Court Opinion

ID: 5140657
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2021-12-27 13:51:09.484707+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:24:24.530552
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                                             Dec 22, 2021
                                                                                            08:19 AM(CT)
                                                                                         TENNESSEE COURT OF
                                                                                        WORKERS' COMPENSATION
                                                                                               CLAIMS

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

    KIMBERLY BEARD,                   ) Docket No. 2021-06-0644
               Employee,              )
    v.                                )
    NOSHVILLE DELICATESSEN,           ) State File No. 43509-2021
    LLC,                              )
               Employer,              )
    and                               ) Judge Joshua Davis Baker
    EMPLOYERS PREFERRED               )
    INSURANCE COMPANY,                )
                Carrier.              )
    ___________________________________________________________________

                       EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER
    ____________________________________________________________________

       At a December 2, 2021 expedited hearing, Ms. Beard requested medical treatment
with spine specialist Dr. Christopher Kauffman and temporary disability benefits for a fall
on a wet floor at work.1 Because of inconsistencies in her testimony and insufficient expert
medical evidence to show she suffered a work-related aggravation of a preexisting
condition, the Court denies her requests.

                                           Claim History

      Noshville Delicatessen hired Ms. Beard as a dishwasher. During her second day,
on February 7, 2021, she slipped on a wet floor and fell on her tailbone.

       Testimony differed concerning when Ms. Beard requested medical treatment.
Melissa Hall, who processes work-injury claims for Noshville, testified that the company
offered Ms. Beard medical treatment immediately, but she refused and continued working
normally for weeks.

1
  The Court grants Ms. Beard permission to adjudicate medical benefits, even though the mediator did not
certify it as a disputed issue. The Court finds: 1) Ms. Beard could not have known medical benefits would
be disputed because Noshville was authorizing medical treatment, and 2) prohibiting presentation of this
issue would result in substantial injustice to Ms. Beard. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(b)(2)(A)-(B) (2021).

                                                   1
        Ms. Beard agreed she initially refused treatment because she did not think her injury
was serious and did not want to involve her employer. However, she also said she asked
for treatment later that shift and for weeks afterward but was ignored.

       Approximately three weeks after the injury, Ms. Beard sought treatment from her
own physician, Dr. Julie Stinson-Reynolds. Over those three weeks before seeing her
doctor, Ms. Beard continued to work but said lifting heavy plates and trays of mugs
worsened her back pain.

       When she went to visit Dr. Stinson-Reynolds, Ms. Beard claimed she told a nurse
she needed care because she fell at work. The nurse, however, reported that Ms. Beard
told her she “tripped & fell at work a couple of weeks ago then fell in the snow last week
twice onto tailbone area. Low back and legs are hurting[,] and tailbone area is bruised.”
Ms. Beard testified the nurse misreported her account, as she only fell once in the snow.

       After an x-ray that showed “lumbar degenerative changes similar to prior exams,”
Ms. Beard went to orthopedist Dr. Jason Jones. In her first visit, she explained that she had
been “working since [the] injury,” but that the “pain [had] progressively worsened.” She
also reported her history of lumbar back pain, which already required prescription
medication for pain management, but she claimed this pain was “worse and different.”

       A few weeks after the fall, Noshville accepted the claim when Ms. Beard gave Ms.
Hall documentation from her doctor and asked for treatment. Noshville authorized care
with Dr. Jones, who imposed restrictions limiting the amount of weight Ms. Beard could
carry and the amount of time she could stand and sit during the workday. Ms. Beard passed
these restrictions along to Noshville.

       According to Ms. Beard, she reduced her hours to two days per week due to pain
but asserted that Noshville did not accommodate her restrictions. Ms. Hall disagreed,
stating that Noshville accommodated her restrictions: “We did cut her back to one or two
days, to Monday or Tuesday, because those seemed to be comfortable days for her, because
as she had said, she couldn’t work a full week’s schedule[.]”

       On this point, Ms. Beard agreed, saying that “[E]very bit of medicine [her doctor]
would give me would not work, and that’s why I could only go down to two days a week.”
She acknowledged she began working part-time for another employer because she is “still
hurting.” Further, in a handwritten statement that was admitted into evidence, she wrote,
“I didn’t want to work a lot of hours cause when I was working 5 days a week I caused
myself more pain[.]”

