Opinion

Duncan, Danya v. Houchens Food Group, Inc.

  • 2015 TN WC 47
Court
Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
Filed
May 12, 2015
Status
Published
On the bench
Kenneth M. Switzer
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 12.4%

The opinion

FILED

May 12,20 15

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WORKERS ' C0:\1PENSATION

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Time: 7: 15 A:\1

COURT OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS

DIVISION OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Danya Duncan, ) DOCKET #: 2015-06-0043

Employee, ) STATE FILE #: 2642-2015

v. ) DATE OF INJURY: December 8, 2014

Houchens Food Group, Inc., ) Chief Judge Switzer

Employer, )

and )

Chubb Group, )

Insurance CarrierffP A. )

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER

THIS CAUSE came before the undersigned Workers' Compensation Judge on

April 28, 2015, upon the Request for Expedited Hearing filed by the Employee Danya

Duncan (Mr. Duncan), on March 31, 2015, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated

section 50-6-239 to determine if the Employer, Houchens Food Group, Inc. (Houchens),

is obligated to provide medical and temporary disability benefits. Considering the

positions of the parties, the applicable law, and all of the evidence submitted, the Court

concludes that Mr. Duncan is entitled to additional medical benefits in the form of a panel

of physicians for evaluation of his injury, but he is not entitled to the requested

arthroscopic procedure or additional temporary disability benefits at this time.

ANALYSIS

Issues

Whether Mr. Duncan sustained an injury that arose primarily out of and in the

course and scope of his employment with Houchens.

Whether Mr. Duncan is entitled to additional medical care as recommended by

a physician.

Whether Mr. Duncan is entitled to past or future disability benefits.

1

Evidence Submitted

The Court admitted into evidence the exhibits below:

1. Medical Records of Danya Duncan (26 pages)

• Gateway Medical Center/Riverside Medical Associates (Dr.

Tsambassis );

• Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance and Surgery Center of Clarksville (Dr.

DeVries); and,

• Clarksville Imaging Center

2. Form C-20, First Report of Injury, December 8, 2014

3. Form C-42, Choice of Physician (undated)

4. Form C-41, Wage Statement, February 20, 2015

5. Form C-23, Notice ofDenial, January 15, 2015

6. U.S. Department of Labor FMLA Notice, January 15, 2015

7. Carrier's "Payment Summary" forms, five (5) payments: December 18, 22

and 31, 2014, and January 7 and 14, 2015.

The Court designated the following as the technical record:

• Petition for Benefit Determination, January 30, 2015

• Employer's position statement, March 9, 2015

• Dispute Certification Notice, March 10, 2015

• Request for Expedited Hearing, March 31, 2015.

The Court did not consider attachments to the above filings unless admitted into

evidence during the Expedited Hearing. The Court considered factual statements in the

above filings or any attachments to them as allegations unless established by the

evidence.

The parties agreed that:

• Mr. Duncan's compensation rate is $127.20 per week;

• The date of injury is December 8, 2014; and,

• Mr. Duncan provided timely notice of the injury to Houchens.

The following witnesses provided in-person testimony: Mr. Duncan and Robert

Duncan.

2

History of Claim

Summary ofAlleged Incident

Mr. Duncan is a thirty-seven (37) year-old resident of Montgomery County,

Tennessee. On direct examination, he testified that he worked at Houchens as a cashier

for approximately one year prior to the date of injury. His duties included ringing up the

customers' orders, placing the items in bags held by a carousel, placing the bags in the

customers' shopping carts and occasional cleaning. He said that, before the date of

injury, nothing was wrong with his left knee.

Mr. Duncan testified that, on December 8, 2014, while "ringing out" a customer

and placing items in bags, he lifted a turkey, weighing approximately twenty-five (25)

pounds, to bag it. He struck his left knee on the register, losing his balance. He said that

he then "hyperflexed" his knee, which he later clarified to mean that while the knee

remained against the register, his body fell forward, causing his knee to hyperextend so

that it bent in an unusual direction. He then struck his left knee against the bagging

carousel, which stands near the register on the floor and revolves as items are placed in

bags. Mr. Duncan said that, after the knee made contact with the bagging carousel, he

immediately experienced pain. He conceded that Dr. William DeVries subsequently

characterized his reported pain as greater than the physician would have expected, but

stated, "I understand that. But I'm the one experiencing the pain; I'm the one dealing

with this."

The First Report of Injury form states, "EE turned to put groceries in cart and hit

his left knee on bagging stand. Knee contusion stationary object" (Ex. 2).

On cross-examination, Mr. Duncan testified that the injury occurred at

approximately 10:00 a.m. Before the date of injury, he never hit his left knee on the

carousel, nor did he ever seek medical treatment for his left knee.

Robert Duncan, Mr. Duncan's father, also testified. Robert Duncan said that,

although Mr. Duncan does not live with him, he sees him often, and that to the best of his

knowledge, Mr. Duncan never experienced a problem with his left knee before the date of

InJUry.

Medical History

Dr. Nicholas Tsambassis examined Mr. Duncan on the date of injury. Dr.

Tsambassis is the only doctor listed on Form C-42, Agreement Between

Employer/Employee Choice of Physician (Ex. 3). Although the form lists the date of

injury and was signed by Mr. Duncan, it does not contain a date of selection.

3

At the first visit, Dr. Tsambassis ordered an x-ray of the knee (Ex. I, p. 6). Dr.

Tsambassis ordered an MRI on December II, 20I4 (Ex. I, p. 7, p. 9). On December I5,

20I4, Dr. Tsambassis excused Mr. Duncan from work (Ex. I, p. II). After reviewing the

MRI results (Ex. I, p. 26), Dr. Tsambassis referred Mr. Duncan to Tennessee

Orthopaedic Alliance on December 29, 20I4 (Ex. I, p. I2). The referral was general in

nature so that no specific physician was designated.

Mr. Duncan saw Dr. DeVries at Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance on January 8,

20I5 (Ex. I, pp. I7-23). Under "History of Illness," Dr. DeVries noted, "He injured his

knee on December 8 when he was at work and struck his left knee against a cash register

and hyper.flexed his knee. Ever since he has had pain and difficulty walking and

weightbearing" (Ex. I, p. I7; emphasis added). Under "Impression," Dr. DeVries wrote,

"Left knee pain with medial meniscal tear" (Ex. I, p. I8). He additionally wrote, "I

discussed with him that clearly his pain is out of portion (sic.) to what I am seeing on the

MRI scan. . . . I did recommend arthroscopic evaluation of the meniscus to remove the

tearing .... " !d. Dr. DeVries placed Mr. Duncan on limited duty, to include "sitting job

only," and, "no squatting, kneeling or climbing" (Ex. I, p. I8, p. 22).

Carrier's adjuster faxed a letter to Dr. DeVries on January I2, 20I5 (Ex. I, p. 24).

In the introductory paragraphs, Carrier wrote:

On I2/8/I4, he was bagging groceries for a customer and

struck the left knee at the end of the counter. The left knee

began swelling right away. He had instant pain under the left

kneecap. The new Workers' Compensation law, (sic)

requires that all injuries must arise primarily out of and in the

course and scope of employment in order for the claim to be

compensable. This threshold can only be met if the employee

can show by a preponderance of the evidence that the

employment was at least 50. I percent of the cause of the

lllJUry.

The adjuster asked, "In your medical opmwn, did Mr. Duncan's left knee pain and

possible small posterior hom medial meniscal tear arise primarily out of and in the course

of his employment and did the employment cause at least 50. I percent ofthe condition?"

In his January I4, 20I4 response, Dr. DeVries wrote, "Unlikely mechanism of injury for

meniscus tear. Do not think it caused 50.I% of condition." (Underline in original.) The

adjuster further asked, "Could the possible small posterior hom medial meniscal tear be

due to some other cause, since you noted that clearly his pain is out of proportion to what

you saw on the MRI scan?'' Dr. DeVries wrote, "Yes. May have preexisted." The

adjuster then asked, "Could there be any other cause for his left knee pain such as his

weight?" Dr. DeVries responded, "Patellofemoral pain from direct injury."

4

Procedural Posture

According to the "Choice of Physician" form, Houchens offered authorized

treatment with one provider, Dr. Tsambassis (Ex. 3). Houchens initiated temporary total

disability (TTD) benefits on December 18, 2014, and made its final TTD payment on

January 14, 2015 (Ex. 7). Houchens denied the claim on January 15, 2015 (Ex. 5), and

declined further medical benefits.

