Love, Sarah v. Delta Faucet

2016 TN WC 178
CourtTennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
DecidedAugust 4, 2016
Docket2015-07-0195
StatusPublished

This text of 2016 TN WC 178 (Love, Sarah v. Delta Faucet) 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
Love, Sarah v. Delta Faucet, 2016 TN WC 178 (Tenn. Super. Ct. 2016).

Opinion

FILED August 4, 2016

TN COURT OF WORKERS' CO!\JPINSATION CLAIMS

Time 7:15AM

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION IN THE COURT OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS AT JACKSON

SARAH LOVE, ) Docket No.: 2015-07-0195 Employee, ) v. ) State File Number: 55816-2015 DELTA FAUCET, ) Employer, ) Judge Allen Phillips And, ) ) TRAVELERS INSURANCE CO., ) Insurance Carrier. )

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER FOR MEDICAL AND TEMPORARY DISABILITY BENEFITS

This matter came before the undersigned Workers' Compensation Judge on July 7, 2016, upon the Request for Expedited Hearing filed by Sarah Love pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-239(20 15). Ms. Love seeks medical and temporary disability benefits for an alleged shoulder injury. Delta contends she has failed to establish causation. Accordingly, the central legal issue is whether Ms. Love has established, by the standard applicable at an Expedited Hearing, that she suffered an injury arising primarily out of and in the course and scope of her employment. If the answer is in the affirmative, the issue turns to the extent of her entitlement to medical and/or temporary disability benefits. For the reasons set forth below, the Court holds Ms. Love has come forward with sufficient evidence, at this time, to show she is likely to prevail in establishing an injury arising primarily out of and in the course and scope her employment. Thus, she is entitled to medical and temporary disability benefits.'

History of Claim

Ms. Love is a forty-eight-year-old resident of Madison County, Tennessee who 1 The Court has attached a complete listing of the technical record and exhibits admitted at the Expedited Hearing to this Order as an appendix.

1 worked for Delta in production. On July 17, 2015, she felt a "pop" in her right shoulder when lifting a tub of parts·. She reported her injury and Delta provided a panel of physicians. She chose Dr. Greg Wolf, an orthopedic surgeon in Memphis.

After noting Ms. Love's report of injury during his first visit with her on August 11,2015, Dr. Wolf suspected a rotator cufftear and recommended an MRI. He restricted her to light duty with "no use of the right upper extremity." (Ex. 1 at 13).

On September 15, 2015, Dr. Wolf recorded that the MRI revealed a rotator cuff tear and a complete rupture of the biceps tendon. He discussed with Ms. Love that "she would likely benefit from a rotator cuff repair" and further discussed a possible repair of the biceps tendon if the tear appeared "new" when examined during surgery. (Ex. 1 at 11). Ms. Love "wish[ed] to proceed with surgery" and Dr. Wolf maintained the restriction of no use of the right upper extremity. !d.

On September 25, 2015, Dr. Wolf responded to an inquiry from Delta regarding the cause of Ms. Love's injury. He responded in the affirmative to the question: "Please provide your expert medical opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, as to whether Ms. Love's diagnosis and the need for treatment arises primarily out of and in the course and scope of employment with Delta Faucet?'' (Ex. 1 at 10). He attributed "100%" of the "diagnosis and need for treatment" to the injury at Delta. !d.

Two weeks later, on October 5, 2015, Delta's counsel corresponded with Dr. Wolf via a three-plus page, single-spaced letter detailing what it described as right shoulder pain that "began long, long before July 17, 2015." (Ex. 6 at 3 )(Emphasis in original). After detailing extensive right shoulder complaints Ms. Love made to Dr. Louis Murphy, her personal physician, counsel asked Dr. Wolf to "re-visit" his previous causation opinion, "this time armed with a complete medical history." So armed, counsel "assumed" Dr. Wolf would change his "previous causation opinion." !d. Indeed, Dr. Wolf checked an "Agree" box beside a paragraph stating that he, "cannot say, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty that Ms. Love's shoulder problems were related to her work at Delta." (Ex. 1 at 9)(Emphasis added). Delta then denied Ms. Love's claim.

On January 12, 2016, Dr. Wolf noted Delta's denial but then reversed his last opinion by stating, "[t]o me, it seems like a fairly clear-cut case in that she was lifting a heavy tray of parts and felt a pop in her shoulder and had pain." He added the objective findings on the MRI of rotator cuff and biceps tendon tears. (Ex. 1 at 5). He thought it "smartest" to await results of her appeal "through the Tennessee Labor Board" before proceeding to surgery under her private insurance. !d.

On March 25, 2016, Dr. Wolf realized he based his "clear-cut" comment of January 12, 2016, on his "clinic notes" without reference to his response to Delta "placed in a "separate portion of [Ms. Love's] medical record." (Ex. 1 at 3). Upon reflection, he

2 again reversed himself by stating, "it [was] reasonable to maintain [his] opinion that [he could not] say within a reasonable degree of medical certainty that Sarah Love's shoulder problems" were "primarily caused" by her work at Delta. !d. He noted he would "discuss" this opinion with Ms. Love at her next appointment.

At that next appointment, on April 21, 2016, Dr. Wolf, "after some consideration and further discussion with Ms. Love," decided to "reverse [himself] once again regarding her injury." (Ex. 1 at 1). In so doing, he noted the "majority" of Ms. Love's complaints detailed in Delta's letter "are from the late 1990's, ending in 1998 which was 16 years ago." !d. Ms. Love "then continued on for 13 years" until again complaining of pain "on 10/25/11." !d. In readopting his affirmative causation opinion, Dr. Wolf explained:

Given the fact that there was no objective evidence of a rotator cuff tear in any of her previous medical documentation, given the fact that Ms. Love was tolerating her regular work prior to her workman's compensation claim and given the fact that she felt a pop when the shoulder pain started when she was lifting a tray, I do think it is reasonable to say Ms. Love's injury is the result of her work.

!d. at 1-2. He "regretted" his reversal "confuses this issue for all parties involved." !d. at 2.

After Dr. Wolf reverted to his affirmative causation opinion, Delta sought an opinion from Dr. David Sickle. It did so with a four-plus page letter from its counsel similar to the one he sent Dr. Wolf on October 5, 2015. In his letter to Dr, Sickle, counsel pointed to the records of Ms. Love's personal physician, Dr. Wolfs reversals of opinion, and asserted Dr. Wolf "erred in changing his opinion the last time, as [counsel believed Dr. Wolf] based his change of mind on an erroneous reading of Ms. Love's medical records." (Ex. 7 at 4). This erroneous reading centered upon, in counsel's description, Ms. Love's untruthful statements to Dr. Wolf; namely, she concealed the fact her shoulder problems "began long, long before July 17, 2015." !d. (Emphasis in original).

At the end of Delta's letter, Dr. Sickle checked the "Agree" box beside this statement: "Based on her medical history, Ms. Love has long-standing issues with her shoulder. Therefore, I cannot say, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that Sarah Love's shoulder problems were primarily caused by her work at Delta Faucet." (Ex. 7 at 5). Afterwards, Delta maintained its denial.

The parties did not resolve their disputes through mediation and Ms. Love requested this Expedited Hearing. At the hearing, Ms. Love was the only witness to testify. She claimed that since beginning work at Delta five years ago, she had no disciplinary issues and maintained "perfect" attendance. She admitted to past shoulder

3 pain on direct examination.

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