       Concerning her pain, Ms. Beard’s medical records and imaging showed a
preexisting low-back injury, including treatment for lumbago with sciatica as recently as

                                             2
five months before her work fall. A September 10, 2020 record from Dr. Reynolds
assessed, “Lumbago with sciatica” and “Chronic pain syndrome.” When asked about these
records on cross-examination, Ms. Beard admitted having some symptoms but denied
others. She also admitted she lied to her doctors in the past to get narcotics. Further, Ms.
Beard admitted lying during her deposition by omitting old theft convictions and a fraud
conviction. She attributed the omission to a faulty memory.

       Despite her prior false statements, a comparison of Ms. Beard’s pre- and-post-injury
MRIs showed “a foraminal disc protrusion resulting in moderate bilateral foraminal
stenosis, which appeared more pronounced than on the [previous] study.”

       With these MRI results, Dr. Jones recommended “a neurosurgical versus orthopedic
spine consult” and only partially answered a causation questionnaire, leaving the “yes” and
“no” boxes unchecked. But he wrote, “[T]he patient is likely suffering from new
musculoskeletal back pain only as a result of her fall. I would recommend evaluation by a
spine specialist for further treatment options.” He also acknowledged that “preexisting low
back findings . . . are similar to the current ones” but then added, “Patient states her
symptoms are new and different.”

      After Dr. Jones recommended a spine specialist, the carrier offered a panel, and Ms.
Beard selected Dr. Christopher Kauffman. However, she never received an appointment,
as Noshville declined to authorize further medical treatment.

                       Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

       At this stage, Ms. Beard need only present sufficient evidence that she is likely to
prevail at a final hearing. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(1) (2021); McCord v.
Advantage Human Resourcing, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 6, at *9 (Mar. 27,
2015).

       This claim turns on medical causation and witness credibility. The Workers’
Compensation Law requires an employer to furnish medical treatment made reasonably
necessary by a work injury. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-204(a)(1)(A). A work injury is
defined as one “arising primarily out of and in the course and scope of employment” that
causes the need for medical treatment.

       A work injury includes the aggravation of a preexisting condition if shown “to a
reasonable degree of medical certainty that the aggravation arose primarily out of and in
the course and scope of employment.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(14)(A). A
“reasonable degree of medical certainty” requires a physician’s opinion that the
employment contributed more than fifty percent in causing the injury, considering all
causes. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(14)(B)-(D). While lay testimony may be
probative of causation, it is insufficient to meet an employee’s burden of proof in the

                                             3
absence of medical evidence. Arciga v. AtWork Pers. Servs., 2016 TN Wrk. Comp. App.
Bd. LEXIS 6, at *7 (Feb. 2, 2016).

       Here, the Court does not find Ms. Beard’s testimony concerning causation probative
or credible. The defense impeached her credibility, and inconsistencies in her testimony
created doubt, sometimes even confusion, about what caused her need for treatment. Ms.
Beard claimed she requested treatment the day she fell but also said she did not want to
involve her employer and did not believe she was hurt enough to need treatment. She
claimed lifting heavy plates and trays of mugs worsened her injury, but she did not
complain to her provider about this; rather, she said she fell in snow a week before seeking
treatment. Further, the Court is not reassured by her explanation that the reason her past
and present medical records document similar symptoms is because she lied to medical
professionals for narcotics.

       Many potential causes exist for Ms. Beard’s injury. Expert medical opinion is
needed to determine whether an aggravation of her preexisting injury arose primarily out
of and in the course and scope of her employment. In other words, Ms. Beard’s proof is
missing the necessary causal link between her fall at work and her alleged disability and
need for medical treatment.

       Notably, Dr. Jones’s opinion sheds no light on whether Ms. Beard’s work injury
primarily aggravated her preexisting condition. He acknowledged her pain. But an
increase in pain is not a compensable aggravation. Fly v. Travelers Ins., No. W2011-
01215-SC-WCM-WC, 2012 Tenn. LEXIS 642, at *10 (Tenn. Workers’ Comp. Panel Sept.
20, 2012). He further acknowledged that the findings before the injury and after “are
similar,” but did not explain how her fall at work could have made the disc protrusion
“more pronounced” than in previous studies. Moreover, he did not say that her symptoms
are new and different. Rather, he attributed that statement solely to Ms. Beard, who
admitted in her testimony at trial that she has misreported her symptoms previously for
gain.

