Trujillo v. Beaty Elec. Co., Inc.

577 P.2d 431, 91 N.M. 533
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 21, 1978
Docket3050
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 577 P.2d 431 (Trujillo v. Beaty Elec. Co., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trujillo v. Beaty Elec. Co., Inc., 577 P.2d 431, 91 N.M. 533 (N.M. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinions

OPINION

LOPEZ, Judge.

The defendants appeal a judgment awarding the plaintiff total and permanent disability under the New Mexico Workmen’s Compensation Act, § 59-10-1, et seq., N.M.S.A. 1953 (2d Repl. Vol. 9, pt. 1, 1974). The plaintiff cross-appeals the court’s judgment denying certain medical expenses, costs, interest, and vocational rehabilitation services. We affirm the trial court’s judgment of total and permanent disability, and the court’s denial of three of plaintiff’s claims. We reverse the trial court’s judgment on plaintiff’s two remaining claims. The points of the defendants’ appeal and the plaintiff’s cross-appeal will be discussed seriatim.

Defendants’ Point I

The defendants argue that the judgment is in error because of the plaintiff’s failure to comply with the mandatory requisites of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, § 59-10-13.3(B), N.M.S.A. 1953 (2d Repl. Vol. 9, pt. 1, 1974).

The defendants argue that none of the doctors specifically mentioned the word “disability” using instead “injury” or “accident”.

By not using the term “disability” as the term to which a causal connection is sought under the statute, defendants contend that the statutory requirements of § 59-10-13.3(B), supra, have not been fulfilled. We disagree with the defendants. As the New Mexico Supreme Court held in Gammon v. Ebasco Corporation, 74 N.M. 789, 399 P.2d 279 (1965):

“[T]he medical expert need not state his opinion in positive, dogmatic language or in the exact language of the statute. But he must testify in language the sense of which reasonably connotes' precisely what the statute categorically requires.”

The defendants summarize their arguments by challenging the court’s findings of fact nos. 7, 8, 10, and 11 and conclusion of law no. 3, arguing that the court should have adopted their requested findings of fact. The court’s finding no. 7 in effect states that as a result of plaintiff’s accident on April 10,1974 and the subsequent aggravation on or about May 23, 1974, the plaintiff suffered a herniated or protruded disc causing him permanent total disability. The court’s finding no. 8 connects the injury and resulting disability to the April and May incidents. Findings nos. 10 and 11 found the plaintiff’s disability to be permanent.

The rule regarding a review of findings of fact is that the findings will not be disturbed if supported by substantial evidence. Lyon v. Catron County Commissioners, 81 N.M. 120, 464 P.2d 410 (Ct.App.1969), cert. denied, 81 N.M. 140, 464 P.2d 559 (1970); Gammon v. Ebasco Corporation, supra. Further, we must resolve conflicts in favor of the successful party and in support of the judgment. Schrib v. Seidenberg, 80 N.M. 573, 458 P.2d 825 (Ct.App.1969). It follows, therefore, that the trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law must be affirmed unless undisputed facts come before this Court, the only conclusion of which is contrary to the lower court’s conclusion, or unless manifestly wrong or clearly opposed to the evidence. Kosmicki v. Aspen Drilling Company, 76 N.M. 234, 414 P.2d 214 (1966); Lyon v. Catron County Commissioners, supra.

In the instant case, the doctor for the insurance company testified that he thought it within a reasonable medical probability that the surgery at the herniated disc that was removed was a natural and direct result of the accident. Dr. Adler, who was one of plaintiff’s expert witnesses, testified that in his opinion, it was a reasonable medical probability that the complaints the patient had at the time he cared for him would be directly related to the sequence of events which began with his injury while at work on April 10,1974. There was substantial evidence to support the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law. See Lyon v. Catron County Commissioners, supra; Gammon v. Ebasco Corporation, supra; Stuckey v. Furr Food Cafeteria, 72 N.M. 15, 380 P.2d 172 (1963).

Point II

Defendants’ Point II again challenges findings of fact nos. 7, 8, 10 and 11 as not being supported by substantial evidence, and conclusion of law no. 2. Under defendants’ Point I the evidence was substantial to sustain an award of total and permanent disability benefits under the New Mexico Workmen’s Compensation Act, § 59-10-1 et seq., supra.

The thrust of defendants’ argument under Point II is that pain is not a disability factor and no compensation should be allowed. The defendants cite Blancett v. Homestake-Sapin Partners, 73 N.M. 47, 385 P.2d 568 (1963) and Gomez v. Hausman Corporation, 83 N.M. 400, 492 P.2d 1263 (Ct.App.1971), cert. denied, 83 N.M. 395, 492 P.2d 1258 (1972). However, those cases do not apply to the facts in the instant case. The defendants are asking us to weigh the evidence, and that we cannot do. We have reviewed the evidence and find substantial evidence to support the court’s conclusion no. 2. Garcia v. Genuine Parts Co., 90 N.M. 124, 560 P.2d 545 (Ct.App.1977), cert. denied, 90 N.M. 254, 561 P.2d 1347 (1977).

Point III

The defendants argue that the causal relationship testimony was based on an incomplete or an inaccurate history without an adequate foundation; thus the court’s findings nos. 4 through 8, 10, and 11 were erroneous. Defendants argue that a doctor cannot testify to facts of a particular accident based on the history related to him by his patient. The defendants support this argument by saying that plaintiff never mentioned an earlier Nevada accident to the doctors who testified for him; pointing to contradictions and omissions in an expert opinion. Dr. Adler considered the possibility of the old injury and concluded that it would not affect his opinion as to causation of plaintiff’s disability. Defendants’ reference to this old injury from which plaintiff was healed was not necessary to the history relating to this disability. The trial court was the trier of facts. As this Court said in Martinez v. Fluor Utah, Inc., 90 N.M. 782, 568 P.2d 618 (Ct.App.1977), quoting from Montano v. Saavedra, 70 N.M. 332, 373 P.2d 824 (1962):

“It is for the trier of the facts to weigh the testimony, determine the credibility of the witnesses, and, to reconcile inconsistent statements and say where the truth lies .
“True enough, there was testimony of the medical expert from which the trial court might have found otherwise. Nevertheless, it was for the trial court, as the fact finder, to evaluate all the evidence and determine where the truth lay . . .”

It was the duty of that court to hear the evidence, weigh it for credibility and make a decision. Ortega v. New Mexico State Highway Department, 77 N.M. 185, 420 P.2d 771 (1966).

Point IV

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Trujillo v. Beaty Elec. Co., Inc.
577 P.2d 431 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1978)

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577 P.2d 431, 91 N.M. 533, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trujillo-v-beaty-elec-co-inc-nmctapp-1978.