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ÔÔ€ÔÓ&€##X„d&ÓÑ#€##Xd#ÑÔ€$ÔÝ  ÝÒ  ÒÒ … ÒÓ  ÓÑ  ÑÑ\R AØ'\Ñò òÔ€'ÔÑ7€F'XXdðdÈ7ÑIN›€THE€SUPREME€COURT€OF€TENNESSEEÌSPECIAL€WORKERS'€COMPENSATION€PANELÌAT€NASHVILLEÌÓ  Óó óÌÌÌÙ€-ÙœßL€+.*;+'h|/L` ç `€€Lß›EUNICE€IRENE€FREEMAN,à àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àMACONÏCIRCUITÌà àPlaintiff/Appelleeà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àHon.€BobbyÏCapers,Ìv.à àà àà àà àà àà à)à àJudgeÌà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àÌSPORTSWEAR€AND€ASSOCIATESà à)à àNO.€€01S01„9511„CV„00193Ìand€LIBERTY€MUTUAL€INSURANCEà à)à à(No.€3796€Below)ÌCOMPANY,à àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àDefendants/Appellantsà àà à)ÌÌÌÌò òòòFor€the€Appellantsóó:à àà àòòà àà àFor€the€Appelleeóó:€Ìó óÌLuther€E.€Cantrell,€Jr.à àà àà àà àE.€Guy€HollimanÌDavies,€Cantrell,€Humphreys€&€McCoyà àà àWilliam€Joseph€ButlerÌ150€2d€Ave.€N.,€Ste.€225à àà àà àà àFarrar€&€HollimanÌP.O.€Box€190609à àà àà àà àà à102€Scottsville€Hwy.ÌNashville,€TN€37219„0609à àà àà àà àLafayette,€TN€37083ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÓ  Óò òòòMEMORANDUM€OPINIONÌÌÌÌMembers€of€Panel:ó óóóÌÌJustice€Frank€F.€Drowota,€IIIÌSenior€Judge€John€K.€ByersÌSpecial€Judge€Roger€E.€ThayerÌÌÌÌÓ  Óò òœAFFIRMED›à àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àBYERS,€SeniorÏJudge€ÌAND€REMANDEDÌÓÓòòà àó óóóThis€workers'€compensation€appeal€has€been€referred€to€the€SpecialÏWorkers'ÌCompensation€Appeals€Panel€of€the€Supreme€Court€in€accordance€with€òòTenn.ÏCode€Annóó.€ðð€50„6„225(e)(3)€for€hearing€and€reporting€to€the€Supreme€Court€ofÏfindings€of€fact€and€conclusions€of€law.ÌÔ€$Ôà àÔ€'ÔThe€trial€judge€found€the€plaintiff€had€suffered€a€65%€permanent€partialÏdisability€to€the€body€as€a€whole€and€entered€judgment€accordingly.Ìà àThe€issues€raised€by€the€defendant€are:Ìà à1)à àWhether€the€proof€preponderates€against€the€trial€courtððs€judgment€asÏexcessive.Ìà à2)à àWhether€the€trial€court€erred€in€holding€that€the€plaintiffððs€award€wasÏnot€limited€to€two€and€a€half€times€the€medical€impairment€rating.Ìà à3)à àWhether€the€trial€court€erred€in€awarding€the€plaintiff€a€lump€sumÍpayment.Ìà àThe€judgment€of€the€trial€court€is€affirmed.Ìà àThere€is€no€dispute€that€the€plaintiff,€who€is€58€years€of€age,€with€a€highÏschool€education,€whose€primary€job€was€as€a€sewing€machine€operator,€wasÏinjured€in€an€industrial€accident.€€Further,€there€is€no€dispute€that€the€plaintiffÏsustained€a€permanent€vocational€impairment€to€the€body€as€a€whole.Ìà àThe€plaintiff€submitted€the€only€medical€evidence€in€this€case.€€The€physicianÏtestified€that€the€plaintiff€had€sustained€a€17%€permanent€medical€impairment€toÏthe€body€as€a€whole.€€The€plaintiff,€her€husband€and€a€co„worker€testifiedÏconcerning€the€plaintiffððs€condition€subsequent€to€the€injury.€€Each€of€theseÏwitnesses€testified€to€the€limitations€of€the€plaintiffððs€ability€to€perform€work€as€aÏresult€of€her€injuries.Ìà àWithout€question€the€plaintiff€sustained€a€significant€injury€in€this€accident.€ÏThe€trial€judge€saw€and€heard€the€witnesses€who€testified€œin€court€and›€creditedÏtheir€testimony.€€Credibility€of€these€witnesses€is€for€the€trial€judge€to€find,€and€weÏdo€not,€and€can€not,€reweigh€the€credibility€on€œappeal.›Ìà àOn€appeal,€we€review€the€judgment€of€the€trial€court€with€a€presumption€ofÏcorrectness.€€òòTenn.€Code€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„225(e)(2).€€We€are€required,€however,€to€makeÏan€in„depth€review€of€the€record€to€determine€where€the€preponderance€of€theÏevidence€lies.€€œòòTenn.€Code€Ann.€óóðð€50„6„225(e)(2).€€Landers,€775€S.W.2d€at€356.€€In›Ïapplying€this€rule€of€review,€we€take€the€evidence€as€established€in€the€record€atÏthe€trial€court.€€To€overturn€the€findings€of€fact€of€the€trial€court,€we€must€find€theÍevidence€clearly€preponderates€against€the€trial€courtððs€factual€findings.