Kuntz-Dexter v. STATE EX REL. WYOMING WORKERS'SAFETY AND COMPENSATION DIVISION

2002 WY 101, 49 P.3d 190, 2002 Wyo. LEXIS 107, 2002 WL 1434089
Wyoming Supreme Court·Decided July 3, 2002·No. 01-101·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

GOLDEN, Justice.

[11] In this appeal, we consider whether the hearing examiner properly denied worker's compensation benefits to Appellant Lorraine M. Kuntz-Dexter (Kuntz-Dexter). After Appellee Wyoming Workers' Safety and Compensation Division (Division) denied benefits for medical and temporary total disability claims and a hearing was held, Kuntz-Dexter provided testimony from her treating physician that her injury was work-related. Benefits were again denied by the hearing examiner after it found that the basis for the medical testimony was information provided by Kuntz-Dexter, and the hearing examiner concluded that the evidence showed her testimony that the injury was work-related was not credible.

[12] We hold that the hearing examiner's findings of fact and conclusions of law are supported by substantial evidence. The order denying benefits is affirmed.

ISSUES

[1 3], Kuntz-Dexter presents the following issue for our review:

I. The Order Denying Benefits, dated February 26, 2001, is arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion in that the findings of fact proffered by the Hearing Examiner were factually incorrect and not supported by substantial evidence.

The Division presents two issues for our review:

I. Does substantial evidence support the Hearing Examiner's finding that Appellant did not initially indicate to her health care providers that she believed her condition was work-related?
II. Did the Hearing Examiner correctly conclude, under the appropriate burden of proof, that Appellant failed to prove that a work injury caused her herniated disc?

FACTS

[14] Kuntz-Dexter has worked in various positions for the Sheridan County Memorial Hospital since 1991. On June 1, 2000, she worked as a filing clerk in the records department and moved files of medical records from one shelf to another in a storage area. She testified that she moved about 800 files weighing twenty to thirty pounds each for an entire day and experienced shoulder pain. She did not report an injury to her employer and continued to work until June 8 when she called in a sick leave absence because her pain symptoms had progressed. On June 9, she again called in a sick leave absence, called -a doctor she had been seeing for pain symptoms associated with an injury suffered in February of 2000, and obtained a prescription for physical therapy. Her pain symptoms became severe, and she reported to the emergency room for treatment on June 10 and 11, 2000. After seeing several doctors, she was ultimately diagnosed with a disc herniation at CT-T1 and underwent surgery.

[15] Kuntz-Dexter filed a report of injury with the Division on June 19, 2000, which did not include the date that the employer was notified; however, her supervisor testi *192 fied that Kuntz-Dexter notified her of the injury on June 19, 2000. Upon receiving the claimant's medical records, the Division denied benefits, and the matter was set for hearing. In its disclosure statement, the Division contended that benefits must be denied for late filing in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 27-14-502(c), and because the injury was not work-related. At the hearing, the Division contended that Kuntz-Dexter's present symptoms resulted from preexisting injuries and that no injury occurred on June 1, 2000. The hearing examiner made a specific finding that Kuntz-Dexter had shown by clear and convincing evidence that no prejudice was suffered by the late filing, and the Division does not challenge that determination in this appeal. The hearing examiner did find that Kuntz-Dexter had begun experiencing symptoms associated with a herniated disc, and the issue to be resolved was whether those symptoms were caused by the claimed work-related injury of June 1, 2000.

[16] The hearing examiner found that years earlier, Kuntz-Dexter suffered a broken neck, had cervical surgery, had since then experienced a long history of neck, back and shoulder pain, and in February of 2000 had suffered chest and neck pain when she frontally collided with a door jamb. The findings of fact stated that although Kuntz-Dexter discussed her pain symptoms with several different doctors or nurses between June 9 and June 15, the medical records from these visits did not include any mention that the injury was caused by lifting 800 very heavy files a week earlier. The hearing examiner determined that on June 30, Kuntz, Dexter's surgeon indicated she had suffered a work-related injury; however, in his deposition, the doctor testified that this determination was based on the history provided by the claimant.

[17] The hearing examiner found that Kuntz-Dexter's supervisor testified that files are moved by handfuls at most and do not weigh more than four to six pounds, she had seen claimant move files by the handful on other occasions, Kuntz-Dexter did not tell anyone at work that she was injured, and had missed work on June 8 and 9 to attend a wedding.

[18] Benefits were denied after the hearing examiner examined the conflicting evidence and concluded that the evidence did not prove the claim that moving medical files caused the injury. After the district court certified the petition for review pursuant to W.R.A.P. 12.09, this appeal followed.

DISCUSSION

Standard of Review

[19] The claimant has the burden of proving every essential element of his claim by a preponderance of the evidence. State ex rel. Wyoming Workers' Compensation Div. v. Waggener, 946 P.2d 808, 814 (Wyo.1997); Goddard v. Colonel Bozeman's Restaurant, 914 P.2d 1233, 1236 (Wyo.1996). Under the statutory definition of injury, he must prove that his injury arose out of and in the course of his employment. Id. Whether an employee's injury occurred in the course of his employment is a question of fact. Id.

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Kuntz-Dexter v. STATE EX REL. WYOMING WORKERS'SAFETY AND COMPENSATION DIVISION, 2002 WY 101, 49 P.3d 190, 2002 Wyo. LEXIS 107, 2002 WL 1434089 (Wyo. 2002).

2002 WY 101 (Kuntz-Dexter v. STATE EX REL. WYOMING WORKERS'SAFETY AND COMPENSATION DIVISION) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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