Mr. Duncan filed a Petition for Benefit Determination on January 30, 2015,

seeking medical and temporary disability benefits. 1 The parties failed to resolve the

disputed issues through mediation and the Mediating Specialist filed the Dispute

Certification Notice on March 10,2015. On March 31,2015, Mr. Duncan filed a Request

for Expedited Hearing. The hearing occurred on April28, 2015.

Employee's Contentions

Mr. Duncan asserts he sustained an injury arising primarily out of and in the

course and scope of his employment with Houchens. He contends he is entitled to

additional medical benefits, specifically, the arthroscopic surgery recommended by Dr.

DeVries. With regard to Dr. DeVries' January 14, 2015 response to the adjuster, Mr.

Duncan argues that, while Dr. DeVries wrote that the injury "may have preexisted," this

is a fact for the Court to find, rather than a matter for the physician's speculation. The

Court should give the Workers' Compensation Law a remedial interpretation.

Employer's Contentions

The amended Workers' Compensation Law provides for a level playing field so

that it is not construed to favor either party. Tindall v. Waring Park Ass'n., 725 S.W.2d

935 (Tenn. 1987), requires that causation be shown by expert medical evidence. Dr.

DeVries did not find a causative link in his January 14, 2015 response to the adjuster.

The adjuster's letter accurately characterized the new standard regarding expert medical

evidence. Mr. Duncan failed to offer sufficient proof of causation and Houchens

properly denied the claim.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

Standard Applied

The Workers' Compensation Law shall not be remedially or liberally construed in

favor of either party, but shall be construed fairly, impartially, and in accordance with

1

The Petition for Benefit Determination additionally seeks permanent disability benefits. However, Mr. Duncan's

Counsel indicated at the Expedited Hearing that Mr. Duncan is not at Maximum Medical Improvement, and

therefore this issue is not properly before the Court at this time.

5

basic principles of statutory construction favoring neither the employee nor employer.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-116 (2014). Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-239(c)(6)

provides that, "[u]nless the statute provides for a different standard of proof, at a hearing

the employee shall bear the burden of proving each and every element of the claim by a

preponderance of the evidence." Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c) (2014). A different

standard of proof exists for the issuance of interlocutory orders at expedited hearings than

the standard of proof required at compensation hearings. McCord v. Advantage Human

Resourcing, No. 2014-06-0063 (Tenn. Work. Comp. App. Bd., March 27, 2015). A

workers' compensation judge may enter an interlocutory order for medical or temporary

benefits upon a determination that the injured employee would likely prevail at a hearing

on the merits. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(l) (2014); McCall v. Nat'! Health Care

Corp., 100 S.W.3d 209, 214 (Tenn. 2003). When considering a claim for medical

benefits at the Expedited Hearing stage, it is the responsibility of the Court to carefully

consider not only the testimony, but also carefully review and examine the submitted

evidentiary exhibits.

Factual Findings

On December 8, 2014, Mr. Duncan sustained an injury arising primarily out of and

in the course and scope of his employment when he hyperextended his knee and struck it

against the bagging carousel while performing his assigned work duties. Houchens failed

to offer a panel in compliance with the Workers' Compensation Law when it offered Mr.

Duncan only one physician rather than a choice of three physicians. Houchens did not

offer a panel of orthopedic physicians. Mr. Duncan offered no medical evidence to

entitle him to re-initiation of temporary total disability benefits, at this time.

Application ofLaw to Facts

Mr. Duncan sustained an injury that arose primarily out of and in the

course and scope of his employment with Houchens.

Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-102(13) (2014) defines "injury" and

"personal injury" to mean an injury by accident "arising primarily out of and in the

course and scope of employment .... " Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(13)(A) (2014). An

injury is "accidental" only if the injury is caused by a specific incident, or set of

incidents, arising primarily out of and in the course and scope of employment, and is

identifiable by time and place of occurrence[.] !d. An injury "arises primarily out of and

in the course and scope of employment" only if it has been shown "by a preponderance of

the evidence that the employment contributed more than fifty percent (50%) in causing

the injury, considering all causes[.]" Tenn. Code Ann.§ 50-6-102(13)(B) (2014).

The Tennessee Supreme Court has consistently held that, in order to qualify as a

compensable workers' compensation claim, an injury must both "arise out of' and occur

6

"in the course of' employment:

The phrase "in the course of' refers to time, place, and

circumstances, and "arising out of' refers to cause or origin.

