Crochet v. Barbera Chevy-Chrysler Co., Inc.

917 So. 2d 49, 2004 La.App. 1 Cir. 1390, 2005 La. App. LEXIS 1756, 2005 WL 1523500
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 29, 2005
Docket2004 CA 1390
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 917 So. 2d 49 (Crochet v. Barbera Chevy-Chrysler Co., Inc.) 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
Crochet v. Barbera Chevy-Chrysler Co., Inc., 917 So. 2d 49, 2004 La.App. 1 Cir. 1390, 2005 La. App. LEXIS 1756, 2005 WL 1523500 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

917 So.2d 49 (2005)

Clint J. CROCHET, Sr.
v.
BARBERA CHEVY-CHRYSLER CO., INC.

No. 2004 CA 1390.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

June 29, 2005.

*51 Sean D. Fagan, Baton Rouge, for Plaintiff — Appellee Clint J. Crochet, Sr.

Robert D. Hoover, Matthew W. Tierney, Baton Rouge, for Defendant — Appellant Barbera Chevy-Chrysler Co., Inc.

Before: PARRO, KUHN, and WELCH, JJ.

WELCH, J.

In this workers' compensation dispute, the employer/defendant, Barbera Chevy-Chrysler Company, Inc., appeals a judgment rendered in favor of the employee/plaintiff, Clint J. Crochet, Sr. that, among other things, found Clint Crochet had not violated La. R.S. 23:1208 and found Barbera Chevy-Chrysler had been arbitrary and capricious in its handling of the case, thereby awarding penalties and attorney fees in favor of Clint Crochet. Finding no error in the factual findings made by the workers' compensation judge ("WCJ") or in the award of attorney fees made by the WCJ, we affirm those portions of the judgment; however, we find that the WCJ erred as a matter of law in awarding penalties, and therefore, we reverse that part of the judgment.

FACTS

The facts of this case are undisputed. On December 13, 1999, Clint Crochet, while in the course and scope of his employment *52 as a mechanic with Barbera Chevy-Chrysler, was injured as the result of an accident when he pushed a transmission and experienced pain in the lower back and his left leg. On December 17, 1999, Clint Crochet sought treatment with Dr. H. Carson McKowen, a neurosurgeon. A subsequent MRI revealed "a large herniated disc to the left with severe left S1 radiculopathy due to [L5-S1] disc herniation." On December 22, 1999, Dr. McKowen performed a surgical laminotomy and microdiscectomy at the L5-S1 level on Clint Crochet. During this time, Barbera Chevy-Chrysler commenced paying workers' compensation benefits to Clint Crochet.

At a follow up visit with Dr. McKowen on June 26, 2000, Dr. McKowen determined that Clint Crochet had reached maximum medical improvement and assigned him a 10% partial permanent whole-body impairment rating. In July 2000, at the request of Barbera Chevy-Chrysler, Clint Crochet submitted to a functional capacity exam ("FCE") at Thibodaux Physical Therapy, the result of which indicated Clint Crochet could be employed at a medium duty work level with some physical restrictions.

Thereafter, the adjuster assigned to Clint Crochet's compensation claim retained Vocational Solutions, Inc. to assist Clint Crochet in locating and securing employment within his physical restrictions. In the eighteen months that followed, Vocational Solutions, Inc. searched for suitable employment within Clint Crochet's restrictions. During this time, only one minimum-wage job at a Circle K was found. Clint Crochet applied for that job, but was never contacted about an employment opportunity.

On August 31, 2002, Clint Crochet's workers' compensation benefits were terminated on the basis that the "[e]mployee [was] able to work at [the] same or greater wage." However, at that time, Clint Crochet had not obtained employment within the medium-level work restrictions set for him by the FCE and his physician, and neither those restrictions nor his permanent partial disability ratings had been modified by any physician. Additionally, upon termination of his benefits, Clint Crochet was notified that his prior job as a mechanic at Barbera Chevy-Chrysler was no longer available, and that Barbera did not have any other positions available within his work restrictions.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On March 6, 2003, Clint Crochet instituted these proceedings for workers' compensation benefits, penalties, and attorney's fees. Barbera Chevy-Chrysler answered, asserting that Clint Crochet had violated La. R.S. 23:1208, and thus, he forfeited his benefits. Specifically, Barbera Chevy-Chrysler contends that Clint Crochet made false statements and/or misrepresentations regarding his level of activities and ability to return to his pre-accident employment to his physician and in his deposition testimony.

