WPC& # V %ang 0 P UFd 4  0 0Da 0J 0T 0^C 0h w@ 0rI 0| 07 0 1uMU, 0dR BZU,w D3U6B)  0@5DCu AMU* /OteF|1v~v AO$;% 0D& D/E& Bt&HP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPT0 X<6X9`(*Courier 12pt10cpiXXx6X@JQX@((m$  <Q 9Z .Courier New Regular~| Yqa $@T883|xx(D(3.$ m!    `   0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  defgPhDiDjkDlmӀ2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)<  9p`(ModernP 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X d<  9p`(Monaco%%%%'dxd<  9p`(Courier New% Line 7 d("$    ,,,,7Border 1dd-.C << G<  9p`(Arial  !+       00   YYY FILED0X May13,1996CecilCrowson,Jr.0AppellateCourtClerk   !#d#+        $       Tenn.CodeAnn.506101et.seq.(1991&Supp.1995). j !#d#+        $       Thedeceasedemployee'stwochildrenarenot"orphans,"asthatwordiscommonlyused,becausetheirmothersareliving;however,becausethepartiesstipulatedthattheemployeedidnotleaveasurvivingspousewhoisentitledtobenefits,thedeceasedemployee'schildrenareconsideredtobe"orphans"forpurposesoftheworkers'compensationlaw.Wrightv.Armstrong,179Tenn.134,163S.W.2d78(1942).  !#d#+        $       Wedonotfindintherecordthebasisforthe$318.24figurestatedabove.However,becausethepartiesandthetrialcourtapparentlyagreedthatthisfigurewascorrect(i.e.,thatitwas,atthattime,seventyeightpercentofthestate'saverageweeklywage),weacceptthefigureforpurposesofourdiscussion. < !#d#+        $       ݛWereachthisfigurebymultiplying$115.77(thestipulatedworkerscompensationweeklyrate)byfourweeks. r !#d#+        $       If,asorderedbythetrialcourt,onefourthoftheoutstandingbalanceofattorneys'feesweretobepaidincrementally,theincrementalattorneys'feespaymentswould(baseduponthemodifiedawardofbenefits)besmall;additionally,thisonefourthofthebalanceofattorneys'feeswouldpresumablynotbepaidinfulluntilapproximatelyNovemberintheyear2000(fourhundredweeksafterthedeathoftheemployee).  !#d#+        $       Werejecttheemployer'sargumentthatthetrialcourterredonthegroundthattherewasnoproofintherecordtosupportthecommutingofattorneys'feestoalumpsum.FromtherecordbeforethisCourt,thetrialcourthadadequateinformationuponwhichtoresolvethisissue.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'@Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Monaco   BA Op Monaco  BA Op Monaco -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . &))Xd&#))Xd#+            ,   \RA'\L/1.;+'h|` , `L@ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE@ ATKNOXVILLE` X$XVALENCIASPENCER,asNatural  ) ForPublicationParentandLegalGuardianof  )NatashaSpencer,aMinor,and  )TERESAPLUMMER,asNaturalParent ) Filed:May13,1996andLegalGuardianofCornay  )CordalePlummer,aMinor,  )        ) No.03S019502CH00018 PlaintiffsAppellees,  )       )v.       ) HamiltonCounty       ) TOWNSONMOVING&STORAGE,INC.  )       ) Hon.R.VannOwens, DefendantAppellant.  ) ChancellorForPlaintiffsAppellees:   ForDefendantAppellant:O.MichaelCarter     CharlesW.DooleyTerryL.McGhehey     SeanAntoneHuntChattanooga,TN     Chattanooga,TN       @ OPINIONAFFIRMEDASMODIFIEDANDREMANDED     BIRCH,J.