Court Opinion

ID: 9522360
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 02:23:49.90134+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:02:39.968080
License: Public Domain

AMUNDSON, Justice
(dissenting).
Tieszen testified before the Department of Labor that on September 18, 1987, he sustained compensable injuries to his neck, back and shoulders while working at the Morrell *406plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Tieszen further testified at the hearing on March 23, 1993, that these injuries were causing him the same problems at that time as they did when originally sustained. Based on Tieszen’s knowledge of his injuries, and failure to give written notice as required by SDCL 62-7-10, Department held it lacked jurisdiction and dismissed the claim. The trial court affirmed Department’s decision.
Tieszen admits that he was aware that he sustained injuries on September 18, 1987. He asserts that he informed Morrells of this fact by advising Morrell’s first-aid nurses two or three times of the injuries. At time of hearing, the nurses’ testimony and records indicated the contrary. Whether or not Ti-eszen’s version of the story is true, despite the fact the nurses’ reports are absent of any such reference, was a credibility issue subject to Department’s in-person assessment of credibility.
This court has held that deference is properly given to an agency’s credibility determination regarding testimony on contested issues from witnesses. “In accordance with settled law, we give weight to Department’s judgment that [Tieszen’s] testimony was not believable.” Bonnett v. Custer Lumber Corp., 528 N.W.2d 393, —— (S.D.1995); see Lien v. Miracle Span Corp., 456 N.W.2d 563, 565 (S.D.1990) (citing application of Northwestern Bell Tel. Co., 382 N.W.2d 413 (S.D.1986) (“Due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the agency to judge the credibility of the witness.”)).
Furthermore, “[w]hen failure to give notice is at issue, the claimant has the burden of showing that for some good and sufficient reason, notice could not be given or that the employer possessed knowledge of the injury’s occurrence.” Schuck v. John Morrell & Co., 529 N.W.2d 894, 898 (S.D.1995) (citing Schindler v. Manchester Biscuit Co., 71 S.D. 336, 338, 24 N.W.2d 76, 77 (1946)). Reviewing Department’s record of the hearing, the Administrative Law Judge specifically found Tieszen’s claim failed because sufficient notice was not given upon knowledge of his injuries. The judge stated:
[T]he record is clear that no timely notice was provided for the neck, back or shoulder problems, or indeed any medical problems other than those for the hands and wrist. The only — the claimant’s testimony is that that kind of information was supplied to Dr. Tam as early as September of 198[7]. However, the — the nurse’s record and the doctor’s record indicate[ ] that no mention was made of such complaints until December of 198[7], well past the 30-day deadline set forth in SDCL 62-7-10.
Tieszen did not claim that his condition worsened from September to December, 1987, or that he was not aware of the fact that he sustained compensable injuries until November 28, 1987. Based on this record, if Tieszen sustained injuries to his neck and back on September 18, 1987, he was obviously aware of that fact, based on his sworn testimony, and should have complied with the notice requirements of the statute. To hold that November 28, 1987, is the date when the notice period began to run in this case allows the claimant to receive a better version of the facts than he testified to under oath at time of hearing. Tieszen cannot rise above his prior testimony to now claim a better version of the facts. Parsons v. Dacy, 502 N.W.2d 108, 111 (S.D.1993) (citing Dartt v. Berghorst, 484 N.W.2d 891, 897 (S.D.1992)). I would affirm the decision of Department as the trial court did in this case and must, therefore, respectfully dissent from the majority opinion.