Decquir v. Acorn

18 So. 3d 779, 2009 WL 2480083
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 12, 2009
DocketNo. 2008-CA-1395
StatusPublished

This text of 18 So. 3d 779 (Decquir v. Acorn) 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
Decquir v. Acorn, 18 So. 3d 779, 2009 WL 2480083 (La. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

CHARLES R. JONES, Judge.

hThe appellant, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), seeks review of the Louisiana Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWC) judgment, awarding the appellee’s workers’ compensation benefits. We affirm.

The Appellee, Gina Decquir was employed by ACORN as a personal assistant to the director of ACORN. On November 15, 2006, Ms. Decquir was injured while in the course and scope of her employment at ACORN when a shelf fell and hit her while she was sitting at her desk. The shelf required several co-workers to remove it from on top of Ms. Decquir. On the same date, a little more than two hours later, Ms. Decquir saw Dr. Steve Waldo of Ochs-ner Hospital, for her initial walk-in emergency room examination. She complained of both neck and back pain.

However, on or about the day that she was scheduled to return to work on November 20, 2006, she walked into the Ochs-ner Hospital emergency room once again and complained of neck and back pain. She was examined by Dr. Victor Garcia-Prats, who concluded that Ms. Decquir suffered a strain and contusion as well. Dr. Garcia-Prats placed Ms. Decquir on “no work status” for two days.

^Additionally, he specifically noted that Ms. Decquir requested that he provide her with documentation indicating that she be excused from work because, as she indicated to him, she was told that if she did not return to work then she would be fired. After his examination, Dr. Garcia-Prats recommended that Ms. Decquir follow up with her workers’ compensation physician and discharged her in good condition.

[782]*782On December 4, 2006, Ms. Decquir was seen by Dr. Steven Gurges, who indicated that Ms. Decquir could return to work on December 7, 2006, but specifically restricted her from doing any lifting, pulling, crawling, or squatting. She saw Dr. Gurg-es again on December 18, 2006, at which time he noted that “the patient was given a return to work note for January 23, 2007.”

ACORN authorized and scheduled a January 23, 2007, appointment for Ms. Decquir to see Dr. Daniel Trahant, a neurologist, for an EMG and a nerve conduction study for her subjective complaints of headache, neck and back pain. Prior to that time, Ms. Decquir had not been examined by a neurologist. The results of the EMG and nerve conduction study of her upper extremities were normal. Dr. Tra-hant did not indicate whether Ms. Decquir could return to work, nor did he opine that Ms. Decquir’s subjective complaints of pain rendered her temporarily totally disabled.

However, prior to the end of her treatment, ACORN arbitrarily stopped payment of Ms. Decquir’s benefits. As a result, on January 23, 2007, Ms. Decquir filed a disputed claim for compensation alleging that she was injured on the job while in the course and scope of her employment. She alleged that a shelf fell and hit her while she was sitting at a desk. In the claim she indicated that Dr. Gurges treated her for her work related injuries. Additionally she indicated under section |3“15(c)” of the disputed claim for compensation that no wage benefits were paid and that she sought “[pjenalties and [attorneys [fjees.”

At trial, Ms. Decquir testified that she began working from home on behalf of ACORN performing tasks and assignments consistent with her duties approximately one week after a second visit to the hospital emergency room. She also agreed to continue to receive her regular salary from November 24, 2006 until on or about December 22, 2006. At trial, she did not introduce any additional medical reports or physician’s reports that either opined or established that she was temporarily totally disabled from work after January 23, 2007.

On June 10, 2008, the OWC rendered judgment which: awarded Ms. Decquir indemnity benefits from the date of the accident through October 8, 2007; ordered ACORN to pay Ms. Decquir’s medical bills of $230.00 and $1,280.00; assessed ACORN a $2,000.00 penalty for nonpayment of medical bills; assessed ACORN a $2,000.00 and a penalty for nonpayment of indemnity benefits; awarded attorney’s fees in the amount of $6,000.00; and ordered that all costs of the proceedings be paid by ACORN.

In the instant appeal, ACORN raises the following assignments of error:

1. the trial court was manifestly erroneous or clearly wrong by awarding Ms. Decquir indemnity benefits from the date of the accident through October 8, 2007, because the evidentia-ry record established that she could return to work on January 23, 2007, performing her regular duties; and she testified that she returned to work performing duties consistent with the regular duties on behalf of the employer prior to January 23, 2007?
2. the trial court was manifestly erroneous or clearly wrong by ordering ACORN to pay Ms. Decquir’s medical bills because the court failed to itemize the bills, considering that Ms. Decquir introduced medical records indicating that she received treatment for work and for non-work related conditions.
[783]*783|43. the district court erred in assessing a penalty against ACORN for nonpayment of indemnity benefits because the evidentiary record established that ACORN paid a claim for performing certain duties during a period that she alleged she was temporarily totally disabled; and because in accordance with La. R.S. 23:1221(l)(b) and (d), Ms. Decquir was not entitled to indemnity benefits.
4. the trial court erred in assessing the penalty against ACORN for nonpayment of medical benefits on the evi-dentiary record which clearly established that ACORN paid for medical services that it believed were related to Ms. Decquir’s work related accident.

DISCUSSION

“In worker’s compensation cases, the appropriate standard of review to be applied by the appellate court to the OWC’s findings of fact is the ‘manifest error-clearly wrong’ standard.” MacFarlane v. Schneider Nat. Bulk Carriers, Inc., 2007-1386, p. 3 (La.App. 4 Cir. 4/30/08), 984 So.2d 185, 188. Additionally,

[ T]he findings of the OWC will not be set aside by a reviewing court unless they are found to be clearly wrong in light of the record viewed in its entirety. Alexander, 630 So.2d at 710. Where there is conflict in the testimony, reasonable evaluations of credibility and reasonable inferences of fact should not be disturbed upon review, even though the appellate court may feel that its own evaluations and inferences are as reasonable. Robinson v. North American Salt Co., 02-1869 (La.App. 1 Cir.2003), 865 So.2d 98, 105. The court of appeal may not reverse the findings of the lower court even when convinced that had it been sitting as the trier of fact, it would have weighed the evidence differently. Robinson, 865 So.2d at 105. The determination of whether injury occurred in the course and scope of employment is a mixed question of law and fact. Winkler v. Wadleigh Offshore, Inc., 01-1833 (La.App. 4 Cir. 4/24/02), 817 So.2d 313, 316 (citing Wright v. Skate Country, Inc., 98-0217 (La.App. 4 Cir. 5/12/99), 734 So.2d 874).

Dean v. Southmark Construction, 2003-1051, p. 7 (La.7/6/04), 879 So.2d 112, 117.

IsLouisiana Revised Statute 23:1221, Temporary total disability; permanent total disability; supplemental earnings benefits; permanent partial disability; schedule of payments, provides in pertinent part:

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Dean v. Southmark Const.
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Robinson v. North American Salt Co.
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Winkler v. Wadleigh Offshore, Inc.
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Wright v. Skate Country, Inc.
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Bluebook (online)
18 So. 3d 779, 2009 WL 2480083, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/decquir-v-acorn-lactapp-2009.