&` X hX X&ӛ Inthisworkers'compensationappeal,weconsidertheϜtrialcourtsinterpretationofthedeathbenefitprovisionsof7MXdXXd7theWorkers'CompensationAct 2   ׀incalculatingbenefitsanddeterminewhetherthetrialcourterredinorderingapartialcommutationofattorneys'fees.ThestandardofreviewbythisCourtinworkerscompensationcasesisdenovoupontherecord,accompaniedbyapresumptionofthecorrectnessofthefactualfindings,unlessthepreponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(Supp.1995);Finkv.Caudle,856S.W.2d952,958(Tenn.1993).Thiscase,however,involvesquestionsoflaw.Thus,wearenotboundbythepreponderanceoftheevidencestandard,andwereviewquestionsoflawdenovowithoutlimitation.Ridingsv.RalphM.ParsonsCo.,914S.W.2d79,80(Tenn.1996);UnionCarbideCorp.v.Huddleston,854S.W.2d87,91(Tenn.1993). Thestipulatedfacts,inpertinentpart,are:8 8 1.DarrylDaviswasactingwithinthecourseandscopeofhisemploymentwhenhewaskilledonFebruary12,1993,andhisdeathiscompensableunderTennesseeworkerscompensationlaw.8 8 2.Thedeceasedhadtwowhollydependentminorchildren:NatashaSpencerandCornayPlummer.8 8 3.DarrylDavisworkerscompensationweeklyrateis$115.77.Baseduponthesefacts,thetrialcourtawarded$127,296totheplaintiffs.Thetrialcourtawardedattorneys'feesof$25,459.20(twentypercentofthejudgment).However,aftercreditingthedefendantforpaymentsalreadymadetotheplaintiffs'attorneys,thecourtcommutedseventyfivepercentoftheoutstandingbalanceofattorneys'feestoalumpsumandorderedthattheremainingtwentyfivepercentbepaiddirectlytotheattorneysoutofthedependents'everyotherweekbenefitpayment. ThefirstissueconcernstheapplicationofTenn.CodeAnn.506209(b)and210(e).Thesetwostatutesprovideforcompensationarisingoutofthedeathofacoveredemployee,andtheyaretobeconstruedtogether.Haynesv.ColumbiaPicturesCorp.,178Tenn.648,162S.W.2d383(1942).Underthetwostatutes,incasesinwhichthedeceasedemployeeleavestwoormoredependent"orphans," 3   ׀compensationshallbepaidintheamountofsixtysixandtwothirdspercentofthe"averageweekly  wages"ofthedeceased,nottoexceedthe"maximumtotalbenefit."Tenn.CodeAnn.506209(b)(3)and210(e)(5). "Maximumtotalbenefit"isdefinedinTenn.CodeAnn.506102(a)(6)tomean thesumofallweeklybenefitstowhichaworkermaybeentitled.ForinjuriesoccurringonorafterJuly1,1992,itisfourhundred(400)weekstimesthemaximumweeklybenefit.Thus,underthisdefinition,the"maximumtotalbenefit"isdeterminedbymultiplyingthe"maximumweeklybenefit"byfourhundred. "Maximumweeklybenefit"isdefinedin506102(a)(7)(A)as"themaximumcompensationpayabletotheworkerperweek.ForinjuriesoccurringonorafterAugust1,1992,throughJune30,1993,themaximumweeklybenefitsaresixtysixandtwothirdspercentoftheemployee'saverageweeklywageuptoseventyeightpercentofthestate'saverageweeklywageasdeterminedbythedepartmentofemploymentsecurity. Thetrialcourtfoundthatinthecontextoftheotherdefinitions,thedefinitionof"maximumweeklybenefit"isambiguous;itthenconstruedthestatutetorequirethattheamountofdeathbenefitsbecalculatedbaseduponseventyeightpercentofthestate'saverageweeklywageandnotupontheemployee'sactualaverageweeklywages.Accordingly,thetrial  courtcalculatedthemaximumtotalbenefitbymultiplying$318.24 4   ׀byfourhundredweeks,foratotalof$127,296.̛ ThestartingpointforstatutoryconstructionwasstatedinKendrickv.Kendrick,902S.W.2d918,923(Tenn.App.1994):8 8 Oursearchforlegislativepurposebeginswiththelanguageofthestatuteitself.Neffv.CherokeeIns.Co.,704S.W.2d1,3(Tenn.1986).IftheGeneralAssemblyhasspokendirectlytotheissue,andifthestatuteisclear,ourexaminationneedproceednofurtherbecausethecourtsmustgiveeffecttounambiguousstatutes.RoddyMfg.Co.v.Olsen,661S.W.2d868,871(Tenn.1983);Andersonv.Outland,210Tenn.526,532,360S.W.2d44,47(1962).