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D0"5r"''AT:ޫRWEׄlEO f~ 8w@Oܬ>:Ɏ&<WZH~6yBg:n{'+{J;B8Ъv`Py3IXܐΔi:.֟6;Ҍ H!\L9Aoѝ"=y;[ XAuxՑbDݼ2 zr0Z@6H@G-+LAdD˕2L*ŰK=xRP"ՂwJkE<ήq%n,يI3 aB@<b %\^ b 0nU3NwD4H\ zk m # UN   k 1N 0DEN zRRUN$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 0zzzz B ee 0 D3& D-Y 0K AS$ 0 0D A+ (`$.8dd8    ("  Z6Times New Roman RegularAi*x:i+003|x C:\PROGRA~1\COREL\WORDPE~1\TEMPLATE\CUSTOM~1\REVISE~1.WPTC:\Program Files\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2000\Template\Custom WP Templates\revised standard opinion.wptUHP LJ 4000/4050 PCL 5e,,,,0(9 Z6Times New Roman RegularLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5  R<$      1  XSX  _ XXSԀ(b)Thepracticeandproceduresusedbythedoctorofchiropracticshallincludetheproceduresofpalpation,  examinationofthespineandchiropracticclinicalfindingsacceptedbytheboardofchiropracticexaminersasabasis t fortheadjustmentofthespinalcolumnandadjacenttissuesforthecorrectionofnerveinterferenceandarticular 8 dysfunction. L #XSX ~#  (%$  1   C:\PROGRA~1\COREL\WORDPE~1\TEMPLATE\CUSTOM~1\REVISE~1.WPTC:\Program Files\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2000\Template\Custom WP Templates\revised standard opinion.wpt(9 Z 6Times New Roman Regular- -(|G2<$ !..8dd8         0  XSX d(|3x$ !..8dd8     VVVV'dxd)!dxdx( $ Figure  1  ^_X`YE<<CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(|3x$ !..8dd8     ($$   1  X[Z&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK !.8dd8     _8SXXdd8  @@7 7 INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE  SPECIALWORKERSCOMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL & @@ATNASHVILLE## L March27,2001Session "r XSX #XXS#DENNYCAINv.WHIRLPOOLCORPORATION,etal.XSX   p @@ DirectAppealfromtheCriminalCourtforWilsonCounty  p @@No.982223J.O.Bond,Judge  \ @@*AV) ` dE<` A   No.M200001688_WC_ԄR3CVMailedJune27,2001   #XXSٖ#XSXFiledAugust3,2001   AV) ` dE<` A       Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppeals  PaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(3)forhearingand v reportingtotheSupremeCourtoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.#XXSm#XSXԀInthisappeal,#XXSق#XSXԀthe b employerinsists(1)thetrialcourterredinadmittingintoevidencethetestimonyofachiropractor N inanactioninvolvingashoulderinjury,(2)theawardofpermanentpartialdisabilitybenefitsis : excessiveand(3)thetrialcourterredinawardingasdiscretionarycostsexpensesforthetakingof &v thechiropractor'sdeposition.#XXS#XSXԀAsdiscussedbelow,thejudgmentismodifiedbyreducingtheaward b ofpermanentpartialdisabilitybenefitstooneequaltotwoandonehalftimestheclinical N impairmentrating,butotherwiseaffirmed. :    Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(1999)AppealasofRight;JudgmentoftheCriminalCourt  AffirmedasModified.       JoeC.Loser,Jr.,Sp.J.#XSٹ#XSX.,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhich_Adolpho_ԀA.Birch,Jr.,J.,and   James_Weatherford_,Sr.J.,joined. r!  DavidT.Hooper,Brentwood,Tennessee,fortheappellant,WhirlpoolCorporation. J#" B.KeithWilliams,Lebanon,Tennessee,fortheappellee,DennyCain. "%r $    MEMORANDUMOPINION #XXS #XSX &J"&   #XXS #XSX  Theemployeeorclaimant,DennyCain,is52yearsoldwithahighschooleducationanda ("$( historyofunskilledworkingexperiences.Heinjuredhisleftshoulderwhileworkingforthe )%) employer,Whirlpool,andwasreferredtoDr.Joseph_Wieck_.Dr._Wieck_Ԁsurgicallyrepairedthe *%* injuredshoulder.Whenthepainpersisted,theclaimantsawDr.Charles_Kaelin_,whoperformeda +&+ secondsurgicalprocedure,adistalclavicleresection,ontheinjuredshoulder.Theinjuryoccurred ,', onMarch31,1998andtheclaimantwasreturnedtoworkbyDr._Kaelin_ԀonOctober18,1999with n-(-} _atenpoundweightliftingrestriction.Dr.Kaelinestimatedtheclaimant'spermanentmedical  impairmentat6percenttothewholebody,usingAMAguidelines.    