Pinkerton v. Thompson

881 N.E.2d 880, 174 Ohio App. 3d 229, 2007 Ohio 6546
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 10, 2007
DocketNo. 06CA008996.
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 881 N.E.2d 880 (Pinkerton v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pinkerton v. Thompson, 881 N.E.2d 880, 174 Ohio App. 3d 229, 2007 Ohio 6546 (Ohio Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

Carr, Judge.

{¶ 1} Defendants-appellants and cross-appellees, Robert Thompson and Envelope Mart of Northeast, Ohio, Inc. (“Envelope Mart”), appeal from a jury verdict in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas. Plaintiff-appellee and cross-appellant, James D. Pinkerton, cross-appeals from the judgments of the trial court, which denied his employment intentional-tort claim and his retaliation claim. This court affirms in part and reverses in part.

I

{¶ 2} On June 4, 1999, Pinkerton injured his left hand and fingers while operating Envelope Mart’s press machine. As a result of the injury, Pinkerton filed a workers’ compensation claim and missed approximately 45 days of work. Envelope Mart continued to pay Pinkerton during his absence and kept Pinkerton’s position open until he was able to return to work.

{¶ 3} Apart from his work-related accident, Pinkerton injured himself several other times during his employment with Envelope Mart. In March 1999, he fractured a finger on his right hand while punching the floor. In December 2000, he injured his left wrist and hand in an ATV accident. Both the March and December injuries required Pinkerton to wear a cast to work. Then, on April 2, 2001, Pinkerton again reported to work wearing a cast because he had reinjured his left wrist in another ATV accident. Pinkerton claimed that his injuries never interfered with his ability to perform his job as a press operator.

{¶ 4} On April 5, 2001, Pinkerton visited Dr. Robert Zanotti because of a pinching pain in his right shoulder. According to Pinkerton, the casts on his left arm forced him to use only his right arm at work, and the repetitive motions caused him to injure his right shoulder. Dr. Zanotti determined that the pain was work-related and gave Pinkerton a note to excuse him from work for two weeks. He also gave Pinkerton a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation First Report of Injury (“FROI”) form. Pinkerton went to work after his appointment with Dr. Zanotti and reported to Brian Thompson, Envelope Mart’s head of production. As a result of this meeting, Pinkerton was “laid off indefinitely.” On *234 May 29, 2001, Pinkerton filed a workers’ compensation claim for his shoulder injury.

{¶ 5} On May 30, 2003, Pinkerton filed a complaint against Envelope Mart and its owner Robert Thompson (collectively “defendants”). The complaint consisted of the following three counts: (1) employer intentional tort (“Claim I”), based on Pinkerton’s June 4, 1999 injury, (2) violation of the workers’ compensation statute R.C. 4123.90 (“Claim II”), based on Pinkerton’s April 2001 shoulder injury, and (3) wrongful discharge in violation of public policy as manifested in R.C. 4123.90 (“Claim III”). Due to the extensive procedural history in this case, we set forth each of Pinkerton’s claims and their histories separately.

Claim I

{¶ 6} In Claim I, Pinkerton alleged that defendants were liable for his press accident because they knew the machine was dangerous but chose not to install a safety guard on the machine. On June 22, 2004, Pinkerton moved for partial summary judgment as to Claim I only. On July 12, 2004, defendants also filed a motion for summary judgment and a brief in opposition to Pinkerton’s motion. On August 6, 2004, Pinkerton filed a brief in opposition to defendants’ summary judgment motion. Finally, on August 13, 2004, Robert Thompson filed his own motion for summary judgment, claiming that he could not be individually liable for any alleged intentional tort that Envelope Mart might have committed. On August 27, 2004, Pinkerton filed a brief in opposition to Thompson’s motion. Thompson filed a reply brief on September 7, 2004.

{¶ 7} On September 10, 2004, the trial court issued its decision. The court awarded defendants summary judgment, finding that Pinkerton could not satisfy his burden under Fyffe v. Jeno’s, Inc. (1991), 59 Ohio St.3d 115, 570 N.E.2d 1108. The court reasoned that Pinkerton’s injury stemmed from his refusal to follow defendants’ safety instructions and that Pinkerton chose to assume the risk of adjusting the press rollers while the press was running. As a result of its ruling, the trial court denied Pinkerton’s motion for summary judgment and found that Robert Thompson’s individual motion for summary judgment was moot.

Claim II

{¶ 8} In Claim II, Pinkerton alleged that defendants had terminated him as a result of his intention to file another workers’ compensation claim, thereby violating the workers’ compensation statute. On August 13, 2004, defendants filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that Pinkerton should not be able to proceed on this claim as to his June 4, 1999 injury. In his August 23, 2004 brief in opposition, however, Pinkerton clarified that Claim II related only to his April 2001 shoulder injury and not to his June 1999 injury.

*235 {¶ 9} On September 10, 2004, the trial court granted defendants summary judgment only as to the June 4, 1999 injury. 1 The court denied the motion as to the April 2001 shoulder injury and permitted Claim II to go forward.

{¶ 10} On March 7, 2005, the trial commenced. Although Claim II and Claim III were tried simultaneously, the parties understood that Claim II would be a bench decision and would not be submitted to the jury. On March 9, 2005, defendants filed a motion for a directed verdict on Claim II, arguing that Pinkerton did not have a valid claim, because Envelope Mart terminated him prior to his filing of his workers’ compensation claim. On March 9, Robert Thompson also filed a motion for directed verdict as to Claim II, arguing that he could not be personally liable for those claims. The trial court denied the motions.

{¶ 11} On March 18, 2005, and after the jury’s verdict on Claim III (discussed below), Pinkerton filed a motion for judgment on Claim II. On April 4, 2005, defendants filed a brief in opposition to the motion. On April 15, 2005, the trial court denied Pinkerton’s motion. The court reasoned that R.C. 4123.90 does not support a cause of action when the complainant is terminated prior to the filing of the workers’ compensation claim.

Claim III

{¶ 12} In Claim III, Pinkerton alleged that defendants had violated public policy by wrongfully discharging him for exercising his rights under the workers’ compensation statute. On October 12, 2004, defendants filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that no separate public-policy cause of action for wrongful discharge exists under R.C. 4123.90, since the statute itself provides an effective remedy. On October 22, 2004, Pinkerton filed a brief in opposition to defendants’ motion. On October 28, 2004, the trial court denied defendants’ motion, finding that the Ohio Supreme Court has recognized a claim of wrongful discharge in violation of public policy and that R.C. 4123.90 alone would not provide Pinkerton an adequate remedy.

{¶ 13} As noted above, the trial commenced on March 7, 2005, with the understanding that only Claim III would be submitted to the jury at the trial’s end. On March 9, 2005, Robert Thompson filed a motion for directed verdict as to Claim III, contesting his personal liability. The trial court denied the motion.

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Bluebook (online)
881 N.E.2d 880, 174 Ohio App. 3d 229, 2007 Ohio 6546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pinkerton-v-thompson-ohioctapp-2007.