Hogan v. BD. OF POLICE COM'RS OF KAN. CITY

337 S.W.3d 124, 2011 Mo. App. LEXIS 282
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 8, 2011
DocketWD 71687, WD 71705
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 337 S.W.3d 124 (Hogan v. BD. OF POLICE COM'RS OF KAN. CITY) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hogan v. BD. OF POLICE COM'RS OF KAN. CITY, 337 S.W.3d 124, 2011 Mo. App. LEXIS 282 (Mo. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

JOSEPH M. ELLIS, Judge.

The Board of Police Commissioners (Police Board) and the Police Retirement System of Kansas City (Retirement Board) appeal from the trial court’s judgment awarding Anthony Hogan $139,520 in lost past retirement benefits.

Hogan worked for the Kansas City Police Department for over 24 years when, on August 28, 2000, he had a confrontation with his supervisor, Sergeant Michael Cor-win. Based on the confrontation, Hogan filed a claim of age discrimination against the Police Board and was ultimately successful, receiving a jury verdict of $700,000 in actual damages and $2,000,000 in punitive damages. The Police Board and Hogan later entered into a settlement agreement in which Hogan was paid $1,950,000 and was allowed to pursue this action for review of benefits in his retirement case.

Hogan sustained injuries resulting from the confrontation in the form of headaches, loss of sleep, and depression. To treat his injuries, Hogan received medical treatment from Dr. Bryon Milgram, a psychiatrist, and Dr. Bernard Abrams, a neurologist. Both Dr. Milgram and Dr. Abrams opined that the sole and exclusive cause of Hogan’s injuries was his confrontation with Corwin. Both doctors also stated that. Hogan was permanently unable to perform the full and unrestricted duties of a police officer as a result of his injuries. Hogan also sought treatment from a police department physician, Dr. Craig Lofgreen, who determined Hogan was permanently disabled as a police officer but did not determine whether Hogan’s injury was duty related.

Upon filing his áge discrimination case, Hogan was examined by the Police Board’s physician, Dr. George Harris, who determined that Hogan was unable to perform the full and unrestricted duties of a police officer. Dr. Harris did not opine as to whether Hogan’s injury was duty related. After Hogan’s medical file was sent to the medical board of the Retirement Board, Dr. Harry Brown, a licensed psychologist with the medical board, examined Hogan and reviewed his medical file. Dr. Brown determined that Hogan was permanently disabled and recommended Hogan be retired. Dr. Brown also opined that Hogan’s disability was not duty related, although he stated that Hogan’s condition was “the result of his reactions" to incidents with his supervisors at work” and that there were “no other causative factors and there is no documented history of mental illness or physical problems before the work incidents of August 2000.” Nonetheless, Dr. Brown stated that he did not consider *128 Hogan’s condition to be work related because:

[i]f the police department does not find that there was any wrongdoing on their part then this would meet the criteria of being exclusively caused by P.O. Hogan’s reactions to what he perceived happened to him. Therefore, the retirement would be considered non-service connected, if the police department does not find any wrongdoing on their part.

Following the resolution of his age discrimination claim, Hogan filed a petition for review in Jackson County Circuit Court, requesting review of the Police Board and Retirement Board’s decision that Hogan be retired on a non-duty related basis, rather than on a duty related basis, pursuant to § 536.150. 1 Following a bench trial, the trial court ruled that Hogan’s disability injuries were the sole and exclusive result of the confrontation with Corwin and awarded Hogan lost past retirement benefits.

On appeal, neither the Police Board nor the Retirement Board disagrees with the trial court’s conclusion that Hogan’s retirement was duty related. The Police Board contends that the trial court erroneously held that the Police Board acted arbitrarily and capriciously in certifying Hogan for retirement because it was required to certify the decision made by the Retirement Board. Further, the Police Board contends that the trial court erred in ordering the Police Board to pay lost past retirement benefits when such benefits are the sole responsibility of the Retirement Board. The Retirement Board makes three contentions on appeal: (1) the trial court committed plain error in denying the Retirement Board’s motion to amend or for a new trial when the trial court awarded Hogan damages that included taxes Hogan would have to pay on receipt of his damages; (2) the trial court committed plain error in denying the Retirement Board’s motion to amend or for a new trial when the trial court awarded Hogan damages of $2,978 for taxed retirement benefits in 2009; and (3) the trial court erred in ordering the Retirement Board to pay compensatory damages to Hogan when the Retirement Board is not authorized under statute to make such a payment.

Section 536.150 provides for judicial review of administrative decisions in matters that are not deemed “contested” cases pursuant to §§ 536.100 to 536.140. All parties concede this a “non-contested” case brought pursuant to § 536.150. In a § 536.150 proceeding, the trial court is required to conduct a de novo review and determine whether the agency’s decision was “unconstitutional, unlawful, unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious or otherwise involves an abuse of discretion.” City of Valley Park v. Armstrong, 273 S.W.3d 504, 508 (Mo. banc 2009) (internal citations omitted).

On appeal from the circuit court of a noncontested administrative decision, we review the judgment of the circuit court, rather than the decision of the administrative agency. As such, our review is essentially the same as for other judgments in a judge-tried case. In reviewing a judge-tried case, ... we will affirm the decision of the trial court unless it is not supported by substantial and competent evidence, is against the weight of the evidence, or erroneously declares or applies the law.

State ex rel. Christian Health Care of Springfield, Inc. v. Missouri Dep’t of *129 Health, 229 S.W.3d 270, 275 (Mo.App. W.D.2007) (internal quotation and citations omitted).

The Certification Process (Police Board Point I)

The Police Board contends that it did not act arbitrarily and capriciously, as held by the trial court, because it was required by statute to retire Hogan in accordance with the decision rendered by the Retirement Board. In October 2006, and again in June 2009, the Police Board filed motions to dismiss Hogan’s petition for review on the basis that the Police Board had no statutory authority to decide whether Hogan’s retirement was duty or non-duty related, because that decision was reserved for the Retirement Board. The trial court denied both motions on September 1, 2009, and held that the Police Board was authorized by law to make the determination whether a disability was duty or non-duty related.

The duties and obligations of the Police Board and Retirement Board are generally codified in chapters 84 and 86 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. Chapter 84 addresses the authority and duties of the Police Board as to management of the police department, and Chapter 86 deals with the pension system.

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Bluebook (online)
337 S.W.3d 124, 2011 Mo. App. LEXIS 282, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hogan-v-bd-of-police-comrs-of-kan-city-moctapp-2011.