DocketNumber: 2018-06-0810
Citation Numbers: 2019 TN WC App. 1
Judges: Marshall L. Davidson III, David F. Hensley, Timothy W. Conner
Filed Date: 1/8/2019
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 1/9/2021
FILED Jan 08, 2019 01:10 PM(CT) TENNESSEE WORKERS' COMPENSATION APPEALS BOARD 7(11(66((%85($82):25.(56¶&203(16$7,21 :25.(56¶&203(16$7,21$33($/6%2$5' /DVKRQGD6PLWK 'RFNHW1R Y 6WDWH)LOH1R 0DF\¶V&RUSRUDWH6HUYLFHVHWDO $SSHDOIURPWKH&RXUWRI:RUNHUV¶ &RPSHQVDWLRQ&ODLPV -RVKXD'%DNHU-XGJH $IILUPHGDQG5HPDQGHG)LOHG-DQXDU\ ,Q WKLV LQWHUORFXWRU\ DSSHDO WKH HPSOR\HH ZDV KLUHG DV D VHDVRQDO ZRUNHU DW WKH HPSOR\HU¶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¶VRUGHUDQGUHPDQG WKHFDVH -XGJH7LPRWK\:&RQQHUGHOLYHUHGWKHRSLQLRQRIWKH$SSHDOV%RDUGLQZKLFK3UHVLGLQJ -XGJH0DUVKDOO/'DYLGVRQ,,,DQG-XGJH'DYLG)+HQVOH\MRLQHG 'RQDOG'=XFFDUHOOR1DVKYLOOH7HQQHVVHHIRUWKHHPSOR\HHDSSHOODQW/DVKRQGD6PLWK *DUUHWW 0 (VWHS 0HPSKLV 7HQQHVVHH IRU WKH HPSOR\HUDSSHOOHH 0DF\¶V &RUSRUDWH 6HUYLFHV )DFWXDODQG3URFHGXUDO%DFNJURXQG ,Q2FWREHU0DF\¶V&RUSRUDWH6HUYLFHV ³(PSOR\HU´ FRQWUDFWHGZLWKDWKLUG SDUW\ 6DIH +DUERU RI 1DVKYLOOH ³6DIH +DUERU´ WR REWDLQ VHDVRQDO HPSOR\HHV 6DIH +DUERUDJUHHGWR³VRXUFHDQGUHFUXLWTXDOLILHGFDQGLGDWHVDV>(PSOR\HU@PD\UHTXHVW IRU GLUHFW VHDVRQDO HPSOR\PHQW LQ VXFK QXPEHUV DQG ZLWK VXFK VNLOOV DV WKHQ PD\ EH VSHFLILHG E\ >(PSOR\HU@´ ,Q FRQVLGHUDWLRQ IRU WKLV VHUYLFH 6DIH +DUERU ZDV SDLG DQ DPRXQWHTXDOWRIRXUWHHQSHUFHQWRIWKHKRXUO\ZDJHVWKHVHDVRQDOHPSOR\HHVHDUQHG,Q DGGLWLRQWKHFRQWUDFWVWDWHG³>D@OOH[SHQVHVLQFXUUHGE\>6DIH+DUERU@WRSHUIRUPDUHDW >6DIH+DUERU¶V@VROHFRVW´6DIH+DUERUZDVLGHQWLILHGDVDQLQGHSHQGHQWFRQWUDFWRUDQG 6DIH +DUERU DJUHHG LW ³VKDOO QRW KROG LWVHOI RXW DV DQ DJHQW VHUYDQW ZRUNPDQ RU HPSOR\HHRI>(PSOR\HU@IRUDQ\SXUSRVHZKDWVRHYHUDQGLVQRWDXWKRUL]HGWRPDNHDQ\ FRPPLWPHQWRQ>(PSOR\HU¶V@EHKDOI´ ,Q 6DIH +DUERU UHFUXLWHG VHDVRQDO ZRUNHUV LQ &ODUNVYLOOH 7HQQHVVHH /DVKRQGD 6PLWK ³(PSOR\HH´ UHVSRQGHG WR WKHVH HIIRUWV DQG VXEPLWWHG DQ DSSOLFDWLRQ IRUVHDVRQDOHPSOR\PHQW'XULQJWKHDSSOLFDWLRQSURFHVV(PSOR\HHZDVLQIRUPHGWKDW 6DIH +DUERU RSHUDWHG D EXV IURP WKH &ODUNVYLOOH 7HQQHVVHH DUHD WR (PSOR\HU¶V GLVWULEXWLRQ FHQWHU LQ 3RUWODQG DQG RIIHUHG WKDW VHUYLFH WR DQ\ VHDVRQDO HPSOR\HHV ZKR UHTXLUHGVXFKWUDQVSRUWDWLRQ7KHFRVWRIWKLVWUDQVSRUWDWLRQZDVGHGXFWHGE\6DIH+DUERU GLUHFWO\ IURP (PSOR\HH¶V EDQN DFFRXQW ,W LV XQGLVSXWHG WKDW (PSOR\HU GLG QRW SD\ WUDQVSRUWDWLRQFRVWVGLUHFWO\RUUHLPEXUVHWUDQVSRUWDWLRQFRVWVIRUVHDVRQDOHPSOR\HHV ,Q(PSOR\HHDJDLQDSSOLHGIRUVHDVRQDOHPSOR\PHQWZLWK(PSOR\HUWKURXJK 6DIH +DUERU $OWKRXJK 6DIH +DUERU RIIHUHG VHDVRQDO ZRUNHUV WKH RSWLRQ WR XVH LWV WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ VHUYLFH WKH SD\PHQW VFKHPH KDG FKDQJHG ,QVWHDG RI 6DIH +DUERU GHGXFWLQJ WKH WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ IHH GLUHFWO\ IURP WKH ZRUNHU¶V EDQN DFFRXQW WKH IHH ZDV GHGXFWHG E\ (PSOR\HU IURP WKH ZRUNHU¶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¶FRPSHQVDWLRQEHQHILWVDVDUHVXOWRIWKLVLQFLGHQWEXW (PSOR\HUGHFOLQHGWRSD\DQ\VXFKEHQHILWV,WDVVHUWHG(PSOR\HH¶VDOOHJHGLQMXULHVGLG QRWDULVHSULPDULO\RXWRIRURFFXULQWKHFRXUVHDQGVFRSHRIKHUHPSOR\PHQW)ROORZLQJ DQ H[SHGLWHG KHDULQJ WKH WULDO FRXUW GHFOLQHG WR RUGHU WKH LQLWLDWLRQ RI EHQHILWV FRQFOXGLQJ (PSOR\HU GLG QRW IXUQLVK RU UHLPEXUVH WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ FRVWV IRU VHDVRQDO HPSOR\HHV DQG (PSOR\HH KDG QRW HVWDEOLVKHG DQ H[FHSWLRQ WR WKH JHQHUDO UXOH WKDW LQMXULHV VXIIHUHG ZKLOH WUDYHOLQJ WR RU IURP ZRUN DUH QRW FRPSHQVDEOH (PSOR\HH KDV DSSHDOHG 6WDQGDUGRI5HYLHZ 7KH VWDQGDUG ZH DSSO\ LQ UHYLHZLQJ D WULDO FRXUW¶V GHFLVLRQ SUHVXPHV WKDW WKH FRXUW¶VIDFWXDOILQGLQJVDUHFRUUHFWXQOHVVWKHSUHSRQGHUDQFHRIWKHHYLGHQFHLVRWKHUZLVH See 7HQQ &RGH $QQ F :KHQ WKH WULDO MXGJH KDV KDG WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WR REVHUYH D ZLWQHVV¶V GHPHDQRU DQG WR KHDU LQFRXUW WHVWLPRQ\ ZH JLYH FRQVLGHUDEOH GHIHUHQFH WR IDFWXDO ILQGLQJV PDGH E\ WKH WULDO FRXUW Madden v. 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