Clark v. Diamond B. Const.

803 So. 2d 1113, 2001 WL 1659256
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 28, 2001
Docket2000 CA 2146
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 803 So. 2d 1113 (Clark v. Diamond B. Const.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Diamond B. Const., 803 So. 2d 1113, 2001 WL 1659256 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

803 So.2d 1113 (2001)

Charles CLARK
v.
DIAMOND B. CONSTRUCTION.

No. 2000 CA 2146.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 28, 2001.

*1114 Bryant W. Conway, Baker, LA, for plaintiff-appellant, Charles Clark.

*1115 Raymond S. Maher, Jr., New Orleans, LA, for defendant-appellee, Diamond B. Construction.

BEFORE: WHIPPLE, FOGG, and GUIDRY, JJ.

GUIDRY, Judge.

This is an appeal of a judgment dismissing an employee's claim for additional workers' compensation benefits and terminating further benefits based on a finding that the employee willfully made false statements and misrepresentations for the purpose of obtaining workers' compensation benefits, in violation of La.R.S. 23:1208. In light of our review of this matter, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The appellant, Charles Clark, suffered a work-related injury on October 2, 1996 when he slipped and fell from a lowboy trailer, striking his hip and injuring his left shoulder, back and ankle. As a result of the accident, Clark was found to be temporarily, totally disabled from performing his work as a truck driver with Diamond B. Construction and began receiving weekly wage benefits in the amount of $333.28.

On September 16, 1998, a hearing was held at which the workers' compensation judge denied a motion by Diamond B. Construction seeking to terminate Clark's workers' compensation benefits because of an alleged violation of La.R.S. 23:1208.1 for failing to disclose a prior neck injury sustained in 1989. Although the workers' compensation judge found that Clark failed to truthfully answer the employer's inquiry of whether he had ever sustained a prior work-related injury, she nevertheless held that Clark's failure to disclose the prior neck injury did not relate to a claim for which he was currently seeking benefits. The workers' compensation judge then found Clark temporarily, totally disabled and ordered Diamond B. Construction to reinstate Clark's weekly wage benefits and to pay for medical treatment related to Clark's mid to lower back, left arm and left shoulder.[1]

On April 26, 1999, Diamond B. Construction filed a "motion to terminate or reduce compensation benefits." In that motion, Diamond B. Construction asserted that Clark failed to accept a light-duty position offered to him after being released to engage in light-duty employment by his treating physician, Louis C. Blanda, an orthopedic surgeon. Thereafter, Clark filed a disputed claim for compensation against Diamond B. Construction disputing his disability status and later amended his petition to include a demand for past due benefits and for authorization for further medical treatment.

On September 16, 1999, Diamond B. Construction filed a supplemental motion seeking to terminate and/or reduce the compensation benefits paid to Clark based on the alleged violation of La.R.S. 23:1208. In the supplemental motion, Diamond B. Construction alleged that Clark had engaged in employment and earned wages while receiving compensation benefits. Thereafter, Clark again amended his disputed claim for compensation to request penalties and attorney's fees for Diamond B. Construction's failure to timely pay benefits owed to him.

*1116 Although filed under separate docket numbers, the cases were consolidated and heard by the workers' compensation judge on November 18, 1999. Following the hearing, the workers' compensation judge took the matter under advisement and later rendered judgment finding that Clark had violated La.R.S. 23:1208 thereby forfeiting his right to receive further workers' compensation benefits. The workers' compensation judge also rendered an alternative ruling, only in the event that the primary decree was reversed on appeal, that judgment be rendered in favor of Clark awarding him additional compensation benefits, penalties and attorney's fees. From this judgment, Clark timely perfected an appeal to this court.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

On appeal, Clark avers that the judgment rendered is erroneous and should be reversed for the following reasons:

ERROR NUMBER I
The lower court permitted testimony of "a 1208 violation" in spite of a letter demanding from the defendant employer detailed information about the 1208 violation and when the information was not given, an objection, before the testimony was received, was made that the claim was too general to defend and finally that the nature of the violation was not stated. Both of these were overruled by the court. This was manifest error.
ERROR NUMBER II
The lower court ruled in spite of medical testimony and on the basis of a video surveillance tape that the plaintiff was able to work and committed fraud in stating his inability to work.
ERROR NUMBER III
The lower court ruled that Charles Clark committed a 1208 violation in that he failed to report moneys (sic) received.

DISCUSSION

As a preliminary matter, we will first discuss the irregularity of the judgment rendered. As aforementioned, the matter before the workers' compensation judge was a consolidation of two separate actions filed by the parties—one to terminate benefits and one for the payment of additional benefits. In rendering judgment, the workers' compensation judge made the following decrees:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that:
1. Charles Clark has been found to have committed a Louisiana R.S. 23:1208 violation.
2. As such, the motion to terminate of Diamond B Construction is hereby granted. In the alternative, should the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal reverse the judgment on 1208 violations and the motion to terminate;
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that:
1. Diamond B. Construction was arbitrary and capricious in refusing to authorize an MRI of Charles Clark's right shoulder and a MRI of Charles Clark's lumbar area.
2. At least one weekly compensation benefit was not paid to Charles Clark.
3. As such, Charles Clark is entitled to a penalty of $2,000.00
4. Bryant W. Conway is entitled to attorney's fees of $2,000.00.

Under the circumstances of this case, the action taken by the workers' compensation judge in granting relief in the alternative was in violation of Louisiana jurisprudence, which states that a judgment must be definite and certain. Crefasi v. Crefasi, 628 So.2d 1274, 1276-1277 (La. App. 3rd Cir.1993); Key v. Key, 519 So.2d *1117 319, 321 (La.App. 2nd Cir.1988); Pepe v. Tournage, 128 So.2d 56, 58 (La.App. 1st Cir.1961). As stated by the court in Russo v. Fidelity & Deposit Co., 129 La. 554, 561, 56 So. 506, 508 (1911) quoting Black on Judgments, pars. 114, 118: "a judgment must be definitive. It must purport to be the actual and absolute sentence of the law, as distinguished from the finding that one of the parties is entitled to a judgment."

In essence, the appellee is put in the untenable position of having to oppose a judgment technically not rendered against it in the event the primary decree is overturned. At the same time, the appellee must also defend and support the primary decree rendered in its favor. As such, the alternative relief granted by the workers' compensation judge in its ruling renders the judgment uncertain and indefinite.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
803 So. 2d 1113, 2001 WL 1659256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-diamond-b-const-lactapp-2001.