Jones, Elizabeth Renee v. Black's Mobile Detailing Service

2016 TN WC 273
CourtTennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
DecidedNovember 17, 2016
Docket2016-03-0566
StatusPublished

This text of 2016 TN WC 273 (Jones, Elizabeth Renee v. Black's Mobile Detailing Service) 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
Jones, Elizabeth Renee v. Black's Mobile Detailing Service, 2016 TN WC 273 (Tenn. Super. Ct. 2016).

Opinion

FILED Xovember 1 7~ 20 16

TN COURT Of l\' OR.KERS ' OO~JP!E s .m O N C1AnclS

Tim12> 1:2 :18 PM TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION IN THE COURT OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS AT KNOXVILLE

ELIZABETH RENEE JONES, ) Docket No.: 2016-03-0566 Employee, ) v. ) BLACK'S MOBILE DETAILING ) State File No.: 40660-2016 SERVICE, ) Employer. ) Judge Lisa Lowe Knott

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER GRANTING MEDICAL BENEFITS

This matter came before the undersigned Workers' Compensation Judge on October 25, 2016, upon the Request for Expedited Hearing filed by Elizabeth Jones pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-239 (20 15) seeking medical and temporary disability benefits.

The central legal issues are whether Ms. Jones is an independent contractor or an employee and whether her left foot injury arose primarily out of and in the course and scope of her employment. Related issues, should Ms. Jones prevail on the central legal issues, are whether she is entitled to medical and/or temporary disability benefits. For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds Ms. Jones has come forward with sufficient evidence from which this Court holds that she is likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits that she is an employee rather than an independent contractor and that her injury arose primarily out of and in the course and scope of her employment. 1 The Court further holds that Ms. Jones has come forward with sufficient evidence to establish she is likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits that she is entitled to medical benefits but not temporary disability benefits.

History of Claim

Ms. Jones worked for Black's Mobile Detailing Service (Black's) from September 1 A complete listing of the technical record and exhibits admitted at the Expedited Hearing is attached to this Order as an appendix.

1 2015 through May 23, 2016, washing and detailing cars and trucks. Ms. Jones and co- worker Mariah Paz testified that each morning they would enter the garage to obtain their cleaning supplies (chemicals, towels, vacuum, etc.) and bring them outside to start cleaning vehicles. Both Ms. Jones and Ms. Paz testified there were bags of towels, a go- kart, pressure washer, and lots of "stuff' inside the garage that they had to maneuver around to obtain their supplies.

On May 23, 2016, Ms. Jones entered the side door of the garage bay to obtain her cleaning supplies. (Ex. 1.) As Ms. Jones stepped over a "shop vac" and two bags of towels and reached for a bottle of cleaner, she put her left foot down and it snapped. (Ex. 1.) She testified she did not know if she caught her foot on the edge of the bag of towels. Ms. Jones advised Ms. Paz and co-worker Sean Young that she thought she broke her foot. Mr. Young stated in a report that Ms. Jones "stepped over the side of the vacuum, stumbled, and said she hurt her foot." (Ex. 2.) Shawn Black testified he asked Ms. Jones to wait for him to move the stuff in the garage out of the way but "she ran in to get her supplies anyway." He did not dispute that she broke her foot while in the garage.

Mr. Black drove Ms. Jones to North Knoxville Medical Center where she received a diagnosis of an undisplaced metatarsal fracture. (Exs. 1, 3.) Mr. Black testified that Ms. Jones might have been "high on drugs" at the time of the injury but acknowledged that he did not request a drug test at the hospital. Ms. Jones received follow-up treatment with Dr. Chris Testerman; OrthoTennessee, who initially placed Ms. Jones in a cast and then subsequently in a walking boot. (Ex. 4.)

Black's raised the defense that Ms. Jones was an independent contractor and not an employee. With regard to that issue, Ms. Jones stated that although she signed a 1099 Form at Mr. Black's request, Mr. Black controlled every aspect of the job. She testified he told her what to do, how to do it, what times to work, provided the supplies/equipment, and paid her in cash bi-weekly. She also testified Mr. Black had the right to terminate her at any time and she did not have authority to hire any helpers. Ms. Paz corroborated Ms. Jones' testimony that Mr. Black dictated the hours of work, which cars to wash and how to wash them, and confirmed that everything is under his control.

Mr. Black testified he does not employ more than five full-time employees at a time. Therefore, he asserted exemption from the Workers' Compensation Law. Mr. Black further stated that Ms. Jones signed an Independent Contractor Agreement, so he should not have to pay for her injury.

Black's did not have workers' compensation coverage. As a result, the Bureau of Workers' Compensation received an Expedited Request for Investigation. The parties introduced the Bureau's Investigation Report into evidence as Exhibit 2. In that report, the Bureau determined:

2 This employer is subject to the act even though the employer has misclassified his workers as independent contractor[ s]. The employer schedules, supervises, and controls the conduct of work, the employer provides the equipment/chemicals/supplies for the workers, the workers do not have the ability to select or hire helpers and employer has the right of termination.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

In order to grant the relief Ms. Jones seeks, the Court must apply the following legal principles. Ms. Jones bears the burden of proof on all prima facie elements of her workers' compensation claim. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(6) (2015); see also Buchanan v. Carlex Glass Co., No. 2015-01-0012, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 39, at *5 (Tenn. Workers' Comp. App. Bd. Sept. 29, 2015). She need not prove every element of her claim by a preponderance of the evidence in order to obtain relief at an expedited hearing. McCord v. Advantage Human Resourcing, No. 2014-06-0063, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 6, at *7- 9 (Tenn. Workers' Comp. App. Bd. Mar. 27, 2015). At an expedited hearing, Ms. Jones has the burden to come forward with sufficient evidence from which this Court can determine she is likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits. !d.

Employee versus Independent Contractor

The Tennessee Workers' Compensation Act requires that:

In a work relationship, in order to determine whether an individual is an "employee," or whether an individual is a "subcontractor" or an "independent contractor," the following factors shall be considered: (a) The right to control the conduct of the work; (b) The right of termination; (c) The method of payment; (d) The freedom to select and hire helpers; (e) The furnishing oftools and equipment; (f) Self-scheduling of working hours; and (g) The freedom to offer services to other entities.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(12)(D)(i) (2015). Both Ms. Jones and Ms. Paz provided testimony to establish: Mr. Black controlled the conduct of the work; retained the right to terminate them; paid them bi-weekly; provided the tools and equipment; and determined the hours they worked. Although, Ms. Jones and Ms. Paz did not testify about their freedom to offer services to other entities, they did testify they worked long hours with the implication they did not and could not work anywhere else at the same time. In addition, the Bureau's Investigation Report determined that Mr. Black misclassified his

3 workers as independent contractors. Based on the testimony of Ms. Jones and Ms. Paz and the Bureau's report, the Court concludes Ms. Jones was an employee rather than an independent contractor.

Injury

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Bluebook (online)
2016 TN WC 273, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-elizabeth-renee-v-blacks-mobile-detailing-service-tennworkcompcl-2016.