Thibodeaux v. Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co.

454 So. 2d 1141, 1984 La. App. LEXIS 9393
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 3, 1984
Docket83 CA 0919
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 454 So. 2d 1141 (Thibodeaux v. Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co.) 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
Thibodeaux v. Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co., 454 So. 2d 1141, 1984 La. App. LEXIS 9393 (La. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

454 So.2d 1141 (1984)

Burchman THIBODEAUX, Plaintiff,
v.
The AETNA CASUALTY AND SURETY COMPANY, et al., Defendants.

No. 83 CA 0919.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

July 3, 1984.
Rehearing Denied August 24, 1984.

*1142 Stephen E. Broyles, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellant Burchman Thibodeaux.

John W. Perry, Baton Rouge, for defendants-appellees Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co. and Comeaux Bros. Contractors, Inc.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

CRAIN, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the trial court which awarded Burchman Thibodeaux *1143 (Thibodeaux) worker's compensation benefits for 200 weeks for the specific loss of his arm and reserved him the right to recover under the partial disability provisions of the Worker's Compensation Law in the event that such proved to be more favorable at a later date.

On March 20, 1981, Thibodeaux injured his right arm and shoulder when he fell off the edge of a truck while in the process of unloading some laminated beams.

Thibodeaux had been employed by Comeaux Brothers Contractors, Inc. (Comeaux), for the past twenty-six years. At the time of the injury, his position was that of supervisor. His average weekly wage was $534.00. Thibodeaux is presently employed in the same capacity and has received all normal wage increases.

Following the accident, Thibodeaux went to Doctors Memorial Hospital after which he was referred to Dr. William Laughlin. At that time, Dr. Laughlin diagnosed a dislocated right shoulder and felt that Thibodeaux had not suffered any permanent physical impairment or disability from the injury. Thibodeaux was allowed to return to work in his supervisory position.

Comeaux's worker's compensation insurer at the time of this accident was Aetna Casualty and Surety Company (Aetna). Aetna first received notice of Thibodeaux's injury on March 27, 1981, when it received the injury report from Comeaux. The report indicated that Thibodeaux had returned to work on March 23, three days after the accident. The file was handled by Alva Lewis, claims superintendent at Aetna, and was treated as a "medical only" file since the claim involved less than seven days lost time. All medical bills were paid when submitted. In April of 1981, Aetna received a medical report from Dr. Laughlin explaining his March 20, 1981 diagnosis of Thibodeaux.

On March 19, 1982, Thibodeaux was given an up-dated estimate of his disability by Dr. Laughlin. Dr. Laughlin estimated Thibodeaux's functional disability was in the range of 25 to 50 percent. Thibodeaux's physical impairment and disability of the right upper extremity due to the dislocation of the right shoulder and the rotator cuff tear was estimated at 35 percent.

On March 22, 1982, approximately one year after the accident, Thibodeaux visited Aetna's office with a hand written note from Dr. Laughlin indicating the March 19, 1982 estimates of disability. This was Aetna's first notice of any type of disability. Mr. Lewis informed Thibodeaux that he had "some problems" with the hand written memo because there had been no previous indications of any disability. Thibodeaux informed Mr. Lewis that he had not been able to perform all of the physical activities which he was doing prior to this injury. Aetna refused to pay Thibodeaux any compensation. Mr. Lewis then advised Thibodeaux to file suit in order to interrupt prescription due to the fact that no compensation benefits had been paid. Thibodeaux filed suit to recover all compensation benefits to which he was entitled on March 22, 1982.

On April 7, 1982, Aetna received a follow-up medical report from Dr. Laughlin dated March 19, 1982. This report revealed the estimated disabilities and his recommendation not to reconstruct the rotator cuff tear because of Thibodeaux's age.

On June 30, 1982, Aetna took Thibodeaux's deposition to ascertain the history and extent of Thibodeaux's alleged disability.

On approximately July 13, 1982, Thibodeaux received his first compensation benefits from Aetna. Thibodeaux received an initial payment of compensation of $8,944.50, the amount necessary to bring him up-to-date computing his compensation benefits based on 37½ percent disability to the arm under the Specific Member Section of the Worker's Compensation Act,[1] at a *1144 rate of $133.50 per week for sixty-seven weeks.

Thibodeaux amended his petition on May 5, 1983,[2] alleging he was entitled to penalties and attorney's fees due to Aetna's arbitrary and capricious failure to pay any compensation benefits until approximately four months after suit was filed.

Trial on the merits was held on May 23, 1983. On that day the trial judge rendered the following judgment:

IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that there be judgment herein in favor of the plaintiff, Burchman Thibodeaux, and against defendants, The Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. and Comeaux Brothers Contractors, Inc., individually and solidarily, for 200 weeks of compensation benefits for specific loss of his arm at the rate of $133.50 per week (subject to a full credit for all previous benefits paid); reserving the plaintiff's right to recover under the partial disability provisions of the workmen's compensation law in the event that it proves to be more favorable at a later date.
The expert witness fee of Jay Hubbard is set at $400.00 and of William Joseph Laughlin, Jr., M.D. at $250.00, and together with the court reporter costs of $112.00 for the deposition of Dr. Laughlin, are taxed as costs, to be paid by defendants.
The claim for penalties and attorney's fees sought by Burchman Thibodeaux is denied.

Thibodeaux appeals from this judgment alleging four specifications of error.

SPECIFICATIONS OF ERRORS

(1) The trial court erred in failing to find that Burchman Thibodeaux was totally and permanently disabled under the odd-lot doctrine.
(2) The trial court erred in not determining specifically that Burchman Thibodeaux was partially disabled under the provisions of LSA-R.S. 23:1221(3) and thereby entitled to 250 weeks of partial disability compensation beyond the payments under the Specific Member Section.
(3) The trial court erred in failing to award penalties and attorney's fees to the plaintiff.
(4) The trial court erred in failing to award legal interest in accordance with law.

TOTAL AND PERMANENT DISABILITY

Thibodeaux alleges the trial court erred in not finding him totally and permanently disabled under the odd-lot doctrine.

Under the odd-lot doctrine, a claimant is entitled to a total and permanent disability when he establishes a prima facie case that, because of the physical impairment and other factors such as mental capacity, education and training, he can perform no services other than those which are so limited in quality or dependability that a reasonably stable market for them does not exist. The odd-lot concept may also be applied in cases where the worker, because of his injury, is in such substantial pain that work becomes an overburdening task. Orgeron v. Tri-State Road Boring, Inc., 434 So.2d 65 (La.1983).

If the claimant is successful in showing a combination of factors indicating that the services which he is able to render are so limited in quality, quantity, or dependability that a market for his labor does not *1145

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Bluebook (online)
454 So. 2d 1141, 1984 La. App. LEXIS 9393, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thibodeaux-v-aetna-cas-and-sur-co-lactapp-1984.