Green v. Jackson Rapid Delivery Service

506 So. 2d 1345, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 9432
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 6, 1987
Docket18692-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 506 So. 2d 1345 (Green v. Jackson Rapid Delivery Service) 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
Green v. Jackson Rapid Delivery Service, 506 So. 2d 1345, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 9432 (La. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

506 So.2d 1345 (1987)

Percy J. GREEN, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
JACKSON RAPID DELIVERY SERVICE INC., et al., Defendants-Appellees.

No. 18692-CA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

May 6, 1987.

*1347 James E. Franklin, Jr., Shreveport, for plaintiff/appellant.

Mayer, Smith & Roberts by Walter O. Hunter, Jr., Shreveport, for defendants/appellees.

Before JASPER E. JONES, FRED W. JONES and NORRIS, JJ.

JASPER E. JONES, Judge.

Percy J. Green, plaintiff in this worker's compensation suit, appeals a judgment rejecting his demands for disability benefits, penalties and attorney's fees. The defendants are the Jackson Rapid Delivery Service, Inc., the appellant's former employer, and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, the employer's worker's compensation insurer.

We reverse and award disability benefits.

FACTS

The appellant asserts he was injured on June 15, 1985, while working as a truck driver for his employer, that the accident resulted in a cervical and lumbar strain which aggravated an existing "degenerative *1348 cervical disc disease," that the accident rendered him disabled to resume truck driving employment and that the defendants have arbitrarily refused to pay worker's compensation benefits for an undetermined period of disability since September 19, 1985. He prayed for continuing disability compensation since this date based upon the maximum rate allowed by law with credit given for prior disability benefits received and for interest, medical expenses", attorney fees, penalties and for all costs including expert witness fees. The defendants filed an answer on April 14, 1986, denying the appellant's claims and affirmatively asserted that if any additional amounts were awarded for disability after September 19, 1985, then a credit should be granted not only for the prior disability payments but also for unemployment compensation drawn by the appellant from July 13, 1985-January 7, 1986, in violation of LSA-R.S. 23:1225(B).[1]

The defendant propounded certain pretrial written interrogatories and the plaintiff's answers established the following: (1) that he had worked previously as a truck driver and a fork lift operator; (2) that he had applied for employment as a truck driver since his accident with five companies; and (3) he had commenced collecting unemployment compensation beginning shortly after the accident and ending the week of January 4, 1986.

The trial court ruled the plaintiff had failed to establish he is entitled to any more worker's compensation benefits as:

(1) plaintiff applied for and received unemployment benefits during the period that he was also receiving worker's compensation benefits and that one of the requirements to entitlement to unemployment compensation is a representation that the appellant is able to work;
(2) the plaintiff actively applied for numerous truck driving jobs; and
(3) the plaintiff obtained no medical treatment for several months prior to seeing his latest treating physician on January 13, 1986.

Judgment was rendered rejecting the plaintiff's demands and assessing him costs and expert witness fees. Only the plaintiff has appealed.

The appellant's assignment of errors present the following issues for decision:

(1) Did the trial court err in finding the plaintiff was not entitled to additional disability payments?
(2) Did the trial court err in holding appellant's receipt of unemployment benefits equated to a "credit" due the defendants and appellant was not entitled to any additional worker's compensation?
(3) Was the trial court clearly wrong in not assessing statutory penalties and attorney fees?

Issues 1 and 2—Was the trial court wrong in finding that the appellant was not disabled?

LAW ON THE REVIEW OF DETERMINATIONS OF DISABILITY IN WORKER'S COMPENSATION SUITS

The finding of disability within the framework of the worker's compensation law is a legal rather than purely a medical determination. The claimant has the burden of proving to a legal certainty, and by a reasonable preponderance of the evidence, the nature and extent of a disability. In a particular case the totality of the evidence, both medical and lay testimony, must be examined by the trial court in making its determination on the question of disability and it is the function of the trial court to assess the weight to be accorded such testimony. The opinion of a physician or other medical expert does not necessarily determine a legal disability and the trial court may accept or reject the opinion expressed by a medical expert depending upon what impression the qualifications, credibility and testimony of that expert *1349 makes upon the court. As a general rule, the testimony of a treating physician should be given more weight than that of a physician who examines a claimant for diagnostic purposes. The positive findings of medical experts are to be afforded greater weight than the negative findings as to the existence or not of a particular condition. Barry v. Western Elec. Co., Inc., 485 So.2d 83 (La.App. 2d Cir.1986), writ den., 487 So.2d 441 (La.1986).

A trial court may take into consideration the fact that a claimant designated he was able and available to work in applications for unemployment compensation in making a determination as to the existence of a disability. Wright v. Insurance Co. of North America, 491 So.2d 161 (La.App. 3d Cir.1986). Where a pre-existing condition is alleged to have been aggravated by an on-the-job injury to the point of disability, the appellant must also establish the aggravation by a preponderance of the evidence. Cedotal v. Wausau Ins. Co., 497 So.2d 395 (La.App. 3d Cir.1986), writ den., 498 So.2d 757 (La.1986). In order to establish total and permanent disability a claimant must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is unable to perform any type of work. In order to establish temporary total disability the claimant is only required to prove his disability by a preponderance of the evidence. He is entitled to an award for temporary total disability if he establishes he is disabled to do the same occupation or other gainful occupation at the time of trial, though it appears he will be able to return to some type work in the forseeable future. Brewster v. Manville Forest Products Corp., 469 So.2d 340 (La. App. 2d Cir.1985); Price v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., 502 So.2d 1078 (La. 1987); LSA-R.S. 23:1221(1), (2).[2] A claimant is entitled to temporary total disability if he fits in the "odd lot" category in that he can perform no services other than those which are so limited in quality, dependability or quantity that a reasonably stable market for them does not exist. This determination is made after scrutiny of the evidence of the claimant's physical and mental capacity, education and training. Thomas v. Elder Pallet & Lumber Sales, Inc., 493 So.2d 1267 (La.App. 3d Cir.1986). An employee who can only perform his work in pain is entitled to a temporary total disability award. Johnson v. Monroe Pulpwood Co., Inc. 505 So.2d 862 (La.App. 2d Cir.1987).

A trial court's factual findings in worker's compensation cases are entitled to great weight and reasonable evaluations of credibility and reasonable inferences of fact must not be disturbed, even though the appellate court may feel that its own evaluations and inferences are as reasonable. *1350

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Bluebook (online)
506 So. 2d 1345, 1987 La. App. LEXIS 9432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/green-v-jackson-rapid-delivery-service-lactapp-1987.