        Concerning Ms. Beard’s request for temporary disability benefits, an employee is
entitled to temporary partial disability benefits when partially disabled from working due
to a compensable injury. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-207(1)-(2). Where an employer “cannot
return the employee to work within the restrictions . . . the injured worker may be eligible
for temporary partial disability.” Jones v. Crencor Leasing and Sales, 2015 TN Wrk.
Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 48, at *8 (Dec. 11, 2015).

       Ms. Beard has not shown she would likely prevail in proving she suffered a
compensable injury. Additionally, the testimony revealed that her restrictions did not
prevent her from working a full week. The Court finds Ms. Hall credible that Noshville
offered work within Ms. Beard’s restrictions, but that Ms. Beard chose to work part-time

                                             4
because of her pain. Further, Ms. Beard did not introduce evidence of any restrictions that
limited work to two days per week.

        Ms. Beard bears the burden of proof at this hearing, but due to the serious concerns
about her credibility and the uncertain expert medical evidence, the Court finds she failed
to satisfy her burden. Therefore, the Court holds that Ms. Beard has not shown that she is
likely to prevail at a final hearing that she is entitled to medical treatment with Dr.
Kauffman or to temporary disability benefits.

IT IS ORDERED as follows:

   1. The Court denies Ms. Beard’s requested relief at this time.

   2. The Court sets a scheduling hearing on March 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. Central Time.
      The parties must call (615) 741-2113 or toll-free at (855) 874-0474 to participate.
      Failure to call might result in a determination of the issues without the party’s
      participation.

ENTERED December 22, 2021.

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

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                                           APPENDIX

Exhibits

   1.   Rule 72 Declaration of Kimberly Beard
   2.   Medical Records (Document ID 64897)
   3.   Signed statement of Kimberly Beard
   4.   Choice of Physician form selecting Dr. Christopher Kauffman
   5.   Signed questionnaire from Dr. Jason Jones dated August 20, 2021
   6.   Kimberly Beard’s Two-week Notice dated August 10, 2021

Technical Record

   1. Petition for Benefit Determination
   2. Dispute Certification Notice
   3. Request for Expedited Hearing
   4. Employer’s Motion to Continue
   5. Employee’s Response to Motion to Continue
   6. Order Canceling Expedited Hearing
   7. Employee’s Motion to Compel Exam
   8. Order Setting Motion Hearing
   9. Employer’s Response to Employee’s Motion to Compel Medical Appointment
   10. Order Setting Expedited Hearing

                                 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

        I certify that a copy of this Order was sent as indicated on December 22, 2021.

  Name                        Certified   Via     Via Service sent to:
                               Mail       Fax    Email
  Kimberly Beard,                                 X    kimbeard743@gmail.com
  Employee
  Lauren Ray,                                     X      lray@eraclides.com
  Richard Clark;                                         rclark@eraclides.com
  Employer’s Attorneys

                                   ____________________________________________
                                   Penny Shrum, Court Clerk
                                   Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
                                   Wc.courtclerk@tn.gov

                                             6
                           Expedited Hearing Order Right to Appeal:

     If you disagree with this Expedited Hearing Order, you may appeal to the Workers’
Compensation Appeals Board. To appeal an expedited hearing order, 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 seven business days of the
      date the expedited hearing order was filed. When filing the Notice of Appeal, you must
      serve a copy upon all parties.

   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 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 the 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. If a transcript of
      the proceedings is to be filed, a licensed court reporter must prepare the transcript and file
      it with the court clerk within ten business days of the filing the Notice of
      Appeal. Alternatively, you may file a statement of the evidence prepared jointly by both
      parties within ten business 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 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. If you wish to file a position statement, you must file it with the court clerk within ten
      business days after the deadline to file a transcript or statement of the evidence. The
      party opposing the appeal may file a response with the court clerk within ten business
      days after you file your position statement. All position statements should include: (1) a
      statement summarizing the facts of the case from the evidence admitted during the
      expedited hearing; (2) a statement summarizing the disposition of the case as a result of
      the expedited hearing; (3) a statement of the issue(s) presented for review; and (4) an
      argument, citing appropriate statutes, case law, or other authority.

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