WPC=& UBV %U.r 0>  n 0rQw@Q4 0J 0T 0^Cg- 0h 0r! 0| 0 0 1u% 0d B$4B)X D3DC AM 0@D-f0v~Gv AO$$ 0D% D/% B &\  `*Times New RomanTT"AArialTT'    0 .   (e2~$  I!XPXXNXXXP   3|xE\  `*Times New RomanTTC\  P6QP"AArialTTomanTTXXaptQXp\  `*Times New RomanTT^\  P6QP\  `*Times New RomanTTXXP\  P6QXP\  `*Times New RomanTT,,)\  P6Q,P\  `*Times New RomanTT6\  P6QP(JI$XPXXXXXP  /0Ӏ<?@ABCDEobF"(l$2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  ԁLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 526 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X d   !X     8    ` ` X    @      A     ` X   !  X     8    ` ` X    @      A     ` X% Line 7 d%%%%'dxd))))7Border 1dd-+C << G("$     #  !  X      YYY FILEDX February10,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.AppellateCourtClerk  \\RA'\ &  ! X      YYY FILEDX February10,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.AppellateCourtClerk PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd  ! . X   \RA'\      8 '  &      (   ` ` X\RA'\ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEESPECIALWORKERS'COMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANELR,.+A1-j|"`  `@RATJACKSON(November27,1996Session)   ` XCARMELLAMcCADAMS,   )HENRYCIRCUIT       )̀PlaintiffAppellee,  )Hon.JulianP.Guinn,̀,ԀԀ)Judge.v.       )       )No.02S019606CV00055HENRYCOUNTYBOARDOF  )EDUCATION,     )       )̀DefendantAppellant.  )ForAppellant:ForAppellee:RussellE.Reviere,ԀԀGarySwayneRainey,Kizer,Butler,Reviere&BellParis,TennesseeJackson,Tennessee   ` ` XMEMORANDUMOPINIONMembersofPanel:LyleReid,AssociateJustice,SupremeCourtJoeC.Loser,Jr.,SpecialJudge'  CorneliaA.Clark,SpecialJudge   ` X   ` ` X   ` X  REVERSEDANDDISMISSEDLoser,Judge     ` ` XMEMORANDUMOPINION rA   ` X  Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.section506225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.Theissueinthisappealiswhethertheevidencepreponderatesagainstthetrialcourt'sawardofpermanentdisabilitybenefitsforaclaimedbackinjury.Thistribunalhasconcludedthejudgmentshouldbereversedforinsufficientevidenceofpermanency.Becausewedonotreachasecondissue,involvingthemethodbywhichtheemployee'saverageweeklywageisdetermined,thatissueispretermitted.  Atthetimeofthetrial,theemployeeorclaimant,McCadams,wasthirtysixyearsold,withatwelfthgradeeducationand800hoursoftrainingincosmetology.HerworkhistoryincludessewingshoesatBrownShoe,sewingclothesatHIS,babysittingathome,cleaninghouses,workingatafloristandworkinginthecafeteriaatHenryCountyHighSchool.  Shebeganworkingfortheemployer,HenryCountyBoardofEducation,inMarchof1993,asasubstitutecook.OnNovember18thofthesameyear,whilestandingonaladdertoreachventsshewascleaning,shelostthenquicklyregainedherbalance.Whenshedid,shefeltpaininherneckandback.Shedidnotfall.Shefinishedworkingthatdayand,exceptforthefollowingdaywhensheworkedonlythreehoursandtwentyfiveminutes,workedregularlyuntilDecember6thofthesameyear.Shehasvoluntarilyquitworking.  OnDecember3rdand13th,shesoughttreatmentfromDr.WalterGriffeyforpaininherbackandneckandafunnyfeelinginbothfeet.InJanuaryof1994,shesoughttreatmentfromDr.CarlW.Huff,whodiagnosedneckpainwithoutobjectivefindings,backpainwithoutobjectivefindingsandsymptommagnificationsyndrome.Dr.Huffprescribedreturntoworkwithoutlimitationsandwithnopermanentimpairment.  Shehasbeenalsoseenbythreeneurosurgeons,noneofwhomfoundevidenceofinjury,otherthanpreexistingdegenerativediscdisease.Oneofthemdescribedtheclaimantasamalingerer.Herhusbandcalledthedoctoraquack.  TheclaimantwasfinallyreferredtoaDr.MarkCrawford,whosespecialtyandqualificationsarenotintherecord.Dr.Crawfordwrote,"(B)asedontheAMAGuidelinestotheEvaluationofPermanentImpairment,4thEditionandbasedonmoderatedegenerativediscdiseaseofL4andL5withresiduals,shewouldhaveanimpairmentof8%ofthewholeperson.Thisdegenerativediscdiseasewasanasymptomaticpreexistingconditionbroughtintodisablingrealitybyherworkrelatedinjury."Noneoftheothermedicalexpertsassignedanypermanentimpairment.  Thetrialcourtawardedpermanentpartialdisabilitybenefitsonthebasisoffortypercenttothebodyasawhole.Appellatereviewisdenovoupontherecordofthetrialcourt,accompaniedbyapresumptionofcorrectnessofthefindingsoffact,unlessthepreponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.Tenn.CodeAnn.section506225(e)(2).Thistribunalisrequiredtoconductanindependentexaminationoftherecordtodeterminewherethepreponderanceoftheevidencelies.Wingertv.GovernmentofSumnerCounty,908S.W.2d921(Tenn.1995).Moreover,weareaswellsituatedtogaugetheweight,worthandsignificanceofwrittenreportsofexpertsasthetrialjudge.SeeMcCalebv.SaturnCorp.,910S.W.2d412(Tenn1995).  Whereaclaimant'sworkaggravatesapreexistingconditionmerelybyincreasingpain,thereisnocompensableinjurybyaccident.Id.Additionally,itiswellsettledthatcausationandpermanencymayonlybeestablishedbyexpertmedicaltestimony.Kellermanv.FoodLion,Inc.,929S.W.2d333(Tenn.1996).Here,allofthemedicalproofisbywrittenreports.Fromourindependentexaminationofthosereportsandtherecordoforaltestimonybylaywitnesses,aswellasconsiderationoftheaboveprinciplesoflaw,wefindtheevidencepreponderatesagainstanyawardofdisabilitybenefitsinthiscase.  Accordingly,thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisreversedandthecasedismissed.Costsonappealaretaxedtotheplaintiffappellee. *b   ` ` X_______________________________   ӀJoeC.Loser,Jr.,Judge   ` XCONCUR:_________________________________LyleReid,AssociateJustice_________________________________CorneliaA.Clark,Judge/ ` @ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE@ ATJACKSONX#` pX X#CARMELLAMcCADAMS,  ) HENRYCIRCUIT&` p` L X& ) NO.91 ` p` xX  Plaintiff/Appellee, ) #` p`  X#  ) Hon.JulianP.Guinn,vs.  ) Judge  )HENRYCOUNTYBOARDOFEDUCATION, ) NO.02S019606CV00055J,0;+'b|3`  `@J  ) Defendant/Appellant. ) REVERSED&DISMISSED.@ JUDGMENTORDERX  ` p`  X ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanel'sMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference. Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanel'sfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt. CostswillbepaidbyAppellee,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary. ITISSOORDEREDthis10thdayofFebruary,1997.        PERCURIAM(Reid,J.,notparticipating)