Bryant v. Celebrezze

231 F. Supp. 524, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6636
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. South Carolina
DecidedJuly 13, 1964
DocketCiv. A. No. 4199
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 231 F. Supp. 524 (Bryant v. Celebrezze) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bryant v. Celebrezze, 231 F. Supp. 524, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6636 (southcarolinawd 1964).

Opinion

HEMPHILL, District Judge.

This action is an appeal from a decision of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare that the plaintiff was not “disabled” within the meaning of the Social Security Acts since September 30, 1960. The Court has authority to review a final decision of the Secretary in accordance with Section 205 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). In this case, the Appeals Council, Bureau of Hearing and Appeals, denied a request for review, and this became the equivalent of a “final decision” by the Secretary, which allows plaintiff the right to seek relief from this Court. Livingstone v. Folsom, 3 Cir., 234 F.2d 75, 77 note 3.

Section 205(g) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), provides, inter alia, that “[a]s part of his answer the Secretary shall file a certified copy of the transcript of the record including the evidence upon which the findings and decision complained of are based,” and that “The court shall have power to enter, upon the pleadings and transcript of the record, a judgment affirming, modifying, or reversing the decision of the Secretary, with or without remanding the cause for a rehearing.” It also provides that “[t]he findings of the Secretary as to any fact, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive * * *

The plaintiff, Sam N. Bryant, made application for a determination of a period of disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act. When the application was denied, the plaintiff made timely request for a hearing before a hearing examiner. A hearing was held on January 23, 1962, and the decision rendered thereon on May 17, 1962 denied plaintiff’s claim. After denial of request for review by the Appeals Council, plaintiff is now properly before this Court.

The question before this Court is: is the finding of the Secretary supported by substantial evidence? As the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently made quite clear in Thomas v. Celebrezze:

“Substantial evidence has been defined innumerable times as more than a scintilla, but less than preponderance. * * * The Secretary, and not the courts, is charged with resolving conflicts in the evidence, and it is immaterial that the evidence before him will permit a conclusion inconsistent with his. * * * If his findings are supported by substantial evidence, the [526]*526couits are bound to accept them. * « * In short, the courts are not to try the case de novo. At the same time, they must not abdicate their traditional functions; they cannot escape their duty to scrutinize ‘the record as a whole’ to determine whether the conclusions reached are rational. * * * If they are, they must be upheld; but if, for example, reliance has been placed upon one portion of the record to the disregard of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the courts are equally bound to decide against the Secretary. * * * In such a circumstance the courts are empowered either to modify or reverse the Secretary’s decision * *. (Citations omitted.)” 331 F.2d 541, 543.

The issue before this Court is whether or not there is substantial evidence to support the Secretary’s findings. Ibid.

The record reflects that the plaintiff was born in 1914 and attended six grades of elementary school. He went to work in a textile mill in 1931 and remained so employed until September 1955. He performed several types of jobs in the textile industry, most of which required considerable manual effort and dexterity, e. g., jig operator, cloth hauler, dry can operator, water mangle operator, and starch mangle operator. Plaintiff stated that he first noticed his heart condition while in the hospital in December 1955 while he was recuperating from an appendectomy. Plaintiff consulted Doctor Paul B. Pritchard, Jr. about pains in his chest shortly after leaving the hospital. Plaintiff was treated and advised to consult an internist. Instead plaintiff consulted Doctor W. T. Bidwell, a naturopath, and received regular treatment and medicines for approximately three years. Doctor Bidwell was of the opinion that plaintiff had a “heart condition” (angina pectoris), and indicated that an extra physical exertion or emotional strain caused a grabbing sensation in the left chest with pain radiating down the left arm. Doctor Bidwell also observed that the claimant experienced dypsnea (difficult or labored respiration) on moderate exertion, and that when he ceased all effort the pain stopped.

Doctor Pritchard, in response to specific inquiry by the S. C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department, stated that electrocardiograms (EKG’s), X-Rays, and other diagnostic aids revealed substantial normalcy, but he indicated that despite this, plaintiff, upon moderate exertion, experienced both dyspnea and angina.1

Doctor William F. Lummus, an internist, also in response to the same type inquiry, stated that his laboratory tests revealed no organic heart trouble or the like, but he did indicate too that there were no EKG changes after an exercise tolerance test was administered, but that plaintiff “developed pain in his anterior chest on one minute and fifteen seconds of walking at standard time.” He also noted moderate dyspnea.

On January 17, 1961, plaintiff was admitted to Self Memorial Hospital by Doctor Pritchard who called in Doctor Wiley N. Price, Jr. as a consultant. Doctor Price’s report reflects that the EKG’s and some of the other tests all seemed to cast the plaintiff within “normal limits,” but he did note that “the patient’s condition * * * would not allow a double Masters to be done since he had begun to have some chest pain and rather marked dyspnea at completion of the single Master’s test.” Doctor Price prescribed certain dosages of Peritrate, some other drugs, and nitroglycerin “for this pain in the chest.” He concluded in his diagnosis “possible coronary arteriosclerosis.”

Also upon the request of the S. C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department, Doctor Richard M. Christian examined [527]*527the plaintiff and concluded that the symptoms were typical of angina. Doctor Christian stated further that it was difficult for him to feel that the plaintiff “does not have some heart disease since his pain at times is so typical and there are some electrocardiographic changes.”

The plaintiff was later referred to Doctor L. C. Bailes who concluded, inter alia, that there was evidence of “arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease with angina Class II. * * * ”

Again on October 21, 1961, Doctor Pritchard certified that plaintiff is “being treated by me and has been treated by other physicians because of severe angina. This is aggravated by tension and even mild exertion.” Doctor Pritchard advised against the plaintiff serving as a member of a jury because he felt it “would aggravate his condition and it might become necessary that he be removed in the middle of a trial should he have one of his attacks.”

The record reveals substantial testimony from several nonmedical witnesses that plaintiff could not and did not do any heavy or hard labor during the entire time in question.

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Related

Bass v. Celebrezze
238 F. Supp. 355 (E.D. South Carolina, 1965)
Seldomridge v. Celebrezze
238 F. Supp. 610 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1964)
Perry v. Celebrezze
236 F. Supp. 1 (W.D. South Carolina, 1964)
Brookshire v. Celebrezze
233 F. Supp. 278 (W.D. South Carolina, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
231 F. Supp. 524, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6636, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bryant-v-celebrezze-southcarolinawd-1964.