Fox v. Reynolds Industrial Contractors, Inc.

135 So. 3d 105, 2014 WL 561729, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 338
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 13, 2014
DocketNo. 48,660-WCA
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 135 So. 3d 105 (Fox v. Reynolds Industrial Contractors, 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
Fox v. Reynolds Industrial Contractors, Inc., 135 So. 3d 105, 2014 WL 561729, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 338 (La. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

DREW, J.

Lin this long-running dispute which has included a 2003 trial and three appeals, Willie Faye Fox appeals a judgment denying her claim for additional Supplemental Earnings Benefits (“SEB”). We affirm.

FACTS

Fox began working as a secretary for Reynolds Industrial Contractors on a construction project at a plywood mill in October of 1995. She was injured on January 26, 1996, when a sledgehammer fell on her foot. Despite her injury, Fox continued to work until early the next month. Her job was scheduled to terminate later in February.

Fox was diagnosed as having reflex sympathetic dystrophy (“RSD”) of her right lower extremity. Dr. James Lillich, an orthopedic surgeon, operated on her right foot. She was referred to Dr. Ross Nelson, a pain management doctor, who administered injections to her foot. In 1999, Dr. Kathleen Majors, Dr. Nelson’s partner, began treating Fox approximately every three months for the next 13 years. Dr. Majors pronounced Fox at maximum medical improvement in August of 2000. Fox I

Reynolds paid total disability benefits to Fox until November 1,1997, and then SEB until September 30, 2001. On November 27, 2001, Reynolds filed a disputed claim asserting that Fox had forfeited her right to benefits after September 30, 2001, by making false statements and representations in violation of La. R.S. 23:1208. On October 29, 2002, Fox filed a disputed claim seeking reinstatement of benefits.

li>Dr. Majors was deposed on July 21, 2003. As of August 2000, she thought Fox could perform sedentary work with her right foot propped up six inches on a padded footrest. Dr. Majors believed that it would be best for Fox to begin by working with those restrictions for four hours a day and then increase her workday to six hours. Dr. Majors wanted to reevaluate Fox after she performed this part-time work for four to six weeks.

Dr. Majors never had the opportunity to reevaluate Fox prior to trial on the forfeiture and reinstatement issues as the trial was held on July 30, 2003, nine days following her deposition. Judgment was not rendered until August of 2005 because the record had to be reconstructed after it was misplaced. The WCJ ruled that Fox had forfeited her right to further benefits. The WCJ specifically noted that Fox had misrepresented the extent of her disability numerous times, made false statements about subsequent accidents, and misrepresented the nature of her employment with Reynolds.

Fox appealed. In Reynolds Industrial Contractors v. Fox, 41,051 (La.App.2d Cir.6/28/06), 935 So.2d 783, this court, after concluding that Reynolds had not established a forfeiture of benefits, reversed the judgment insofar as it dismissed Fox’s claim for further benefits. Of significance [108]*108for purposes of this appeal is that when this court considered the forfeiture issue, it stated that surveillance tapes, Fox’s testimony at the 2003 trial, and her statements and actions at a functional capacity evaluation presented “significant credibility issues concerning her ability to work or receive SEB.” Id. at p. 12, 935 So.2d at 790.

|,^Nevertheless, this court found that Fox was entitled to six weeks of SEB, noting in a footnote that under La. R.S. 23:1310.8, she was not barred from seeking a modification of the award for prospective benefits due to any relevant changes in her condition. In explaining why the award of SEB was being limited to six weeks at that time, this court stated:

It is important that Fox’s medical condition was based largely upon the subjective representations of Fox, which the WCJ rejected as self-serving and lacking credibility. Dr. Majors’ deposition clearly establishes Fox’s ability to return to light duty sedentary employment with a minor foot restriction, initially at a part-time level for a four to six week period. Fox’s questionable credibility and the lack of proof of her inability to work full-time after the six week term precludes any additional award of benefits after the six week period. On this record, we therefore find that Fox has only established an inability to earn 90% of her pre-accident wages for a six week period.

Emphasis added. Id. at p. 14, 935 So.2d at 791.

Fox II

On July 12, 2007, Fox filed a disputed claim seeking indemnity benefits, all reasonable and necessary medical treatment, penalties, and attorney fees. In- response, Reynolds filed the exceptions of prescription and res judicata.

While the exceptions were pending, Dr. Majors was deposed for a second time on June 24, 2008. She testified that Fox’s condition was basically unchanged since 2003, and that she believed the restrictions she had given earlier were now permanent.

On August 5, 2008, the WCJ rendered judgment granting the exception of res judicata. The exception of prescription was not ruled upon in light of the finding of res judicata. Fox appealed.

| ¿This court affirmed the judgment sustaining the exception of res judicata as to the claim for modification of medical benefits, which were not awarded in Fox I. However, this court found that Fox’s claim for SEB for the period of time following the trial of her first claim and after satisfaction of the six-week SEB award was not barred by res judicata. Accordingly, this court reversed the judgment sustaining the exception of res judicata as to the claim for modification of indemnity benefits. The matter was remanded for consideration of the exception of prescription against the claim for indemnity benefits. This court noted that as its review was limited to the issue of res judicata, it was not making any determination whether Fox could carry her burden of proving a change in condition based on an extended duration of disability at trial. Fox v. Reynolds Indus. Contractors, 44,938 (La. App.2d Cir.1/27/10), 33 So.3d 895, writ denied, 2010-0676 (La.5/28/10), 36 So.3d 250. On remand, the WCJ denied the exception of prescription.

Fox III

Reynolds filed the exception of no cause of action, or alternatively, a motion for summary judgment. It argued that under La. R.S. 23:1221(3)(d)(i), Fox’s right to any additional SEB had terminated. The WCJ granted the exception and, in the alternative, the motion for summary judgment. [109]*109Fox appealed. Reynolds also appealed the denial of its exception of prescription.

This court reversed the judgment granting the exception of no cause of action or, alternatively, the motion for summary judgment. The judgment denying the exception of prescription was affirmed. The matter was remanded for trial on the issue of whether Fox was entitled to a modification 1 Bof her SEB award. Fox v. Reynolds Indus. Contractors, 46,695 (La.App.2d Cir.11/16/11), 79 So.3d 1140.

Round Four

Trial was held on July 17, 2012. Fox testified that she began working part-time as a bookkeeper for her sister in January of 2006. She usually worked only a couple of hours for her sister, but sometimes worked as many as eight hours a day. It was the only time she earned wages since she worked for Reynolds. She earned $50 in January of 2006, and $37.50 in February of 2006.

The WCJ recognized that the only issue before it was whether Fox was entitled to additional indemnity benefits beyond the six weeks of SEB awarded in Fox I.

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Bluebook (online)
135 So. 3d 105, 2014 WL 561729, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 338, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fox-v-reynolds-industrial-contractors-inc-lactapp-2014.