WPC 8#  UN+ %y 0U:z4w@ 0? 0D^  0D  0J 0T6 0^ 0h 0rP 0| 0> 0 1uT 0d AQ-~ 0D 0@[ B D/ B D3U>7U *uU*B)DC AM5yKv~vHP LaserJet 4 PlusHPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLH(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX(H=$  HTR[A' Legal[A' LegalA' LegalA' LegalTX_XXX7XXdXXd7,  AZ"Arial Regulare" 3|x EӀU  D Ӏ((3P$ H=!  HTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'TXXXX7XXdd7   `   0  (%$  1  H($$   1  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X!"#&C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3M$ H=!  HTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'TXXXX7XXdd7  ("$     d((' dxdP Pd$$$$'dxd<  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Arial<  9p`(Times% Line 7 d00007Border 1dd!#1C << G  !  #d#-    H \RA'\.#d#  ""  .   YYY FILED.XJune24,1997CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk   o !#d#-    H \RA'\.#d#   $       TheComplaintwasfiledJuly26,1995.  !#d#-    H \RA'\.#d#  ""  .   YYY FILED.XJune24,1997CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk  PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva ! . -    H \RA'\.#//Xd##//Xd#  ݛ   X      @ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE̜!R231A1-j|P` 81 `@Rߛ@ SPECIALWORKERS'COMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL@ ATNASHVILLE   LUTHERT.BECKETT,   ) DAVIDSONCIRCUIT      )  Plaintiff/Appellant   ) NO.01S019610CV00209      ) v.      ) HON.WALTERC.KURTZ,      ) JUDGEGAYLORDENTERTAINMENT  )COMPANY,     )      ) Defendant/Appellee  ) FortheAppellant:    FortheAppellee: GeorgeE.Couple,Jr.   RichardK.Smith172SecondAvenue,North  ChristinaNorrisSuite218     FifthFloor,NoelPlaceNashville,TN37201   200FourthAvenue,North      Nashville,TN37219   MEMORANDUMOPINIONMembersofPanel: JusticeLyleReidSeniorJudgeWilliamH.InmanSpecialJudgeWilliamS.Russell  AFFIRMED        INMAN,SeniorJudge  Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingtotheSupremeCourtoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw. TheissueiswhetherthedefendantshouldbeestoppedtopleadthebaroftheStatuteofLimitations.Thetrialjudgeruledthatwaiverandestoppelwerenotimplicatedanddismissedthesuit. TheplaintiffallegedthathewasinjuredwhileworkingfortheOprylandHotelonMay28,1994.ThedefenseoftheStatuteofLimitationswasraisedbymotionforsummaryjudgment,thehearingofwhichwasbifurcated.ThetrialcourtdeterminedthattheplaintiffwasawareofajobrelatedinjurynolaterthanJune8,1994, 4   לbutconductedaseparatehearingontheissueofwaiverandestoppel,followingwhichheruledthatthedelayinfilingsuitwasthefaultoftheplaintiff. PlaintiffwasemployedattheOprylandHotelinNashvilleonMay28,1994,asadoorman.OntheearlyafternoonofMay28,1994,hefeltapaininhislowerrightabdomen,andthoughthehadpulledamuscleandreportedthistothedoorcaptain.Hethentoldthebellservicesmanagerthathethoughthehadpulledamuscleandrequestedpermissiontogohome,whichwasgranted.Hereturnedtoworkonhisnextscheduledworkday,andcontinuedtoworkwithoutcomplaintuntilhewasterminatedforanunrelatedreasononAugust13,1994. Plaintiffwenttoseehispersonalphysician,Dr.Jacokes,aboutthisinjuryonJune8,1994.Afterexaminingtheplaintiff,Dr.Jacokesadvisedhimthathehadahernia.Plaintiffknewthathisinjuryhadoccurredatwork,buthemadenomentiontoOprylandofhisherniabeforeleavinghisemployment. PlaintifftestifiedthatthepaininhislowerabdomenworsenedinApril,1995,andhesoughtadditionalmedicaltreatment.Hisphysiciantoldhimthathewouldneedsurgeryand,asaresult,hecontacteddefendanttofileaworkerscompensationclaim.HewasreferredtoWillisCorroon,thethirdpartyadministratorofOprylandsworkerscompensationclaims,andspokewithMs.AnnParker,claimsadjuster,atWillisCorroon. Ms.ParkerinformedMr.BeckettthatWillisCorroonwouldinvestigatetheclaim,andthenshetookstepstoobtainmedicalrecordsfromhisdoctors.Shealsoattemptedtocontactthetwopersonsplaintiffclaimedtohavenotifiedabouthisinjury.Shedidnottellhimthathisclaimwouldbepaid,orthathisclaimwascompensable,oroffertonegotiate. OnJune15,1995,WillisCorroonforwardedaNoticeofDenialoftheclaimforcompensationtotheworkerscompensationdivisionatOprylandandsentalettertoMr.Beckettinforminghimthathisclaimwasbeingdenied.Thereasonstatedintheletterforthebasisofthedenialwasplaintiffsfailuretogivenoticeofhisinjuryandfailuretomeetthecriterianecessaryundertheworkerscompensationstatutetobecompensatedforahernia. BothplaintiffanddefendantpresentedproofconcerningtheconversationbetweenMr.BeckettandMs.Parker.HeacknowledgedthatMs.Parkerneversaidthatshewasnegotiatingaclaimorwouldsettletheclaim,butthatshewas stillinvestigatingtheclaim,andthathewouldhearfromherwhenshedecidedtheclaim.Mr.BeckettrealizedthatMs.Parkercouldjustaseasilydenytheclaimasshecouldapproveit. PlaintiffarguedthattheactionsofWillisCorroonininvestigatingtheclaimestoppeddefendantfromrelyingontheStatuteofLimitationsand/orconstitutedawaiveroftheStatuteofLimitations.Heacknowledgedattrialthattherewasnomisrepresentationorconcealmentofmaterialfactsbydefendant,butcontendedthattheactionsoftheadjuster lulledhimtosleep. Appellantarguesthattheadjustercontinuedtoinvestigatehisclaimandtoassurehimthatnodecisionhadbeenmadeforsevendaysafterthebardate,whichϜ inequityandconscienceshouldestopthedefendantfrompleadingthebarofthestatute. Ourreviewofthefindingsoffactmadebythetrialcourtisdenovoupontherecordofthetrialcourt,accompaniedbyapresumptionofthecorrectnessofthefinding,unlessthepreponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(2).Stonev.CityofMcMinnville,896S.W.2d584(Tenn.1991).Thereisnopresumptionofthecorrectnessofaquestionoflaw.NCNBNatlBankv.Thrailkill,856S.W.2d150(Tenn.Ct.App.1993). InWartonv.Everhart,895S.W.2d317(Tenn.1995),theCourtnotedthatitsresearchhasnotrevealedthatthedoctrineofequitabletollinghaseverbeenjudiciallyrecognizedinTennessee.TheCourt,rather,statedthattheexistingdoctrineofequitableestoppelwithitsrequirementthattheopposingpartyhaveengagedi%  nmisconductmoreappropriatelystrikesabalancebetweentheneedforpredictableproceduralrulesontheonehandandtheneedtorelieveinnocentpartiesoftheconsequencesoftheexpirationofthelimitationsontheother. TheplaintiffmustproveanaffirmativemisrepresentationbythedefendanttoimplicatethedoctrineofwaiverorequitableestoppelandweagreewiththetrialjudgethatthestatementsbyMs.Parkerarenotequatabletoaffirmativemisrepresentation. Thejudgmentisaffirmedatthecostsoftheappellant.̜      ___________________________________      WilliamH.Inman,SeniorJudgeCONCUR:_________________________________LyleReid,Justice_________________________________̜WilliamS.Russell,SpecialJudge    .J25;+'b|o` 81 `@J@ .INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE@ ATNASHVILLELUTHERT.BECKETT,   } DAVIDSONCIRCUIT      } No.95C2366Below Plaintiff/Appellant   }      } Hon.WalterC.Kurtz,vs.      } Judge      }GAYLORDENTERTAINMENT }COMPANY,    } No.01S019610CV00209      } Defendant/Appellee  } AFFIRMED.@ JUDGMENTORDER  ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanel'sMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference.  Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and  Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanel'sfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt. ` ` X  CostswillbepaidbyPlaintiff/AppellantandSurety,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary.  ITISSOORDEREDonJune24,1997.       PERCURIAM̛.X