"[A]n injury by accident to an employee is in the course of

employment if it occurred while he was performing a duty he

was employed to do; and it is an injury arising out of

employment if caused by a hazard incident to such

employment." Generally, in injury arises out of and is in the

course and scope of employment if it has a rational

connection to the work and occurs while the employee is

engaged in the duties of his employment.

Cloyd v. Hartco Flooring Co., 274 S.W.3d 638, 643 (Tenn. 2008)(quoting Orman v.

Williams Sonoma, Inc., 803 S.W.2d 672, 676 (Tenn. 1991).

In this case, Mr. Duncan credibly testified that, while ringing up a customer and

placing items in bags, he lifted a turkey to bag it, struck his left knee on the register, and

lost his balance, causing his knee to hyperextend before he hit it against the bagging

carousel. Mr. Duncan offered sufficient detail regarding how the accident occurred,

including the time, place and circumstances of the occurrence. The Court finds that his

injury occurred in the course of employment because the accident took place while he

was ringing up customers' orders and bagging their groceries, a duty Houchens employed

him to do. The injury arose from his employment because lifting a heavy item and losing

one's balance is a hazard incident to his employment as a cashier. A rational connection

exists between Mr. Duncan's injury and his work, and the injury occurred while Mr.

Duncan was engaged in the duties of his employment. Significantly, Houchens offered

no contrary eyewitness testimony or other evidence to contradict Mr. Duncan's version of

how the injury occurred. Moreover, Mr. Duncan's testimony is generally consistent with

the mechanism of injury conveyed in Dr. DeVries' notes (Ex. 1, p. 17), as well as the

First Report of Injury (Ex. 2).

Except in "the most obvious, simple and routine cases," an employee must

establish by expert medical testimony that an injury occurred and that there exists a

causal relationship between the injury and the employment activity. Wheetley v. State,

2014 Tenn. LEXIS 476, No. M2013-01707-WC-R3-WC (Tenn. Workers' Comp. Panel,

June 25, 2014) (citing Excel Polymers, LLC v. Broyles, 302 S.W.3d 268, 274 (Tenn.

2009); Cloyd, 274 S.W.3d at 643; and see Tindall, 725 S.W.2d at 937). The Workers'

Compensation Law further provides that, "An injury causes death, disablement or the

need for medical treatment only if it has been shown to a reasonable degree of medical

certainty that it contributed more than fifty percent (50%) in causing the death,

disablement or need for medical treatment, considering all causes[.]" Tenn. Code Ann. §

50-6-102(13)(C) (2014)(emphasis added). In addition, '"Shown to a reasonable degree

7

of medical certainty' means that, in the opinion of the physician, it is more likely than not

considering all causes, as opposed to speculation or possibility[.]" Tenn. Code Ann. §

50-6-102(13)(D) (2014) (emphasis added). The question before the Court is whether the

meniscal tear resulted from the work injury.

Houchens contends that Mr. Duncan's claim fails, relying upon the adjuster's

letter to Dr. DeVries and his responses on the issue of causation of the meniscal tear. The

Court disagrees. In McCord v. Advantage Human Resourcing, No. 2014-06-0063 (Tenn.

Work. Comp. App. Bd., March 27, 20 15), the Appeals Board clarified the standard

governing expedited hearings:

... [A]n employee need not prove each and every element of

his or her claim by a preponderance of the evidence at an

expedited hearing to be entitled to temporary disability or

medical benefits, but must instead present evidence sufficient

for the trial court to conclude that the employee would likely

prevail at a hearing on the merits in accordance with the

express terms of section 50-6-239(d)(l ).

See Tenn. Code Ann.§ 50-6-239(d)(l) (2014).

In this case, Mr. Duncan offered credible, sufficiently detailed testimony regarding

the particulars of the accident, along with his testimony that he experienced no other

previous problems with the knee. An employee's assessment of his or her physical

condition is competent testimony and may not be disregarded. Uptain Constr. Co. v.

McClain, 526 S.W.2d 458, 459 (Tenn. 1975). Robert Duncan's testimony supports Mr.

Duncan's assertion that he had no problems with the knee prior to the date of injury.

