Martens v. Industrial Com'n of Arizona

121 P.3d 186, 211 Ariz. 319, 463 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 5, 2005 Ariz. App. LEXIS 142
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedOctober 27, 2005
Docket1 CA-IC 04-0092
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 121 P.3d 186 (Martens v. Industrial Com'n of Arizona) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martens v. Industrial Com'n of Arizona, 121 P.3d 186, 211 Ariz. 319, 463 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 5, 2005 Ariz. App. LEXIS 142 (Ark. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

SNOW, Judge.

¶ 1 Katherine Martens seeks special action review of the denial of her motion for a protective order. Upon review, we hold that the administrative law judge (“ALJ”) appropriately denied Marten’s request.

*320 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2 Martens sustained a psychiatric industrial injury with related physical complications in 1991. Her claim has remained open since that time. She has received treatment for stress-related injuries and conditions from: her family practice physicians, a psychologist, psychiatrists, a pain medication and physical medicine specialist, a Temporo-mandibular-Joint (“TMJ”) specialist, a dentist, a dermatologist, and a gastroenterologist. Martens has remained on temporary disability status for almost thirteen years. She has not been released to work activities.

¶3 Pursuant to statute, the carrier may request the employee “from time to time” to submit herself for follow-up medical examinations by physicians and specialists whom the carrier designates. Ariz.Rev.Stat. (“A.R.S.”) § 23-1026(A) (1995) (“An employee ... shall submit [herjself for medical examination from time to time at a place reasonably convenient for the employee, if and when requested by the ... carrier.”); Ariz. Admin. Code (“A.A.C.”) R20-5-114 (“If ... a party requests an examination of a claimant by a physician,” the party shall provide the claimant with at least fifteen days’ advance notice.). In June 2004, the carrier, State of Arizona Risk Management, scheduled Martens for a series of independent medical examinations (“IMEs”), including one independent psychiatric examination (“IPE”) with Patricia Crellin, M.D. Martens’ long time friend, Ervin Matthews, attended some of the IMEs to provide Martens with emotional support. Prior to the IPE with Dr. Crellin, however, Columbia Medical Consulting, which coordinates Dr. Crellin’s appointments, notified Martens’ counsel in writing that Martens would not be permitted to bring anyone other than her physician or attorney to the IPE.

¶4 In response to Columbia’s refusal to allow Matthews to attend the IPE with Martens, Martens filed a motion for protective order. In her motion Martens argued that so long as Matthews did not interfere with the examination, Martens should be allowed to bring him pursuant to A.R.S. § 23-1026(B), A.A.C. R20-5-114, and Arizona Rule of Civil Procedure 35.

¶ 5 The ALJ denied the motion, and Martens requested review. In the interim, Martens and her psychologist, Richard Kapp, Ph.D., attended the IPE in question with Dr. Crellin. The ALJ then issued a Decision upon Review supplementing and affirming the prior denial. In the Decision upon Review, the ALJ also found the motion moot because Martens had attended the IPE that was the subject of the motion. Martens filed a petition seeking special action review from this court. We have jurisdiction pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 12-120.21(A)(2) (2003), 23-951(A) (1995), and Arizona Rule of Procedure for Special Actions 10.

ANALYSIS

¶ 6 Although the legal issue here is moot because the claimant attended the IPE in question without Matthews in attendance, see Burton v. Indus. Comm’n, 166 Ariz. 238, 239, 801 P.2d 473, 474 (App.1990) (“If petitioner has to submit to the medical examination without the use of a tape recorder, the issue will become moot.”), we exercise our discretion to review this issue in light of its likely recurrence. See Fry’s Food Stores of Ariz. v. Indus. Comm’n, 177 Ariz. 264, 266, 866 P.2d 1350, 1352 (1994).

¶ 7 Both our statutes and administrative regulations permit the Industrial Commission of Arizona (“ICA”), employers, and carriers to request an IME of a claimant. A.R.S. § 23-1026CA); A.A.C. R20-5-114(A). On special action review, Martens argues that the statute, the administrative regulation, and the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure allow her to bring her friend with her to an examination.

A. The Statute

¶ 8 Arizona Revised Statutes § 23-1026(B) states, “The request for the medical examination shall fix a time and place having regard to the convenience of the employee, [her] physical condition and [her] ability to attend. The employee may have a physician present at the examination if procured and paid for by himself.” Martens argues that this lan *321 guage does not limit her to having only a physician present during her examination.

¶ 9 In Burton, however, we have already held that while a claimant could bring a tape recording to an examination, the statute did not provide the claimant with the right to have persons other than the claimant’s physician present. 166 Ariz. at 240, 801 P.2d at 475. We noted “[a] tape recorder is not in the ‘same class’ as a person. Under the principle of expressio unius est exclusio alterius, the statute precludes the presence of all persons except for a physician of a claimant’s choosing.” Id.; see State v. Gonzales, 206 Ariz. 469, 471, ¶ 11, 80 P.Sd 276, 278 (App.2003) (explaining that “the rule of ex-pressio unius est exclusio alterius ... is a rule of statutory construction meaning the expression of one thing is the exclusion of another”). Michigan courts, in continuing a statute very similar to ours, determined:

[The statute] provides that “[t]he employee shall have the right to have a physician provided and paid for by himself or herself present at the examination.” However, § 385 is silent as to whether an employee has the right to have an attorney present during the examination. We ... apply the rule of statutory construction, expressio unius est exclusio alterius — the expression of one thing is the exclusion of another. We find that an employee may only be accompanied by a personal physician during a physical examination requested by the employer or its insurance carrier. To hold otherwise would render as surplusage the above-quoted sentence from § 385 which expressly prescribes that the employee has the right to have a physician present. Therefore, we hold that § 385 does not grant an employee the right to have counsel present during a physical examination requested by an employer, or its insurance carrier.

Feld v. Robert & Charles Beauty Salon, 435 Mich. 352, 459 N.W.2d 279, 280 (1990).

¶ 10 In Pedro v. Glenn, 8 Ariz.App. 332, 334-35, 446 P.2d 31 (1968), we noted that at least some examinations can be affected by the presence of third parties and held that the trial court had abused its discretion by permitting counsel and a court reporter to attend a party’s psychiatric examination.

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121 P.3d 186, 211 Ariz. 319, 463 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 5, 2005 Ariz. App. LEXIS 142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martens-v-industrial-comn-of-arizona-arizctapp-2005.