Ceres Marine Terminals, Inc. v. DOWCP

Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit·Decided January 27, 2017·No. 15-1041·Published

Opinion

PUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-1041

CERES MARINE TERMINALS, INC., Petitioner,

v.

DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION PROGRAMS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR; SAMUEL JACKSON,

Respondents.

On Petition for Review of an Order of the Benefits Review Board. (14-0071)

Argued: December 8, 2015 Decided: March 24, 2016 Amended: January 27, 2017

Before GREGORY, DUNCAN, and FLOYD, Circuit Judges.

Petition for review denied by published opinion. Judge Gregory wrote the opinion, in which Judge Duncan and Judge Floyd joined.

ARGUED: Lawrence Philip Postol, SEYFARTH SHAW LLP, Washington, D.C., for Petitioner. Ira Michael Steingold, STEINGOLD & MENDELSON, Suffolk, Virginia; Sarah Marie Hurley, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Washington, D.C., for Respondents. ON BRIEF: M. Patricia Smith, Solicitor of Labor, Rae Ellen James, Associate Solicitor, Gary K. Stearman, Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Mark A. Reinhalter, Counsel for Longshore, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Washington, D.C., for Respondent

Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor.

GREGORY, Circuit Judge:

This case arises from a horribly tragic work-related accident. Samuel P. Jackson, an employee of Ceres Marine Terminals, Inc. (“CMT”), was operating a forklift when he accidently struck and killed his coworker, Paula Bellamy. After this event, Jackson, who was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”), filed a claim with the Director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (the “Director”) for disability benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (“LHWCA” or the “Act”), 33 U.S.C. § 901. The Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) reviewing the claim determined that Jackson was entitled to benefits and the Benefits Review Board (the “Board”) affirmed.

CMT now petitions for review of the Board’s decision, arguing that a person bringing a claim under the LHWCA is required to satisfy the “zone of danger” test outlined by the Supreme Court’s decision in Consolidated Rail Corp. v. Gottshall, 512 U.S. 532 (1994). “Under this test, a worker within the zone of danger of physical impact will be able to recover for emotional injury caused by fear of physical injury to himself, whereas a worker outside the zone will not.” 512 U.S. at 556. Had the Board adopted such a test, CMT asserts, Jackson would have been precluded from any recovery under the LHWCA because he was not in the zone of danger and thus did not

suffer a compensable injury. In addition, CMT contends that the ALJ erred in failing to give the report of an independent medical examiner, appointed pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 907(e), dispositive weight. We disagree on both points and therefore deny the petition.

I.

A.

On March 28, 2011, Jackson, employed by CMT as a longshoreman, was operating a forklift on a pier in Portsmouth, Virginia, when he accidently struck and killed Bellamy. At the time, Jackson was transporting barrels of container pins when he veered the forklift to his left to avoid being struck by a hustler truck that was backing up and carrying a forty foot container. When he veered, he hit Bellamy, a spotter, who had her back towards him. Jackson did not see Bellamy, and did not realize he had hit her until another spotter “hollered at [him] to let [him] know that [he] had just ran over . . . somebody.” J.A. 61. Jackson immediately got off his forklift to help extricate Bellamy who was almost completely pinned underneath the forklift. Another forklift driver drove over and, with his machine, raised the back end of Jackson’s forklift. Jackson and others worked to free Bellamy from under his forklift.

Once they were able to lift the forklift, it was apparent that Bellamy’s condition was dire: Jackson testified that “[Bellamy] was bleeding from her mouth. Her arm was burned and pretty mangled, hanging off.” J.A. 63. Jackson further testified that Bellamy’s leg was wrapped around the axle of the forklift. For about ten minutes, Bellamy’s condition was in full view until emergency vehicles arrived. By this time, approximately one hundred people gathered at the scene, including ambulance and fire truck personnel and CMT employees. During the entire time that the first responders worked to save Bellamy, Jackson stood ten to fifteen feet away, with a clear view of her.

After the ambulance left for the hospital, Jackson spent the rest of the day reporting the accident to the Portsmouth Police Department, Virginia International Terminals Police Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and CMT officials. Jackson testified that after his conversation with Gregory Concepcion, the superintendent for CMT, he sought medical attention.

B.

Jackson saw several medical professionals for mental health treatment after the March 2011 accident. Jackson visited Dr. Margaret Stiles, his primary care physician, on March 29, 2011, one day after the incident. Dr. Stiles noted that Jackson

was “acutely extremely upset, stressed,” and diagnosed and treated him for PTSD. J.A. 351, 354, 360. At and around this time, Dr. Stiles recommended that Jackson not return to work because of his condition. On April 6, 2011, Dr. Stiles referred Jackson to Gregory Griffin, a licensed clinical social worker, for counseling. Griffin recommended brief supportive crisis- debriefing counseling and that Jackson not return to work for four to six weeks. Griffin diagnosed Jackson with an adjustment reaction with depressed mood.

After Jackson’s family noticed “dramatic changes” in his behavior, they collectively “persuade[d]” Jackson to see Dr. Norbert Newfield. J.A. 286-87. Dr. Newfield, a clinical psychologist, first evaluated Jackson on July 11, 2011. Dr. Newfield found that Jackson suffered from PTSD with significant levels of anxiety and depression resulting from the work-related accident. Over the course of his treatment – from mid-2011 through 2013 – Dr. Newfield usually saw Jackson on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a week. On February 20, 2012, almost a year after the accident, Dr. Newfield noted that Jackson was still experiencing extremely bad nightmares and levels of guilt, shame, and grief that prevented him from

returning to work. Dr. Newfield monitored Jackson for suicide as well. 1 Dr. Patrick Thrasher, a psychiatrist retained by CMT, conducted an independent medical examination of Jackson on September 14, 2011, and reviewed Jackson’s medical records. Dr. Thrasher diagnosed Jackson with PTSD and major depression, and he concluded that these diagnoses were causally related to the work accident. Dr. Thrasher stated that the severity of Jackson’s depression and PTSD rendered him incapable of returning to work. Dr. Thrasher further stated that with aggressive psychiatric treatment and psychotherapy, Jackson might be able to return to work within six to twelve months. After reviewing updated medical records, Dr. Thrasher, on February 12, 2012, noted that Jackson was undermedicated, and recommended a more aggressive psychotropic treatment targeting Jackson’s depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance.

Based on Dr. Thrasher’s recommendation that Jackson was undermedicated, CMT requested, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 907(e), an independent medical examination to determine if Jackson was

1 Dr. Newfield referred Jackson to a psychiatrist, Dr. Deborah Giorgi-Guarnieri. Dr. Giorgi-Guarnieri began treating Jackson on November 14, 2011. Dr. Giorgi-Guarnieri’s notes indicate that she treated Jackson every two to four weeks. Dr. Giorgi-Guarnieri recorded that Jackson had been battling depression and anxiety and suffered from flashbacks and nightmares. Dr. Giorgi-Guarnieri continued to see Jackson for medication management.

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