In contrast, Houchens offered no contrary lay witness testimony, but rather relied

solely upon the adjuster's letter and Dr. DeVries' response. The Court finds several

flaws with this letter. To wit, the adjuster conveyed the mechanism of injury as, "On

12/8/14, he was bagging groceries for a customer and struck the left knee at the end of the

counter. The left knee began swelling right away. He had instant pain under the left

kneecap." Notably absent is any mention of the hyperextension or hyperflexion of the

knee. Thus, the Court does not know whether DeVries based his statement, "Unlikely

mechanism of injury for meniscus tear. Do not think it caused 50.1 %," upon his

discussion with and examination of Mr. Duncan, or merely the adjuster's overly

simplified recitation of the facts. Moreover, Dr. DeVries wrote that he does not "think" it

caused the injury. This statement does not covey that it is his opinion within a reasonable

degree of medical certainty. In that same communication, Dr. DeVries asserts that the

injury "may have preexisted," suggesting additional equivocation on his part. Further,

the adjuster sought other possible causes by asking, "Could there be any other cause for

his left knee pain such as his weight?" Dr. DeVries response indicates that the pain came

8

from the direct blow to the knee when he writes: "Patellofemoral pain from direct

injury" (emphasis added). This response does not indicate any consideration by Dr.

Devries of the meniscal tear.

Houchens implicitly contends that Dr. Devries' opinion on causation is entitled to

a presumption of correctness. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(E) (2014). This

presumption does not apply in this case.

Tennessee law requires an employer to provide" ... free of charge to the employee

such medical and surgical treatment ... made reasonably necessary by accident as defined

in this chapter[.]" Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-204(a)(1)(A) (2014). The statute further

reqmres:

... [I]n any case when the employee has suffered an injury and

expressed a need for medical care, the employer shall

designate a group of three (3) or more independent reputable

physicians, surgeons, chiropractors or specialty practice

groups if available in the injured employee's community ... ,

from which the injured employee shall select one (1) to be the

treating physician.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-204(a)(3)(A)(i) (2014) (emphasis added). The Workers'

Compensation Law states that the opinion of "the treating physician, selected by the

employee from the employer's designated panel of physicians .... shall be presumed

correct on the issue of causation but this presumption shall be rebuttable by a

preponderance of the evidence." Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-102(E) (2014).

Here, Houchens argues that Dr. DeVries' opinion that no causal link exists

between the accident and the meniscal tear injury, as expressed in his response to the

adjuster, is a proper basis for its denial of the claim. Importantly, however, upon further

examination ofthe "Choice of Physicians" form (Ex. 3), Houchens offered one physician

rather than a group of three or more physicians. This was Dr. Tsambassis. There is

nothing in the record indicating Mr. Duncan received a panel from which he chose Dr.

DeVries. In providing only one doctor on the original panel and not providing a panel of

specialists from which Mr. Duncan could chose, Houchens failed to comply with the

plain language of section 50-6-204(a)(3). Hence, no presumption of correctness attached

to Dr. DeVries' causation opinion. Even if such were the case, the Court finds that

Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-239(d)(l) subjects subsection 50-6-102(E) to the

mandates of the different standard of proof at an Expedited Hearing. To hold otherwise

would require Mr. Duncan to rebut a physician's opinion by a preponderance of the

evidence while only needing to demonstrate a likelihood of success on all other points.

In sum, upon weighing the parties' evidence, the Court finds that at this time, Mr.

9

Duncan presented sufficient evidence to conclude that he would likely prevail at a

hearing on the merits.

Mr. Duncan is entitled to a proper panel of orthopedic physicians from which he

may select an authorized treating physician.

Mr. Duncan seeks an order requiring Houchens to provide him the arthroscopy, as

recommended by Dr. DeVries. At this time, the Court cannot find the requisite causal

link to order the arthroscopy Mr. Duncan seeks. Rather, the Court concludes that

Houchens must offer another panel that complies with the statute. Given the medical

history to date, it seems appropriate to offer a panel of orthopedic specialists, to promote

the speedier resolution of this matter. Should the provider Mr. Duncan chooses from that

panel opine that causation of the meniscal injury exists and an arthroscopy is medically

necessary, Houchens shall authorize the procedure.

Mr. Duncan is not entitled to any past or future disability benefits at this time.

