Monte D. Moore v. Gordon Trucking, Inc

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedOctober 24, 2017
Docket48306-8
StatusUnpublished

This text of Monte D. Moore v. Gordon Trucking, Inc (Monte D. Moore v. Gordon Trucking, Inc) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Monte D. Moore v. Gordon Trucking, Inc, (Wash. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two

October 24, 2017

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II MONTE D. MOORE, No. 48306-8-II (Cons. w/ No. 49260-1-II) Appellant, UNPUBLISHED OPINION v.

GORDON TRUCKING, INC.

Respondent.

BJORGEN, C.J. — Monte D. Moore appeals from two adverse superior court rulings

affirming the order of the Department of Labor and Industries (Department) closing his claim for

medical compensation for an industrial injury. He argues that (1) the Board of Industrial

Insurance Appeals (Board) erred by determining that his December 18, 2014 notice of appeal of

the Department’s November 17, 2014 order affirming the October 23, 2014 order and denying

reconsideration of its order closing his claim was untimely filed, (2) the superior court

incorrectly determined that Moore’s December 18, 2014 notice of appeal to the Board was not

also a protest of the Department’s November 17, 2014 order denying reconsideration, (3) the

superior court applied the wrong standard of review, abuse of discretion, in reviewing whether No. 48306-8-II

the Board properly denied Moore’s March 27, 2015 motion to amend his December 18, 2014

notice of appeal, (4) the Board erred by denying Moore’s same motion to amend under WAC

263-12-080 and CR 15, (5) the Board’s denial of Moore’s motion to amend was arbitrary and

capricious because it conflicted with prior Board precedent, (6) the superior court incorrectly

determined that Moore’s motion to amend did not toll the finality of the Board’s order denying

appeal, (7) the superior court erred by failing to rule on Moore’s claim that the Board engaged in

ex parte communication with the Department, (8) the superior court incorrectly determined that

the Board properly denied Moore’s December 18, 2014 appeal, and (9) Moore is entitled to

reasonable attorney fees on appeal.

We hold that (1) we review de novo the superior court's decision on summary judgment

affirming the Board’s decision to deny Moore’s motion to amend his notice of appeal, (2) in the

absence of any prejudice to Gordon Trucking Inc., the superior court erred by affirming the

Board’s denial of Moore’s motion to amend, and (3) Moore is not entitled at this juncture to

attorney fees on appeal. Consequently, we reverse and remand this case to the Board with

instructions to grant Moore’s motion to amend. Because we remand this case to the Board for

further proceedings, it is unnecessary to reach the remaining issues presented in this appeal.

FACTS

In November 2012, while an employee with Gordon Trucking, Moore suffered an

industrial injury that aggravated his pre-existing right shoulder osteoarthritis. On October 23,

2014, the Department issued an order closing Moore’s claim because the aggravation of his pre-

existing injury was temporary and his condition had returned to its pre-injury status. On

2 No. 48306-8-II

November 11, 2014, Moore filed a protest1 and request for reconsideration of the October 23,

2014 order. The Department issued another order on November 17, 2014, stating that the

Department had reconsidered the October 23, 2014 order and determined it to be correct.

After the Department denied reconsideration, Moore filed a notice of appeal to the Board

on December 18, 2014. Moore’s notice of appeal stated:

The Claimant, Monte Moore, appeals to the [Board] the order of the [Department] dated October 23, 2014, which ended time-loss benefits as of April 24, 2014, closing the claim on October 23, 2014. The order also found that the aggravation of Mr. Moore’s shoulder arthritis had resolved and was therefore . . . merely a temporary aggravation.

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 9. Moore also attached a copy of the October 23, 2014 order to his notice

of appeal.2

The Board issued an order on January 12, 2015 denying Moore’s appeal, noting:

Our review of the Department record shows that the claimant also filed a protest with the Department on November 11, 2014, from the Department order dated October 23, 2014. The Department, in its order of October 23, 2014, provided that if a protest and request for reconsideration was filed in response to the order, a further order would follow the request. Because the claimant has filed a protest to the Department order of October 23, 2014, it is no longer a final decision of the Department. In re Santos Alonzo, BIIA Dec., 56,833 (1981). The Department was obliged to enter a further appealable determination. In recognition of this obligation, the Department issued an order on November 17, 2014, affirming the provisions of the order of October 23, 2014. Accordingly, the order of October 23, 2014, is not the Department’s final determination from which an appeal may be taken. The appeal is denied. The parties still retain the right to appeal from any further determination or order of the Department.

1 Protests are authorized by RCW 51.52.050(2)(a) and are effectively equivalent to requests for reconsideration. 2 Former WAC 263-12-050(1)(b) (2011) provides that “[i]n all appeals, the notice of appeal should contain where applicable: . . . A statement identifying the date and content of the department order, decision, or award being appealed. This requirement may be satisfied by attaching a copy of the order, decision, or award.”

3 No. 48306-8-II

CP at 21.

On January 20, 2015, Moore’s 60 day limit to file an appeal from the Department’s

November 17, 2014 denial of reconsideration under RCW 51.52.060(1)(a) expired. On January

22, 2015 Moore filed with the Board a motion to reconsider the January 12, 2015 order denying

his appeal (Board Docket No. 14 25374).

A. Board Docket No. 14 25374—Motion to Reconsider Board’s January 12, 2015 Order Denying Appeal / March 27, 2015 Motion to Amend

In his January 22, 2015 motion for reconsideration, Moore argued that the Board erred in

denying his appeal because although his appeal referenced the incorrect order, it expressed a

“clear disagreement and seeking [sic] review of the Department’s decision to close Mr. Moore’s

claim.” CP at 23. In the alternative, Moore argued that the reference to the October 23, 2014

order rather than the November 17, 2014 order was the result of a scrivener’s error.

On March 19, 2015, the Board issued an order denying Moore’s January 22, 2015 motion

for reconsideration, finding that “Mr. Moore’s argument that his appeal should be granted

because his appeal expressed a clear disagreement with the Department’s decision is irrelevant.”

CP at 35-36. The Board’s order further explained:

Once a party files a timely protest to a Department order that includes a statement regarding the right to protest, the order is automatically placed in abeyance. It is no longer a final decision of the Department. The assertion by Mr. Moore’s attorney that he referenced the October 23, 2014 order in the Notice of Appeal as a result of a scrivener’s error is not credible. Mr. Moore’s Notice of Appeal and cover letter both stated he was appealing the October 23, 2014 order, and he enclosed a copy of that order with his appeal.

4 No. 48306-8-II

In our Order Denying Appeal dated January 12, 2015, we reminded the parties that the Department had entered an order on November 17, 2014, in which it affirmed the provisions of the October 23, 2014 order. Mr.

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