WPC RU>4@ڬ~Bt/LGЀ0A:7 l9IdAZ~ldRcB2[Ղf$*mU.0?r¢pBip+X$H_RsRԶ%ڇTo򋌁FO8^ZCJ/ h2J6̠C2Wl8Zʸ4.zP~V?#B2c$ѥHܘq+X "N[A)E`إC,fS8tug*۬d.)X~/ۍ7w 5+*sT?YPp%)+.^KCF+F@+9e!^ dҹFavy=Y_.(`qWM(q_ EEy^Or}vkXgR;r* >ۇ殜2FN{FRFӲ;L.RJg#  U N) %w 0} UNxw4Thw Bc 0? 0DU:==EUFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT D3 0 D+ AO^^ 0D$ D/h B AY  0FHP LaserJet 4SiHPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLh(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX(3c$7|XXdXXd7  HTXXTR[A' Legal[A' LegalA' LegalA' LegalT(Y Z 6Times New Roman RegularHEIUJUKELMNOPQDRUS PT PUVӀaVbcdefghyj&Y3|xh  XXXX bX X Ad   FILED 2 b   March18,1999  CecilCrowson,Jr.AppellateCourtClerk  d((3aA$ 3c!7XXdd7  HXXTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T   `   0  (#$  0  ,cAZ"Arial Regular  XXXX bX X Ad   FILED# XX b# 2X X   March18,1999  CecilCrowson,Jr.AppellateCourtClerk <4 9Z .Courier New Regular 'dxd(3@$ 3c!7XXdd7  HXXTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T  'dxd-C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd-:M << deUULevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(n$ (  1  ) 3c!7XXdd7  HąXXTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T  ݛ  FFmą7XdXXd7 FF@ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE   @  SPECIALWORKERSCOMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL  @ ATKNOXVILLEJANUARY1999SESSIONFFӜ ąmUT ` TUVl *6&"h 8 `Extt06l $$VU `     h      p      ` UGGKKHGGHTTS ` STTS STTS  STTS h STTS  STTS  STTS p STTS  STTS  STTS ` S $$J.R.WEST,   h     ) p BRADLEYCHANCERY t   `     h     ) ` Plaintiff/Appellee,    ) p NO.03S019803CH00026    `     h     ) p    v. `     h     ) p    `     h     ) p  2 MAYTAG,INC.,   h     ) p HON.EARLH.HENLEY, H  `     h     ) p CHANCELLOR ^  ` Defendant/Appellant    ) $t М IIKKII#mą#FortheAppellant: h     FortheAppellee:   DennyE.Mobbs   h     JamesF.Logan,Jr. !* P.O.Box192   h     30SecondStreet ": 551/2FirstStreet,NE h     P.O.Box191 #J Cleveland,TN373640192    Cleveland,TN373630191   %Z  ̜JJKJJK @JJ%   mMEMORANDUMOPINION#m   #  .)' @!!& MembersofPanel: 0$,)  @ JusticeFrankF.Drowota,III 2@.+ @   SeniorJudgeWilliamH.Inman@!SeniorJudgeJohnK.Byers p;63 ЇMODIFIED    h      p   INMAN,SeniorJudge  ąm ` Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecial   Workers'CompensationAppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingtotheSupremeCourtoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.#mą# T   ` Theplaintiffsustainedaninjuryatworkin1988whenabarrelfelloffatruckandhetriedtostopitwithhisfoot,causinghimtobe throwndownonconcrete.Heoriginallyreportedlefthipandthighpaintohisdoctor,butin1993hebegancomplainingmostlyofkneepainandofhisknee givingwayandlockingup.Whenhisorthopedicspecialistorderedanarthroscopicprocedureforhisknee,theemployerrefusedcoverage,contendingthekneeproblemwasnotcausedbyhisworkaccident.Thetrialcourtfoundthekneeconditiontobeworkrelatedandawardedbenefits,whichtheemployerappeals. ` Weaffirmthedecisionofthetrialcourt. ` LTheLLMr.J.R.West,Lplaintiff,now70yearsofage,beganworkingforMaytag,Inc.in1959andretiredin1991.In1988hesustainedanonthejobinjurywhenhestoppedacontainerofacid,whichwasrollingdownaramp,withhishipandleg.MaytagpaidhisaccidentrelatedmedicalbillsuntilFebruaryof1995,whenthisdisputearoseastomedicaltreatmentforhisleftknee. ` Plaintifftestifiedthathehadproblemswithhisknee givingwaysoonaftertheaccident,andthathereportedtheseproblemstohisemployerbutmadenocomplainttohistreatingdoctor,whotreatedhimwithsteroidsandothermedicationforhishipinjury. ` Dr.DanielJohnson,aboardcertifiedorthopedicsurgeon,whohastreated plaintifffromthetimeofhisinjuryuptothetimeoftrial,testifiedbydeposition 7030 thatin1993theplaintifffirstbegancomplainingaboutkneepainandhiskneegivingwayandlockingup. GG ` InMarch1994,Dr.JohnsonadmittedtheplaintifftoBradleyCountyMemorialHospitalandperformedaleftkneearthroscopy.Duringtheexploratoryprocedure,adisplacedbuckethandletearoftheleftmedialmeniscuswasfoundandapartialmedialmeniscectomywasperformed. ` Whenaskedforhisamedicalopinionaboutwhetherornotthekneeconditionwasrelatedtotheinjurywhichplaintiffsustainedatwork,hetestified:  8 ` Ithinkitsareasonableassumption.Icantsayanythingforsure.Butamechanism,whenhetriedtostopabarrelwithhisleg,cancauseacartilagetear.Heputupwiththesymptomsforseveralyearsuntilitactuallylockeduponhim.Andthatsverytypicalofatorncartilage. ` 