To establish entitlement to temporary total disability benefits as contemplated in

Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-207(1), an employee must show that (1) the

employee was totally disabled from working as a result of a compensable injury; (2) that

a causal connection exists between the injury and the employee's inability to work; and

(3) the duration of the period of the employee's total disability. Gray v. Cullom Mach.,

Tool & Die, Inc., 152 S.W.3d 439, 443 (Tenn. 2004).

In the instant case, Mr. Duncan failed to satisfy his burden to show that he was

totally disabled from working as a result of a compensable injury. The medical records

indicate that Dr. DeVries placed Mr. Duncan on limited duty, with no squatting, kneeling

or climbing, and sitting only, on January 8, 2015. Mr. Duncan offered no proof of his

current employment status or medical condition. He additionally failed to offer proof that

he presented Dr. DeVries' restrictions to Houchens and that Houchens failed to

accommodate them. Mr. Duncan has not shown a likelihood of success on this issue and

accordingly his claim for additional disability benefits is denied, at this time.

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED as follows:

1. Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204, Houchens shall provide

Mr. Duncan with a panel of orthopedic physicians from which he may select one.

In the event that the physician determines causation and medical necessity,

Houchens shall pay for the arthroscopy and/or any other recommended

treatment( s).

2. Mr. Duncan's claim against Houchens and its workers' compensation carrier for

the requested temporary disability benefits is denied at this time.

10

3. This matter is set for an Initial Hearing on Tuesday, July 14, 2015, at 9:00 a.m.

(CDT).

4. Unless interlocutory appeal of the Expedited Hearing Order is filed,

compliance with this Order must occur no later than seven (7) business days

from the date of entry of this Order as required by Tennessee Code

Annotated section 50-6-239(d)(3). The Insurer or Self-Insured Employer

must submit confirmation of compliance with this Order to the Division by

email to WCCompliance.Program@tn.gov no later than the seventh (7th)

business day after entry of this Order. Failure to submit the necessary

confirmation within the period of compliance may result in a penalty

assessment for non-compliance.

5. For questions regarding compliance, please contact the Workers' Compensation

Compliance Unit via email WCCompliance.Program@tn.gov or by calling (615)

253-1471 or (615) 532-1309.

ENTERED this the 12th day of May, 2015.

enneth M. Switzer, Chief Jud

Court of Workers' Compensation Claims

Initial Hearing:

An Initial Hearing has been set with Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer, Court of

Workers' Compensation Claims. You must call615-532-9552 or toll free at 866-

943-0025 to participate in the Initial Hearing.

Please Note: You must call in on the scheduled date/time to

participate. Failure to call in may result in a determination of the issues without

your further participation. All conferences are set using Central Time (CT).

Right to Appeal:

Tennessee Law allows any party who disagrees with this Expedited Hearing Order

to appeal the decision to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. To file a Notice of

Appeal, you must:

1. Complete the enclosed form entitled: "Expedited Hearing Notice of Appeal."

11

2. File the completed form with the Court Clerk within seven (7) business days of the

date the Workers' Compensation Judge entered the Expedited Hearing Order.

3. Serve a copy of the Expedited Hearing Notice of Appeal upon the opposing party.

4. The parties, having the responsibility of ensuring a complete record on appeal,

may request from the Court Clerk the audio recording of the hearing for the

purpose of having a transcript prepared by a licensed court reporter and filing it

with the Court Clerk within ten (10) calendar days of the filing of the Expedited

Hearing Notice of Appeal. Alternatively, the parties may file a statement of the

evidence within ten ( 10) calendar days of the filing of the Expedited Hearing

Notice of Appeal. The Judge must approve the statement of the evidence before

the Clerk of Court shall submit the record to the Clerk of the Appeals Board.

5. If the appellant elects to file a position statement in support of the interlocutory

appeal, the appealing party shall file such position statement with the Court Clerk

within three (3) business days of the filing of the Expedited Hearing Notice of

Appeal, specifying the issues presented for review and including any argument in

support thereof. If the appellee elects to file a response in opposition to the

interlocutory appeal, appellee shall do so within three (3) business days of the

filing of the appellant's position statement.

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the Expedited Hearing Order was sent to

the following recipients by the following methods of service on this the 12th day ofMay, 2015.

Name Certified First Via Fax Via Email Address

Mail Class Fax Number Email

Mail

Mart Fendley, X mart(ti)fendlel::law.com

Employee's attorney

James Tucker, X jtucker(ti)manierherod.com

Employer's attorney

12

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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