LeBlanc v. Cajun Painting Inc.

654 So. 2d 800, 1995 WL 240651
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 7, 1995
Docket94 CA 1609
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 654 So. 2d 800 (LeBlanc v. Cajun Painting Inc.) 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
LeBlanc v. Cajun Painting Inc., 654 So. 2d 800, 1995 WL 240651 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

654 So.2d 800 (1995)

Heman LeBLANC, Jr.
v.
CAJUN PAINTING INC., and Aetna Life and Casualty Co.

No. 94 CA 1609.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

April 7, 1995.
Rehearing Denied June 6, 1995.

*802 Robert E. Kleinpeter, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellant—Heman LeBlanc, Jr.

Henry G. Terhoeve, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellants —Cajun Painting and Aetna Life and Cas. Co.

Errol J. King, Jr., Baton Rouge, for intervenor-appellee —Louisiana Cardiology Associates.

Before LeBLANC, PITCHER and FITZSIMMONS, JJ.

FITZSIMMONS, Judge.

The primary issue in this worker's compensation claim is whether the claimant-worker, Mr. Herman LeBlanc, Jr., met his burden of proving that the work injury caused his medical disability. We find no manifest error in the hearing officer's findings that claimant, Mr. LeBlanc, did prove the work injury on May 23, 1989 caused his peripheral sensory neuropathies and toxic encephalopathy and that Mr. LeBlanc was permanently and totally disabled. We affirm the judgment of the hearing officer on those issues. However, we reverse (1) the finding that the worker's compensation insurer, Aetna Life and Casualty Company (Aetna), was arbitrary and capricious in terminating benefits, (2) the award of penalties and attorney's fees, (3) the order of the reimbursement of medical expenses to the intervenor, Louisiana Cardiology Associates (LCA), and (4) the award of compensation benefits for the period Mr. LeBlanc worked between July, 1989 and April, 1990.

*803 FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Mr. Herman LeBlanc filed a disputed claim for compensation with the worker's compensation office. The matter was heard in February of 1991 and December of 1992. Before the injury on the job, Cajun Painting, Inc. (Cajun), employed Mr. LeBlanc, off and on, as a painter and sandblaster for approximately 10 years. Cajun filed for bankruptcy after this appeal was taken. The bankruptcy court granted relief from an automatic stay so that the suit and appeal could continue. No judgment, however, can be taken against Cajun. Aetna was the worker's compensation insurer for Cajun. LCA, Mr. LeBlanc's health insurer, intervened in the disputed compensation claim, and asked for reimbursement of medical expenses it paid on behalf of Mr. LeBlanc.

Throughout the employment with Cajun, Mr. LeBlanc was exposed to various chemicals, toxic and non-toxic. He had not experienced any significant related health problem before the work injury. On May 23, 1989, Mr. LeBlanc was sandblasting for Cajun. Mr. LeBlanc was breathing air from an air compressor through a mask. To be used as a source of breathable air, the air compressor should have had a specific type of filter. Mr. LeBlanc testified that the filter was missing that day. The air compressor was also the source of air for the sandblasting equipment.

Mr. LeBlanc testified that, after the first few minutes on the machine, Mr. LeBlanc smelled something like silicone glue. Silicone glue usually contains a solvent that can be toxic. The manufacture of silicone also involves toxic chemicals. After smelling the odor, Mr. LeBlanc experienced dizziness, weakness, and blurred vision. Mr. LeBlanc notified his foreman of the problem, but was told to continue working or "hit the gate." The day before, another employee, Paul James, experienced dizziness and nausea after about forty-five minutes of breathing air from the same compressor. Mr. James stopped using that compressor and the symptoms resolved within a couple of hours.

After four hours on the compressor, Mr. LeBlanc's prior symptoms worsened. He also experienced numbness of the face, a burning sensation in the eyes, and anxiety. The foreman realized Mr. LeBlanc was ill and told him to lay down in the supervisor's shack. Mr. LeBlanc fell asleep immediately and did not wake until he was told it was quitting time. He awoke with a headache and the same earlier symptoms.

