Garlock, Autumn v. O’Reilly Wooten 2000, LLC, d/b/a O’Reilly Auto Parts,

2023 TN WC 68
CourtTennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
DecidedSeptember 27, 2023
Docket2022-06-1720
StatusPublished

This text of 2023 TN WC 68 (Garlock, Autumn v. O’Reilly Wooten 2000, LLC, d/b/a O’Reilly Auto Parts,) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garlock, Autumn v. O’Reilly Wooten 2000, LLC, d/b/a O’Reilly Auto Parts,, 2023 TN WC 68 (Tenn. Super. Ct. 2023).

Opinion

FILED Sep 27, 2023 10:05 AM(CT) TENNESSEE COURT OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS AT NASHVILLE

Autumn Garlock, ) Docket No. 2022-06-1720 Employee, ) v. ) O’Reilly Wooten 2000, LLC, d/b/a ) O’Reilly Auto Parts, ) State File No. 58237-2022 Employer, ) And ) AIU Insurance Co., ) Carrier. ) Judge Kenneth M. Switzer

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER GRANTING MEDICAL BENEFITS

The Court held an expedited hearing on September 18, 2023, on Autumn Garlock’s request for benefits for a back injury she suffered while lifting an object at work for O’Reilly Auto Parts. O’Reilly raised a willful misconduct defense. For the reasons below, the Court holds that O’Reilly has not presented sufficient evidence in support of its affirmative defense, and Ms. Garlock is likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits on this issue. O’Reilly must authorize and schedule an appointment with Dr. Ryan Snowden. Ms. Garlock’s remaining requests are denied at this time.

Claim History

Ms. Garlock is a material handler at O’Reilly. According to her petition, the position requires “heavy lifting.” She testified that before the date of injury, she told her supervisor that the parts were occasionally “too heavy” for her to lift.

On August 4, 2022, she operated an order picker, which is a machine with a platform with forks on the back that attach to a pallet. The machine lifted her to the proper location. The pallet, on which the parts were located, was in her “power zone, ” meaning it was located between her mid-thighs and shoulders so she would not have to bend down. She testified: “I got to the location, and I turned around to scan the part. And then I turned

1 around to put the part in the location. And as I set it down, my back locked up. And so I dropped it immediately[.]”

Ms. Garlock notified her supervisor and completed an incident report. She declined treatment and was sent home. She returned to work the next day, but O’Reilly sent her home again for a few days to “ice” the injury. On August 8, Ms. Garlock asked to see a doctor, so O’Reilly authorized a telehealth visit. Approximately one week later, Ms. Garlock requested treatment again, so “Amy” in human resources directed her to an urgent care clinic. Ms. Garlock never received a panel.

While investigating the claim, O’Reilly asked Ms. Garlock to reenact the injury in the presence of the “DC manager,” Charles Dwyer, and office supervisor, “Bethany.” Ms. Garlock did not describe the reenactment but said that afterward, Mr. Dwyer and Bethany decided she used an improper lifting procedure. Ms. Garlock received “coaching” due to the event.

An adjuster took her recorded statement before denying the claim on September 13. The denial reads, “Policy [v]iolation. Utilizing improper lifting procedures covered in safety training.” Ms. Garlock testified that she was not allowed to work for one week afterward and went without pay.

After the denial, Ms. Garlock met with Mr. Dwyer, “Amy,” and the adjuster. Ms. Garlock recorded the conversation. Ms. Garlock asked how they came to their conclusions, since no one had witnessed the incident. The adjuster told her to appeal the denial. This petition followed.

Ms. Garlock acknowledged the existence of O’Reilly’s “Strain Prevention Tips and Guidelines” from its Procedures Manual. Specifically regarding lifting, the document says, “Lift straight up and smoothly, don’t jerk. Let your legs do the work NOT your back. Do not twist or turn your body once you have lifted the item. Put the load down slowly.” (Emphasis in original).

Ms. Garlock testified, “I followed all procedures to a T. Did not miss a single beat.” She denied that she “twisted” her body, or that she told the adjuster that she “shuffled” or “shifted” her feet.

On cross-examination, Ms. Garlock agreed that she underwent “extensive” training on lifting. She said she understood its purpose—injury prevention—and followed it “every single day.”

O’Reilly questioned Ms. Garlock about her written and verbal statements, post- injury, that it argued showed she did not follow proper lifting procedure. First, she agreed

2 she had written she “turned the wrong way” on the incident report completed immediately after the accident, but she explained that was merely a “choice of words.”

Second, she acknowledged that in her recorded statement to the adjuster, she had described the incident as follows: “I turned around and went to go grab it and lift it up and I guess I didn’t lift correctly and I went to turn and I just locked, my back locked up[.]” (Emphasis added).

Third, O’Reilly offered a “Team Member Investigation Statement,” where Ms. Garlock had pointed out the workplace had “no cameras” and had written, “No one was around when I hurt myself. No one can say if I hurt myself by not using the proper lifting and twisting.” Ms. Garlock conceded she had not written that she had followed the procedure.

Fourth, and similarly, during the post-denial conversation, Ms. Garlock agreed she never said she had followed proper lifting techniques but instead stated that no one had witnessed the accident or her allegedly using an incorrect method. Ms. Garlock said that no one had asked her if she had followed the proper method.

Fifth, she had not written in her affidavit that she had followed proper procedures. But she said that was because the affidavit was supposed to be “brief.”

O’Reilly also offered the testimony of Mike Warren, manager, to bolster its defense. Mr. Warren confirmed Ms. Garlock’s training and that she received “coaching” after the accident. He said he would coach or write up other workers if he saw them violating the lifting policy. He admitted that he did not witness Ms. Garlock’s accident or the reenactment, nor did he participate in either conversation she had with the adjuster.

As for treatment, records from the first visit at the urgent care clinic documented, “Lower back pain 2 weeks ago after she picked up a heavy part.” Ms. Garlock was placed on restrictions.

Ms. Garlock treated on her own several months after the denial with Dr. Snowden. She offered a letter in which he stated that he diagnosed low back pain and lumbar strain. Dr. Snowden checked a box stating that, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, the work injury she described, lifting car parts, contributed more than fifty percent to her need for medical treatment. He further wrote that she needs additional treatment, including injections, but Dr. Snowden placed no work restrictions.

At the hearing, Ms. Garlock maintained she followed the rules and asked that the Court order medical benefits with Dr. Snowden, payment of past medical bills, and temporary disability benefits. As to O’Reilly’s defense, she asserted that her words were “misinterpreted” and “being twisted around.”

3 O’Reilly countered that her improper lifting and in particular her turn was willful misconduct, so its denial was proper. It argued Ms. Garlock’s testimony conflicts with her written statements. In addition, Ms. Garlock offered no medical bills, nor did she miss substantial time from work.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

Ms. Garlock must show that she is likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits that she is entitled to the requested benefits. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(1) (2022); McCord v. Advantage Human Resourcing, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 6, at *7-8, 9 (Mar. 27, 2015).

Willful misconduct

O’Reilly’s defense is a threshold issue. The Workers’ Compensation Law states, “No compensation shall be allowed for an injury . . . due to [t]he employee’s willful misconduct.” Tenn. Code Ann.

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Bluebook (online)
2023 TN WC 68, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garlock-autumn-v-oreilly-wooten-2000-llc-dba-oreilly-auto-parts-tennworkcompcl-2023.