After trial on the merits, on March 25, 2004, the WCJ rendered judgment finding that Clint Crochet did not violate La. R.S. 23:1208; finding that Clint Crochet continued to be disabled; reinstating Clint Crochet's workers' compensation benefits and awarding him all past due workers' compensation benefits; and finding that Barbera Chevy-Chrysler had been arbitrary and capricious in the handling of the matter, and accordingly, awarding $2,000 in penalties and $2,000 in attorney fees. It is from this judgment that Barbera Chevy-Chrysler has appealed asserting that the WCJ erred in (1) failing to find that Clint Crochet violated La. R.S. 23:1208 and forfeited his workers' *53 compensation benefits and (2) awarding penalties and attorney fees.[1]

STANDARD OF REVIEW

The issue of whether an employee has forfeited his workers' compensation benefits is one of fact, not to be reversed on appeal absent manifest error. Dukes v. Sherwood Acres Apartments, 2001-2325 (La.App. 1st Cir.11/8/02), 835 So.2d 742, 745. Whether the refusal to pay benefits warrants the imposition of penalties and attorney fees is likewise a factual question which will not be disturbed on review in the absence of manifest error or unless clearly wrong. Pitcher v. Hydro-Kem Services, Inc., 551 So.2d 736, 740 (La.App. 1st Cir.), writ denied, 553 So.2d 466 (La. 1989). Thus, these factual findings cannot be set aside unless the appellate court finds that such findings are manifestly erroneous or clearly wrong. Stobart v. State Through DOTD, 617 So.2d 880, 882 (La. 1993); Anderson v. Eckerd Corp., XXXX-XXXX, pp. 2-3 (La.App. 1st Cir.5/6/05), 915 So.2d 901. Where two permissible views of the evidence exist, the factfinder's choice between them cannot be manifestly erroneous or clearly wrong. Dukes, 835 So.2d at 746, citing Stobart, 617 So.2d at 883.

Under the manifest error rule, the reviewing court does not decide whether the factual findings are right or wrong, but whether they are reasonable. Lizana v. Gulf Coast Pain Institute, XXXX-XXXX (La.App. 1st Cir.5/14/04), 879 So.2d 763, 765. If the factfinder's findings are reasonable in light of the record reviewed in its entirety, the court of appeal may not reverse, even though convinced that had it been sitting as the trier of fact, it would have weighed the evidence differently. Sistler v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., 558 So.2d 1106, 1112 (La.1990).

ALLEGED VIOLATION OF LA. R.S. 23:1208

Louisiana Revised Statute 23:1208 provides that any person, willfully making a false statement or representation for the purpose of obtaining workers' compensation benefits, may be assessed civil penalties by the WCJ and may forfeit any rights to compensation benefits. The only requirements for forfeiture of benefits under La. R.S. 23:1208 are that: (1) there is a false statement or representation, (2) it is willfully made, and (3) it is made for the purpose of obtaining or defeating any benefit or payment. Resweber v. Haroil Const. Co., 94-2708 (La.9/5/95), 660 So.2d 7, 12; Dukes, 835 So.2d at 745.

Once it has been determined that a false statement or representation has been made, the WCJ must make a factual determination as to whether, based on the record, the statement or representation was willfully made "specifically to obtain benefits, and thus to defraud the workers' compensation system." Jim Walter Homes, Inc. v. Prine, XXXX-XXXX (La.App. 1st Cir.2/15/02), 808 So.2d 818, 824;

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917 So. 2d 49, 2004 La.App. 1 Cir. 1390, 2005 La. App. LEXIS 1756, 2005 WL 1523500, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crochet-v-barbera-chevy-chrysler-co-inc-lactapp-2005.