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HTR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'TXHXXX7xXXdd7   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) dP 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X$$$$'dxd("$    ( $ Figure  1  <  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Arial<  9p`(Times% Line 7 d22227Border 1dd-.3C << G  !  #d#/    H \RA'\0#d#  0   YYY FILED0X February19,1998CecilCrowson,Jr.0AppellateCourtClerk  R !#d#/    H \RA'\0#d#  )  .COOK.WCCOOK.WC/    !#d#/    H \RA'\0#d#  0   YYY FILED0X February19,1998CecilCrowson,Jr.0AppellateCourtClerk PtPtHH(EG(HH(d'`Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   ion-F Geneva  ion-F Geneva 'dxd-C<< C($$   1  ' dxdP Pd-:M << deUU(n$ (  1  ) -.:&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK ! . /    H \RA'\0#11Xd##11Xd#        X ћ @ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEEWORKERS'COMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANELٜR453A1-j|` 81 `@RߛKNOXVILLE,DECEMBER1997SESSION   Ӝ          ̜     FREDDIEJANECOOK   ) MONROECIRCUIT      )  Plaintiff/Appellant   )       )VS.      ) Hon.EarlMurphy,      ) CircuitJudgeMONROEFARMERSCOOPERATIVE )      )  Defendant/Appellee  ) NO.03S019707CV00090 FortheAppellant:     FortheAppellee: PhilipP.Durand     LynnC.Peterson607MarketSt.,9thFloor    P.O.Box2467Knoxville,Tenn.37902    Knoxville,Tenn.37901  MEMORANDUMOPINION MembersofPanel: E.RileyAnderson,ChiefJusticeJohnK.Byers,SeniorJudgeRogerE.Thayer,SpecialJudge  AFFIRMED.       THAYER,SpecialJudge̛̜ Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingtotheSupremeCourtoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw. Theappealhasresultedfromadecisionofthetrialcourttodismissthecomplaint.TheCircuitJudgefoundtheemployeehadfailedtoestablishshehadsustainedaninjuryasaresultofherworkactivitiesonJanuary12,1994. Plaintiff,FreddieJaneCook,age55years,hadbeenemployedbydefendant,MonroeFarmersCooperation,forabout6years.Sheworkedasacashierwhichinvolvedwaitingoncustomers,stocking,etc.Onthedayinquestion,shewaswalkingthroughadoorcarryingagasolinecanwhenshesteppedonthethresholdboardofthedoorandlostherbalancecausinghertotwistherbody.Shetestifiedherkneesbuckledbutshedidnotfalltothefloor.Shereportedtheincidenttoheremployerandwasreferredtoadoctorwhoreturnedhertowork.ShecontinuedtoworkuntilaboutJanuary22.OnJanuary28thshewasadmittedtoahospitalfortreatmentofdepressionandanxiety.Sheremainedinthehospitalforaboutthirteendays.Shetestifiedtheincidentatworkcausedhertosufferneck,armandkneepain. Oncrossexaminationsheadmittedhavingpriorproblemswithdepressionandanxiety.Shesaidshefounditstressfulwaitingoncustomersanddealingwithherboss;thatonoccasionshebecamesonervousshewouldgetphysicallyillatworkandhavetostayathomeadayortwo;thatshehadsexualandemotionalabuseduringchildhood;hadbeeninvolvedinaseriesofabusivemarriages;shewaspresentlydealingwithahusbandwhohadbeenunfaithfulandhadadrinkingproblem;shehadbeensubjecttoacriminalassaultbyastepdaughterandshehadbeenconvictedofanaggravatedassaultofapriorhusbandsgirlfriend. Plaintiffspsychiatrist,Dr.JeffreyD.Greenwood,testifiedbydeposition.Hehadseenherforseveralyearspriortotheincidentatwork.HestatedhehospitalizedherduringJanuary1994forrecurrentdepressionandgeneralizedanxietyproblemswhichwasthesamediagnosisasinpreviousvisits.Whenaskediftheincidentatworkwastheproximatecauseofherhospitalization,hedeclinedtosayitwasbutpreferredtosayitwas relatedtoherhospitalization.Hewasoftheopinionthemaritalinfidelitywasalargepartofthereasonforhospitaltreatment.Healsofeltherproblemswithotherfamilymembers,thehistoryofabuse,etc.allrelatedtoherbeinghospitalized.Headmittedthatanypainresultingfromtheincidentatworkcouldhavebeenacontributingfactor.Heopinedshewasnotabletoworkinanygainfulemployment. ThetestimonyofDr.RobertH.HaralsonIII,anorthopedicsurgeon,wasalsopresentedbydeposition.Hetestifiedhehadfollowedandtreatedhersince1976.Hesaidshehadtwooperationsonherneck(fusion)andtwoarthroscopicproceduresonherrightkneepriortotheincidentatwork.Hesawheragainaftertheincidentatworkbuthisexaminationdidnotrevealanyobjectivefindingsconcerningarecentinjury.Heprescribedmedicineandtherapy.Hesaidhereferredhertoarheumatologistwhodiagnosedfibromyalgia.Hegavenopermanentimpairmentasaresultoftheworkeventandsaidifanythingresultedfromherworkactivityitwouldamounttoonlyanincreaseofpain. Thecaseistobereviewedonappealdenovoaccompaniedbyapresumptionofthecorrectnessofthefindingsoffactunlessthepreponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.T.C.A.506225(e)(2). Theonlyissueonappealiswhethertheevidencepreponderatesagainstthedecisionofthetrialcourtinfindingtherewasnocompensableinjury. Plaintiffseemstoconcedetheevidenceisnotsufficienttosupportafindingofacompensablephysicalinjury.Dr.Haralsonstestimonythattheincidentatworkwouldatmostonlyamounttoanincreaseinpainwouldmaketheclaimnoncompensable.Theaggravationofapreexistingconditionmerelybyincreasingthepainisnotsufficienttomaketheclaimcompensable.Theseverityoftheconditionmustbeadvancedormustresultinadisablingconditionotherthanincreasedpainfortheclaimtobecompensable.Townsendv.State,826S.W.2d434(Tenn.1992);Smithv.SmithsTransferCorp.,735S.W.2d221(Tenn.1987). Plaintiffcontendstheevidenceissufficienttosupportafindingofacompensablementalinjury.Therearetwodifferentrulesinconnectionwithdeterminingwhetheramentalconditionordisorderiscompensable.First,recoveryisappropriateforamentalinjurybyaccidentoroccupationaldisease,standingalone,ifthementaldisorderiscausedbyanidentifiable,stressful,workrelatedeventproducingasuddenmentalstimulussuchasfright,shockorexcessiveunexpectedanxiety.Secondly,compensationforpsychologicaldisordershasbeenallowedwhenanemployeesustainsacompensableworkrelatedinjurybyaccidentandthereafterexperiencesamentaldisorderwhichiscausedbytheoriginalcompensableworkrelatedinjury.Hillv.EagleBendMfg.,Inc.,942S.W.2dϜ483(Tenn.1997). Weareoftheopinionthesecondrulewouldnotapplyastherecordisnotsufficienttosupportafindingofacompensablephysicalinjury.Whilethefirstrulemayhaveapplicationtothefactsoftheinstantcase,thetrialcourtwaspresentedwithconsiderableevidenceindicatingthereweremultiplecausesforplaintiffsconditionandhospitalization.Thisquestionoffactinregardtocausationisprimarilyforthetrialcourttoresolveandwillnotbedisturbedonappealunlesstheevidencepreponderatesagainstthefinding. Wehavecarefullyreviewedtherecordandcannotsaytheevidencepreponderatesagainstthecourtsfinding. Therefore,thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmed.Costsoftheappealaretaxedtotheplaintiff.%        ___________________________________      RogerE.Thayer,SpecialJudgeCONCUR:________________________________E.RileyAnderson,ChiefJustice________________________________JohnK.Byers,SeniorJudge̜   H  INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE 6J47;+'b|` 81 `@J   ATKNOXVILLE    H         S  H FREDDIEJANECOOK,   )MONROECIRCUIT̀     )No.9158 Plaintiff/Appellant   )            )  vs.      )Hon.EarlMurphy        )Judge        )MONROEFARMERSCOOPERATIVE ) .      )NO.03S019707CV00090      )  Defendant/Appellee.  )       )     JUDGMENTORDER    f  ` X XThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkersCompensationPanel,andthePanelsMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference;  Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and  Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanelsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadetheJudgmentoftheCourt.    H  CostsonappealaretaxedtoFreddieJaneCookandPhilipP.Durand,surety,whichexecutionmayissueifnecessary.02/19/98̀<>  ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtuponmotionforreviewpursuanttoTenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(5)(B),theentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkersCompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanelsMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference;  Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthatthemotionforreviewisnotwelltakenandshouldbedenied;and  Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanelsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt.  Costswillbepaidbytheplaintiffappellantandsureties,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary.  ITISSOORDEREDthis____dayofJune,1997.      PERCURIAMAnderson,J.NotParticipatingaltotheSpecialWorkerCompensationPanel,andthePanelsMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference;  Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanelsfindingsofactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadetheJudgmentoftheCourt. Costsonappealaretaxedtotheplaintiffappellant,VernonHarrisandGilbertandFaulkner.surety,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary.06/03//97