Court Opinion

ID: 9860059
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 23:08:41.487945+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:17:28.063900
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE RARICK, dissenting: I respectfully dissent. The majority concludes that the Commission could reasonably infer that the city provided Reader with a light-duty job within his restrictions and that Reader chose instead to voluntarily leave his employment and take a disability pension. Reviewing the record, and Reader’s testimony in particular, I do not believe this inference to be reasonable. In a very detailed and thorough dissent, Commissioner Jones notes that the uncontroverted evidence demonstrates that once it became clear that Reader was permanently disabled from performing his regular duties as a police officer he was instructed by his superiors to seek a disability pension. The city maintains that Reader’s own testimony demonstrates that he was never instructed to seek a disability pension. Reader testified that he told Captain Pomeroy that he had never been in this position, referring to his being disabled, and asked Pomeroy what to do. He was told how to go about obtaining a disability pension. While Pomeroy may not have specifically ordered Reader to seek a disability pension, the implication of Pomeroy’s response was clear. Reader was aware that it was standard policy for a police officer who was permanently disabled from performing his regular duties to be placed on a disability pension. The only reasonable interpretation of Pomeroy’s response, from Reader’s perspective, was that he was being instructed to seek a disability pension. Further, Reader testified that upon completing the necessary paperwork, Pomeroy said: "Well, you go home. You can’t be a police officer with the city ***.” When Reader was informed that his TTD benefits were being discontinued, he sent a letter, dated October 23, 1991, addressed to the city attorney, the chief of police, and the compensation advisor, requesting work within his restrictions or that his TTD benefits be reinstated. Reader received no response to this letter until February 3, 1992, only days before this cause was set for pretrial proceedings. Only then was Reader offered light-duty work, and no details were provided and in fact had not been provided as of the date of the arbitration hearing. Further, the record demonstrates that Reader made numerous unsuccessful attempts to find other employment within his restrictions. These facts belie the inference that Reader voluntarily ceased work in order to collect a disability pension and support the inference that he was instructed to take a disability pension. Given Reader’s unrebutted testimony, the only reasonable inference was that Reader was ordered to take a disability pension. For these reasons, I dissent.