€€òòTenn.ÏCode€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„225(e)(2).€€If€it€does€not€so€preponderate€or€if€there€is€reasonableÏdebate€as€to€whether€the€evidence€preponderates€in€favor€of€or€against€the€trialÏcourtððs€findings€of€fact,€those€factual€findings€will€be€affirmed.Ìà àUsing€this€guide€in€weighing€the€evidence€in€this€case,€we€find€the€evidenceÏdoes€not€preponderate€against€the€finding€of€the€trial€court€that€the€plaintiffÏsustained€a€65%€permanent€vocational€disability€to€the€body€as€a€whole.Ìà àWe€must€now€determine€if,€despite€the€trial€courtððs€finding,€the€amount€of€theÏaward€is€limited€to€two€and€a€half€times€the€medical€impairment€rating€of€17%€byÏthe€reason€of€òòTenn.€Code€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„241(a)(1)€or€whether€the€amount€of€the€awardÏis€limited€to€six€times€the€medical€impairment€rating€of€17%€as€provided€in€òòTenn.ÏCode€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„241(b).Ìà àIf€an€employee€suffers€an€injury,€such€as€the€plaintiff€suffered€in€this€case,Ïand€is€returned€to€work€by€the€pre„injury€employer€at€a€wage€greater€than€or€equalÏto€the€wage€the€employee€was€earning€prior€to€the€injury,€the€award€to€theÏemployee€shall€be€limited€to€œtwo€and€a€half€›€times€the€medical€impairment€rating.€ÏòòTenn.€Code€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„241(a)(1).€€òòTenn.€Code€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„241(b)€provides€œthat,›€ifÏthe€employee€is€not€returned€to€work€by€the€pre„injury€employer€at€a€wage€equal€toÏor€greater€than€the€pre„injury€wage,€the€amount€of€the€award€will€be€limited€to€sixÏtimes€the€medical€impairment€rating.Ìà àòòTenn.€Code€Ann.óó€ðð€50„6„241€does€not€and€cannot€define€all€theÏcircumstances€which€might€arise€in€determining€whether€there€has€or€has€not€beenÍa€return€to€work€within€the€meaning€of€the€statute.€€The€courts€have€œbeen›€requiredÏto€construe€the€statute€in€relation€to€the€facts€arising€in€cases€where€the€statute€is€atÏissue,€to€determine€its€application€to€the€particular€case.€€In€doing€this,€we€mustÏkeep€in€mind€that€the€intent€of€the€legislature€in€passing€this€act€was€to€encourageÏemployers€to€return€employees€to€work€upon€their€recovery€from€injury.Ìà àIn€this€case,€when€the€plaintiff€was€released€to€return€to€work,€the€pre„injuryÏemployer€had€ceased€to€be€in€business.€€œThere›€was€no€pre„injury€employer€whoÏcould€return€the€employee€to€work€at€the€same€or€greater€pay.€€Because€the€intentÏof€the€legislature€in€passing€this€act€could€not€be€realized€in€this€case,€œwe€find€the›Ïtrial€judge€œwas€correct€when€he€found›€the€award€was€not€limited€to€two€and€a€halfÏtimes€the€medical€impairment€rating.€€We,€therefore,€find€the€award€entered€by€theÏtrial€judge€to€be€proper.Ìà àThe€defendant€complains€that€the€trial€judge€ordered€the€award€in€this€caseÏto€be€paid€in€a€lump€sum€payment.€€The€judgment€recites€that€the€defendant€shallÏpay€the€plaintiff€the€sum€of€$41,228.20.€€We€do€not€construe€this€to€be€a€lump€sumÏaward.€€Neither€does€the€plaintiff,€who,€in€her€brief,€asserted€she€never€asked€for€aÏlump€sum€payment€nor€offered€any€proof€at€trial€to€support€a€lump€sum€award.€ÏUpon€remand,€the€trial€judge€may€enter€an€order€showing€a€periodic€payment€ofÏthe€award,€if€such€clarification€is€necessary.Ìà àThe€judgment€of€the€trial€court€is€affirmed,€the€costs€of€this€appeal€are€taxedÏto€the€defendant/appellant€and€the€case€is€remanded€to€the€trial€court.ÌÓÓÌ̛̜à àà àà àà àà àà àòò€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€óóÌà àà àà àà àà àà àJohn€K.€Byers,€Senior€JudgeÌÌÌCONCUR:ÌÌÌÌÌòò€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€óóÌFrank€F.€Drowota,€III,€JusticeÌÌÌÌòòÌ€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€óóÌRoger€E.€Thayer,€Special€Judge