At home, he experienced fatigue and a racing heart. The symptoms continued throughout the night. Mr. LeBlanc went to the emergency room at Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge, the next morning.

Mr. LeBlanc's emergency room chart recorded the symptoms, but did not specifically mention a work-related injury. Dr. John Fraiche, a family physician, examined Mr. LeBlanc at the hospital. Dr. Fraiche's initial impression was vertigo caused by a middle ear problem of some sort. An echocardiogram done on June 1, 1989, showed no sign of mitral valve prolapse (MVP), a condition with symptoms similar to Mr. LeBlanc's. Another ECG was done on June 20, 1989, and mild MVP was noted by the hospital cardiologist.

The symptoms persisted. Dr. Fraiche referred Mr. LeBlanc to Dr. Thomas Hansbrough, an otolaryngologist. Mr. LeBlanc reported the inhalation incident at work and his continuing symptoms. Objective testing showed central vestibular nerve pathway abnormality. In a letter dated June 28, 1989, Dr. Hansbrough diagnosed vertigo secondary to central vestibular dysfunction, a type of peripheral nerve system damage. Dr. Hansbrough referred Mr. LeBlanc to Dr. Susan Joerns, a neurologist, for a neurological evaluation.

At the time of Mr. LeBlanc's visit to Dr. Joerns in June of 1989, Mr. LeBlanc reported numbness in the body (especially in the fingers), blurred vision, episodes of tunnel vision and flashing lights, nausea, heart palpitations, dizziness and anxiety. Dr. Joerns found fluctuating anisocoria (a condition where the pupils dilate unevenly when exposed to light, a sign of possible peripheral neuropathy). Dr. Joerns diagnosed MVP, based on the ECG with positive findings and Mr. LeBlanc's symptoms.

*804 A later ECG done in 1990 by a cardiologist, Dr. Carl Luikart, showed no sign of MVP. In Dr. Luikart's opinion, Mr. LeBlanc did not have MVP.

On medication prescribed by Dr. Joerns, the dizziness resolved and the major symptoms seemed to improve. Dr. Joerns signed a release to return to work for July 3, 1989. Throughout the treatment, from June, 1989 until September of 1990, the other symptoms continued, but waxed and waned. By the time of Dr. Joerns deposition in January of 1991, Dr. Joerns had linked the inhalation to the continuing symptoms and wondered if the chemical exposure could have triggered the onset of rheumatoid arthritis in Mr. LeBlanc in 1990. However, in Dr. Joerns' opinion, without the rheumatoid arthritis, Mr. LeBlanc would still suffer from the same MVP symptoms, but could work on proper medication.

In April of 1990, Mr. LeBlanc experienced severe swelling in his joints. He was referred to a rheumatologist, Dr. Jed Morris. At the time of the hearing, Dr. Morris was still treating Mr. LeBlanc for severe rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Morris stated in deposition that the cause for rheumatoid arthritis is unknown to the medical profession, but a genetic link is known to exist. Mr. LeBlanc tested positive for that genetic indicator. After treating Mr. LeBlanc for some time, Dr. Morris thought it was possible that toxic chemical exposure could trigger rheumatoid arthritis. However, Dr. Morris knew of no studies to support that theory. Dr. Morris testified that the effects of the peripheral nervous system dysfunction on the rheumatoid arthritis, and vice versa, could not be separated out, nor separately determined because of the similar manifestations of both conditions. He treated Mr. LeBlanc as having one illness.

Mr. LeBlanc was referred to Dr. Thomas Callender, who was board certified in internal medicine and board eligible in occupational medicine. Dr. Callender first saw Mr. LeBlanc on July 3, 1990, only two months after Dr.

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654 So. 2d 800, 1995 WL 240651, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leblanc-v-cajun-painting-inc-lactapp-1995.