Theclaimant'sattorneyreferredhimtoDr.FrankEtlinger,achiropractor,foranexamination t andevaluation.Dr.Etlingertestifiedchiropractorsnormallytreatinjuriesrelatedtothemuscular ` skeletalsystem.Bytheuseofrangeofmotiontests,Dr.Etlingerestimatedtheclaimant'spermanent L  impairmentat16percenttotheshoulderor10percenttothebodyasawhole. 8    Theclaimantreturnedtoworkatawageequaltoorgreaterthanwhathewasearningbefore  ` theaccidentalinjury,waslaidoffalongwithotherworkers,thenrefusedtoreturnfollowingthe  L  layoff,thoughinvitedtodoso.  8    Thetrialcourtgaveequalweighttothetwoestimatesofpermanentmedicalimpairmentand   awardedpermanentdisabilitybenefitsbasedontwoandonehalftimestheaverageofthe16percent   and6percent,or27.5percent,tothebodyasawhole.Appellatereviewisdenovoupontherecord   ofthetrialcourt,accompaniedbyapresumptionofcorrectnessofthefindingsoffact,unlessthe   preponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(2).Thistribunalis p notboundbythetrialcourt'sfindingsbutinsteadconductsanindependentexaminationoftherecord \ todeterminewherethepreponderancelies.Gallowayv.MemphisDrumServ.,822S.W.2d584,586 H (Tenn.1991). XSXXXSWherethetrialjudgehasseenandheardthewitnesses,especiallyifissuesof 4 credibilityandweighttobegivenoraltestimonyareinvolved,considerabledeferencemustbe  p accordedthosecircumstancesonreview,becauseitisthetrialcourtwhichhadtheopportunityto  \ observethewitnessesdemeanorandtoheartheincourttestimony.#XSXX XS#Longv.TriConInd.,Ltd.,996 H S.W.2d173,178(Tenn.1999). XSXXXSԀTheappellatetribunal,however,isaswellsituatedtogaugethe 4 weight,worthandsignificanceofdepositiontestimonyasthetrialjudge.#XSXX XSD#Walkerv.SaturnCorp.,   986S.W.2d204,207(Tenn.1998) XSXXXS.Extentofvocationaldisabilityisaquestionoffact.#XSXX XS|#Storyv.   LegionIns.Co.,3S.W.3d450,456(Tenn.1999) XSXXXS.#XSXX XSK#    Theappellantfirstcontendsthechiropractor'stestimonyisincompetentbecauseshoulder  injuriesarenotwithintheparametersdefinedforchiropractorsinTenn.CodeAnn.634101(b). %  1      ׀ l Theappelleedisagrees.Thedecisiontoadmitscientificevidenceiswithinthediscretionofthetrial X  courtandwillnotbedisturbedonappealexceptforanabuseofthatdiscretion.Coev.State,17 D! S.W.3d193,227(Tenn.2000).Ourreviewoftheissueisthustodeterminewhetherthetrialcourt 0"  abuseditsdiscretion.Fromourindependentexaminationoftherecord,wecannotsaythetrialcourt #l! abuseditsdiscretionbyallowingachiropractortoexpresshisopinionoftheextentoftheclaimants $X" permanentclinicalimpairment.Chiropractorsareregularlyallowedtodosowheretheinjuryisto $D # themuscularskeletalsystem.See,e.g., XSXXXSSmithv.Hale,528S.W.2d543at545(Tenn.1975).#XSXX XS !#Ԁ_The %0!$ firstissueisresolvedinfavoroftheappellee.    Theappellantcontendstheawardisexcessivebecausethetrialcourtimproperlygaveweight  tothechiropractor'sopinion,splittingthedifferencewiththemedicaldoctor'sopinion.The t maximumaward,theappellantargues,shouldbetwoandonehalftimesthemedicaldoctor's6 ` percentimpairmentrating.Theappelleeconcedestheawardisexcessivebecauseofanarithmetic L  mistakebythetrialcourt,butarguesthatthechiropractorsopinionshouldbegivenatleastequal 8  considerationwiththemedicaldoctorsopinion,consideringotherrelevantfactors,asthetrialcourt $ t apparentlyintendedtodo.  `    XSXXXSIncaseswhereaninjuredworkerisentitledtopermanentpartialdisabilitybenefitstothe  8  bodyasawholeandthepreinjuryemployerreturnstheemployeetoemploymentatawageequal $  toorgreaterthanthewagetheemployeewasreceivingatthetimeoftheinjury,themaximum   permanentpartialdisabilityawardthattheemployeemayreceiveistwoandonehalftimesthe   medicalimpairmentratingpursuanttotheprovisionsoftheAmericanMedicalAssociationGuides   totheEvaluationofPermanentImpairmentortheManualforOrthopedicSurgeonsinEvaluating   PermanentPhysicalImpairment.#XSXX XS%#Tenn.CodeAnn.506241(a)(1). XSXXXSԀInmakingdeterminations,the p trialcourtsaretoconsiderallpertinentfactors,includinglayandexperttestimony,theemployees \ age,education,skillsandtraining,localjobopportunitiesforthedisabled,andcapacitytoworkat H typesofemploymentavailableintheclaimantsdisabledcondition.#XSXX XSB(#Tenn.CodeAnn.506 4 241(a)(1).  p   Fromourindependentexaminationoftherecord,weareunabletosaytheevidence H preponderatesagainstthetrialcourtsfindingthatthetwoopinionsshouldbegivenequalweight. 4 Bothexpertsappearwellqualifiedandbothusedappropriateguidelines.Thetrialjudge   inadvertentlyaveraged16percent(Dr._Etlinger_simpairmentratingtotheshoulder)and6percent   (Dr._Kaelin_simpairmentratingtothebodyasawhole)toarriveatadisabilityawardoftwoand  onehalftimes11percent,or27.5percent,tothebodyasawhole.Heshouldhaveaveraged10  percent(Dr._Etlinger_simpairmentratingtothebodyasawhole)andsixpercent,whichwouldresult  inanawardoftwoandonehalftimes8percent,or20percenttothebodyasawhole.Thejudgment l ismodifiedaccordingly. X    Theappellantfinallyarguesthatdiscretionarycostsassociatedwiththechiropractor's 0"  depositionshouldbeomittedfromtheawardbecausethetestimonywasnotcompetent.The #l! chiropractorsdepositionwasnotonlycompetent,butcontainedevidencevitaltotheinjured $X" workersclaim.Thetrialcourtdidnoterrinitsassessmentofdiscretionarycosts. $D #   Fortheabovereasonsthejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmedasmodified.Costsaretaxed &"% totheappellant,WhirlpoolCorporation. '#&    `     h     ___________________________________ |*%)    `     h     JOEC.LOSER,JR.,SPECIALJUDGE  h+&* XXS  @@7 7 INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE  SPECIALWORKERSCOMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL  #XSX12# XXSDENNYCAINv.WHIRLPOOLCORPORATION,etal.#XSX3#  " @@ CriminalCourtforWilsonCounty  " @@No.982233   @@*AV) ` dE<` A   No.M200001688_WC_ԄR3CVFiledAugust3,2001 }  AV) ` dE<T` A U       XXS#XSXc5#W5  JUDGMENT XXS#XSX5# (x   XXS#XSX56#XXS#XSXw6#XSXXXS  ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltothe P SpecialWorkersCompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanelsMemorandumOpinionsettingforth < itsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference. (   Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbe  acceptedandapproved;and    Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanelsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadopted t andaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt. `   Costswillbepaidbytheappellant,WhirlpoolCorporation,forwhichexecutionmayissue 8 ifnecessary. $ t   ITISSOORDERED. !L!    `     h     PER_CURIAM_ % %   #XSXXXSٹ6#