Opinion

Reed, Donnelle v. Express Employment Professionals

  • 2022 TN WC 43
Court
Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
Filed
May 25, 2022
Status
Published
On the bench
Brian K. Addington
Cited by
0 cases

The opinion

FILED

May 25, 2022

11:00 AM(CT)

TENNESSEE COURT OF

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

CLAIMS

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS

AT COOKEVILLE

DONNELLE REED, ) Docket No. 2021-04-0295

Employee, )

v. )

EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT )

PROFESSIONALS, ) State File No. 33455-2020

Employer, )

And )

NEW HAMPSHIRE INSURANCE )

COMPANY, ) Judge Brian K. Addington

Carrier. )

COMPENSATION ORDER GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT

The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board issued an opinion on May 24, 2022, in

which it reversed this Court’s February 22 order denying Express Employment

Professionals’ Motion for Summary Judgment. In addition, the Appeals Board remanded

the case to this Court to issue an order granting Express’s motion and dismissing Mr.

Reed’s case with prejudice.

In compliance with the mandate of the Appeals Board, this Court orders as follows:

1. The Court grants Express’s Motion for Summary Judgment.

2. Mr. Reed’s May 18, 2020 case is dismissed with prejudice to its refiling.

3. The Court taxes the $150.00 filing fee to Express, to be paid to the Court Clerk

under Tennessee Compilation Rules and Regulations 0800-02-21-.06 (February,

2022) within five business days of the date this order becomes final, and for which

execution may issue if necessary.

4. Express shall file a Statistical Data Form (SD-2) with the Court Clerk within five

business days of the date this order becomes final.

1

5. Unless appealed, this order shall become final thirty days after entry.

ENTERED May 25, 2022.

______________________________________

BRIAN K. ADDINGTON, JUDGE

Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that a correct copy of this Order was sent on May 25, 2022.

Name Certified Fax Email Service sent to:

Mail

Donnelle Reed, X X 3720 Bunker Hill

Self-Represented Cookeville, TN 38506

Employee don414@live.com

Trent Norris, X tmnorris@mijs.com

Employer’s Attorney

______________________________________

PENNY SHRUM, COURT CLERK

wc.courtclerk@tn.gov

2

Compensation Hearing Order Right to Appeal:

If you disagree with this Compensation Hearing Order, you may appeal to the Workers’

Compensation Appeals Board or the Tennessee Supreme Court. To appeal to the Workers’

Compensation Appeals Board, 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 thirty calendar days of the

date the compensation hearing order was filed. When filing the Notice of Appeal, you

must serve a copy upon the opposing party (or attorney, if represented).

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 filing 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 your 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. A licensed court

reporter must prepare a transcript and file it with the court clerk within fifteen calendar

days of the filing the Notice of Appeal. Alternatively, you may file a statement of the

evidence prepared jointly by both parties within fifteen calendar 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

of the evidence 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. After the Workers’ Compensation Judge approves the record and the court clerk transmits

it to the Appeals Board, a docketing notice will be sent to the parties. The appealing

party has fifteen calendar days after the date of that notice to submit a brief to the

Appeals Board. See the Practices and Procedures of the Workers’ Compensation

Appeals Board.

To appeal your case directly to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Compensation Hearing

Order must be final and you must comply with the Tennessee Rules of Appellate

Procedure. If neither party timely files an appeal with the Appeals Board, the trial court’s

Order will become final by operation of law thirty calendar days after entry. See Tenn.

Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(7).

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

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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