8"` 8"    ` Oncrossexamination,Dr.JohnsonadmittedthatheinitiallythoughtϜplaintiffskneepainwasprobablynotworkrelated.However,theplaintifftoldhimthathiskneehadneverbotheredhimbeforetheinjury,andDr.JohnsonthendiscussedthematterwithMaytag,advisingthemthat  8 ` ...IthoughtthattherewasapossibilitythatyeshecouldhaveaninjuryrelatedtoworkbutIcouldnttellyouforsure.Andyes,Iagree,hehadhadsomekneesymptomsbefore,theinitialcomplaintswerenotspecificallytotheknee.Butatorncartilagecansneakuponyou.Betornforsomeyearsandonlylatertearsignificantenoughtothenwarrantsurgery...Idonthaveareasonablecertainty.Ithinkthereisareasonableconnection,butnotcertainty. ` 8"` 8"    ` ąmOurreviewofthefindingsoffactmadebythetrialcourtisdenovoupon 0/*( therecordofthetrialcourt,accompaniedbyapresumptionofthecorrectnessofthefinding,unlessthepreponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(2);Stonev.CityofMcMinnville,896S.W.2d548,550 51.  (Tenn.1995).#mą# 7030 ąm ` B̛ BInordertobeeligibleforworkerscompensationbenefits,anemployee   mustsuffer aninjurybyaccidentarisingoutofandinthecourseofemploymentwhichcauseseitherdisablementordeath.Tenn.CodeAnn.506102(a)(5).Thephrase arisingoutofreferstocausation.Thecausationrequirementissatisfiediftheinjuryhasarational,causalconnectiontothework.Reeserv.YellowFreightSys.,Inc.,938S.W.2d690,692(Tenn.1997).   #mą#ąmAlthoughcausationcannotbebaseduponmerelyspeculativeorconjectural   proof,absolutecertaintyisnotrequired.Anyreasonabledoubtinthisregardistobeconstruedinfavoroftheemployee.Wehavethusconsistentlyheldthatanawardmayproperlybebaseduponmedicaltestimonytotheeffectthatagivenincident couldbethecauseoftheemployeesinjury,whenthereisalsolaytestimonyfromwhichitreasonablymaybeinferredthattheincidentwasinfactthecauseoftheinjury.Id.#mąb"#   ` Dr.JohnsonsMspeculativemedicalMtestimonyastocausationNinthiscaseNwasbolsteredbytheplaintiffsϜtestimonyO,whoOOC.Mr.WestCOCtestifiedCDCcrediblyCDthathiskneeproblemsbeganatthetimeoftheoriginalinjury,butthatsincehishipwashismajorconcernatthattime,hedidnotseekmedicalattentionforthekneeuntilitworsenedtothepointofrequiringattention.Thetrialjudgefoundthistestimonytobecredible. ` ąmWherethetrialjudgehasmadeadeterminationbaseduponthetestimony +&$ ofwitnesseswhomhehasseenandheard,greatdeferencemustbegiventothatfindingindeterminingwhethertheevidencepreponderatesagainstthetrialjudgesdetermination.SeeHumphreyv.DavidWitherspoon,Inc.,734S.W.2d 2`-* 315(Tenn.1987).#mą&# <4/,  ` WeagreewiththetrialcourtthatDr.Johnsonsspeculativemedicaltestimony,whencoupledwiththeplaintiffstestimony,PsufficientlyPprovedwork 830 relatedcausationoftheplaintiffsmedialmeniscustear.Accordingly,thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmedatthecostsoftheappellant.̜Q d830 QVVQEEQPPEEPPEEPPEEVVRR `     h     _______________________________ `     h     WilliamH.Inman,SeniorJudgeCONCUR:_______________________________FrankF.Drowota,III,Justice____________________________JohnK.Byers,SeniorJudgea  @ abbb ` s m   INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE#m sf,#X;Xm  @.l*6&"h 8 `Extt06l $$ `     h   ATKNOXVILLE $$   @     H      P      @     H      P      @     @     H    8   8   8   8      @     H     (H ""   @  "" J.R.WEST, @     H )  BRADLEYCHANCERY  L     @     H )  No.95219 8  (  PlaintiffAppellee,   H )     P    $     @     H )     P      X       @  H )No.03S019803CH00026     v. @     H )      @     H )̀MAYTAG,INC.,    H )  Hon.EarlH.Henley   p    @     H )Chancellor P  \   Defendants/Appellants. H )   H    @       p    @       @    JUDGMENTORDER̀X"%XXX;  ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord, F ЀincludingtheorderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkers'πCompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanel'sMemorandumπOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsπoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference;  Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthatthememorandumπOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and  Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanel'sfindingsofπfactsandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andπthedecisionofthePanelismadetheJudgmentoftheπCourt.  Costsonappealaretaxedtotheappellant,Maytag,bcceegπgeIefnfedIndedcddbInc.bdbandDennyE.Mobbs,forwhichexecutionmayissueifbhπhbnecessary.  ?/*9 Ѐ03/18/99#X;XXX"%6##mXX;,#b