Ӝ Inthecaseunderreview,506209(b)and210(e)providethatthecompensationtobepaidtothedeceasedemployee'sdependentsshallbeintheamountofsixtysixandtwothirdspercentofthedeceased'saverageweeklywages,subjecttothe"maximumtotalbenefit."UnderTenn.CodeAnn.506102(a)(6),the"maximumtotalbenefit"isfourhundredweekstimesthe"maximumweeklybenefit."The"maximumweeklybenefit"is,forthepurposesofthiscase,"sixtysixandtwothirdspercent(662/3%)oftheemployee'saverageweeklywageuptoseventyeightpercent(78%)ofthestate'saverageweeklywageasdeterminedbythedepartmentofemploymentsecurity."Tenn.CodeAnn.506102(a)(7)(A)(iii).Wefindthatthisdefinitionisclearandunambiguous:themaximumweeklybenefitistobedeterminedbasedupontheemployee'saverageweeklywage;notuntilsixtysixandtwothirdspercentoftheemployee'saverageweeklywagesequalsorexceedsseventyeightpercentofthestate'saverageweeklywagedoesthecourtusethefigure"seventyeightpercent(78%)ofthestate'saverageweeklywage"todeterminetheamountofthecompensationpayabletothedependents.Under506209(b)and210(e),aswellasthestatutorydefinitionsquotedabove,weconcludethattheϜdeceasedemployee'sdependentsareentitledtomaximumtotalbenefitsintheamountof$46,312, 5   כnotthe$127,296awardedbythetrialcourt. Inreachingthisconclusion,werecognize,asthetrialcourtdid,thattheamountofthebenefitspayabletothesetwodependentsissubstantiallylessthanthebenefitswhichwouldhavebeenpaidhadtheirfatherdiedonorbeforeJuly31,1992.Tenn.CodeAnn.506102(7)(A)(ii)providesthatfortheperiodJuly1,1991,throughAugust1,1992,"themaximumweeklybenefitshallbetwohundredninetyfourdollars($294)perweek."Therefore,themaximumtotalbenefitfordependentsofanemployeewhohaddiedduringthisperiodwouldhavebeenfourhundredweekstimes$294,foratotalof$117,600.Eventhoughonemightquestionthedisparitybetweenthebenefitsthatareduetotheplaintiffsinthiscaseandthosebenefitsthatwouldhavebeenpayabletodependentswhosemotherorfatherhaddiedonlysevenmonthsearlier,weareconstrainedbythewordingofthestatutesasenactedbythelegislature. Thesecondissueconcernsthetrialcourt'sdecisiontopartiallycommutetheoutstandingbalanceofattorneys'feesawardedtocounselfortheplaintiffs.Theplaintiffsarguethatthetrialcourterredbyfailingtocommutetheentireoutstandingbalanceofattorneys'feestoalumpsum. TennesseeCodeAnnotated506229(a)statesthat"[a]ttorneys'feesmaybepaidasapartiallumpsumfromanyawardwhenapprovedandorderedbythetrialjudge."Byusingtheword"may,"thelegislaturehasplacedthedecisionofwhethertocommuteattorneys'feesinthediscretionofthetrialcourt.SeeJohnsonv.AlcoholicBeverageComm'n,844S.W.2d182,185(Tenn.App.1992).Whilethisdecisionisamatterofdiscretionforthetrialjudge,thisCourthasroutinelycommutedattorneys'feestoalumpsum.SeeModineMfg.Co.v.Patterson,876S.W.2d293(Tenn.1993);Huddlestonv.HartfordAccident&Indem.Co.,858S.W.2d315(Tenn.1993). Wenotethatstretchingoutthepaymentofattorneys'feesoveranumberofmonthsoryearsimposesadditionaladministrativeburdensandcostsonemployers,insurancecompanies,andonlawyersandlawfirms.Havingmodifiedtheamountofthebenefitstotheplaintiffsfrom$127,296to$46,312,wefindthattheadditionaladministrativeburdensandcostsassociatedwithpayingtwentyfivepercentoftheoutstandingbalanceofattorneys'feesoveraperiodofyearsmilitateagainstapartialcommutationoftheattorneys'feestoalumpsum. 6   ׀Wethereforeaffirmthetrialcourt'ssettingoftheattorneys'feesattwentypercentofthetotalawardherein, 7   כbutweorderthattheentirebalanceofattorneys'feesbecommutedtoalumpsum. WeaffirmthetrialcourtsawardasmodifiedandremandthecaseforentryofsuchordersasarenecessarytocarryoutthejudgmentofthisCourt. Thecostsaretaxedtothedefendantappellant.      ______________________________)` Xl yhX$ X)      ADOLPHOA.BIRCH,JR.,JusticeCONCUR:Anderson,CJ.Drowota,Reid,JJ.White,J.,notparticipating