Fitzgerald v. U.S. Steel

892 N.E.2d 659, 2008 Ind. App. LEXIS 1938, 2008 WL 3916548
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 27, 2008
Docket93A02-0802-EX-134
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 892 N.E.2d 659 (Fitzgerald v. U.S. Steel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fitzgerald v. U.S. Steel, 892 N.E.2d 659, 2008 Ind. App. LEXIS 1938, 2008 WL 3916548 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

VAIDIK, Judge.

Case Summary

Grover Fitzgerald appeals from the Worker’s Compensation Board’s (“Board”) dismissal of his application for adjustment of claim. Concluding that Fitzgerald’s application is time-barred under Indiana Code § 22-3-3-27 (1998), that the reimbursed wages he received from U.S. Steel (“USS”) do not constitute “compensation,” that the date of maximum medical improvement or the date his permanent partial impairment rating was issued is not the starting date for calculating the statute of limitations under the facts of this case, that USS did not make fraudulent misrepresentations to Fitzgerald, and that USS did not breach any legal duties owed to him, we affirm.

Facts and Procedural History

On December 21, 1999, Fitzgerald, an employee of USS, sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of his employment. On December 28, 1999, USS and Fitzgerald came to a written agreement, called “Agreement to Compensation of Employee and Employer,” Appellant’s App. p. 32, in which USS agreed to pay Fitzgerald temporary total disability. This agreement was filed with the Board. Fitzgerald received temporary total disability benefits from December 22, 1999, through February 7, 2001, totaling $28,863.68. Thereafter, Fitzgerald went back to work. After returning to work, USS paid Fitzgerald’s medical and dental bills caused by the injury because he had not reached maximum medical improvement. On February 9, 2004, approximately three years after Fitzgerald’s temporary total disability payments had ceased, Fitzgerald underwent a permanent partial impairment evaluation with Dr. Suresh Mahawar. Dr. Mahawar’s evaluation indicated that Fitzgerald had reached maximum medical improvement and sustained a five percent ($4500.00) whole person permanent impairment rating.

On February 19, 2004, Fitzgerald filed his application for adjustment of claim in which he alleged that he was “entitled to T.T.D. [temporary total disability], P.P.I. [permanent partial impairment], future treatment and payment of bills.” Id. at 29. In his application, Fitzgerald requested a hearing for a ‘Worker’s Compensation Claim,” rather than for a “change of condition.” Id. In response, USS filed a motion to dismiss claiming Fitzgerald’s application was time-barred. On May 26, 2005, the parties filed a joint stipulation for compensation and payment of permanent partial impairment. In this agreement, USS agreed to pay Fitzgerald $4500.00 for permanent partial impairment but reserved the right to argue that his application was outside the statute of limitations for purposes of his future medical expenses. Thereafter, a hearing was held in which the parties presented argument and evidence regarding whether Fitzgerald’s application was timely filed. The issues as stipulated by the parties were as follows:

*661 I. Is Fitzgerald’s Application, which was filed more than two years after the date of his accident and more than three years after he last received TTD payments, time-barred under I.C. 22-3-8-3?
II. Does Fitzgerald’s Application seek a “change in condition” or “modification[”] and, if so, is his Application time-barred under I.C. 22-3-3-27?
III. Is the statute of limitations tolled due to alleged fraud and/or misrepresentation committed by United States Steel Corporation?
TV". Does the payment of the PPI by USS extend the statute of limitations for Fitzgerald even though the payment was made upon the express condition that USS’s payment of the PPI would neither extend nor shorten the statute of limitations and where USS specifically preserved its right to maintain such a defense with respect to Fitzgerald’s claim for future dental treatment?
V. Does any wage reimbursement under I.C. 22-3-3-4 for attending a PPI evaluation and/or dental treatment constitute “compensation” under I.C. 22-3-3-27?

Id. at 21-22. On October 20, 2006, a single hearing member of the Board issued an order on USS’s motion to dismiss, which included the following pertinent findings of facts and conclusions thereon:

16. That Fitzgerald’s Application (filed more than two (2) years after the date of his injury and more than three (3) years after he last received TTD payments) is time-barred under I.C. 22-3-3-3.
17. That Fitzgerald’s Application does not seek a “change in condition” or “modification” and therefore, I.C. 22-3-3-27 is not applicable.
18. That even if I.C. 22-3-3-27 were applicable, Fitzgerald’s Application would still be time-barred under I.C. 22-3-3-27 for several reasons including:
(a) Fitzgerald has failed to prove that USS made “wage reimbursement” for medical treatment within one (1) year prior to the filing of his Application.
(b) Even if Fitzgerald could prove that USS made “wage reimbursement” for medical treatment within one (1) year prior to the filing of his Application, “wage reimbursement” does not constitute “compensation” under I.C. 22-3-3-27.
(c) A PPI evaluation does not constitute “treatment” under I.C. 22-3-3-4 and any wage reimbursement for attending a PPI evaluation does not toll the statute of limitations.
(d) “Compensation” under I.C. 22-3-3-27 includes only TTD, TPD, PPI and PTD payments.
(e) Fitzgerald had one (1) year after the date for which he last received TTD payments within which to timely file his Application for future PPI and dental care in accordance with applicable law, including: Halteman Swim Club v. Duguid, 757 N.E.2d 1017 (Ind.App.2001) and I.C. 22-3-3-27. In other words, in order for Fitzgerald’s Application to be timely under I.C. 22-3-3-27, he needed to file his Application on or by February 7, 2002, for the Board to have jurisdiction.
19. That the payment by USS of the PPI in May, 2005, did not extend the statute of limitations for the filing of Fitzgerald’s claim.
20. That USS did not commit any fraud or misrepresentation relating to the filing of Fitzgerald’s Application.
21. That the statute of limitations was not tolled due to alleged fraud and/or misrepresentation by USS. (It is specifically found that USS did not commit any fraud and/or misrepresentation relating to Fitzgerald’s Application).
*662 22. That Fitzgerald had two (2) years after the last date for which he was paid TTD compensation (February 7, 2001) within which to timely file his Application. In other words, in order to timely file, Fitzgerald needed to file his Application on or by February 7, 2003.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The Application for additional compensation was filed too late.
2. There was no fraud and no money to be paid under I.C. [22-3^-12] or 12.1.

Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
892 N.E.2d 659, 2008 Ind. App. LEXIS 1938, 2008 WL 3916548, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fitzgerald-v-us-steel-indctapp-2008.