CSC shall prepare and submit the SD-2 within ten days of the date of this order.
Unless appealed, this order shall become final thirty days after entry.

   It is ORDERED.

                                           ENTERED October 18, 2021.

                                           _____________________________________
                                           Joshua Davis Baker, Judge
                                           Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

                                              3
                         CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

    I certify that a copy of this Order was sent as indicated on October 18, 2021.

Name                    Certified Via      Via      Service sent to:
                        Mail      Fax      Email
Jonathan May                                 X      jmay@forthepeople.com
Employee’s Attorney                                 rschow@forthepeople.com
Catheryne Grant,                              X     catherynelgrant@feeneymurray.com
Taylor Pruitt;                                      jessica@feeneymurray.com
Employer’s Attorneys                                trp@feeneymurray.com

                                _____________________________________
                                Penny Shrum, Clerk
                                Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
                                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