WPC? # VUNa % 0(w@4 1 @ H    0J` 0T 0^ 0h\ 0r 0|6 0 08 1u 0d=U > BB)DC% AMhU * D3  0@ v~Iv AO 0D D/ B"HP LaserJet 4SiHPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLH(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($ DDPӀVӀ j"3|x Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 52 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)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(&Times New Roman d% Line 7 d&&&&7Border 1dd-'C << G<  9p`(Arial%%%%'dxd !$  ))   YYY FILED)X April17,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.)AppellateCourtClerk   !#d#$  ))   YYY FILED)X April17,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.)AppellateCourtClerk ("$    PtPtHHHV,(hh hd'0F Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   eskto Geneva  eskto Geneva -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . $    X   \RA'\$ԛ@ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE@ SPECIALWORKERSCOMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL@ ATJACKSON@ (February6,1997Session) ` XJAMESCLIFFORDTATUM,  ) DYERCHANCERY      ) PlaintiffAppellee,   ) J.StevenStafford      ) Judge      )̜Vs.      ) No.02S019609CH00079ٜL(+';+'h|]`  `Lߛ      )METHODISTHOSPITALOF  )̀DYERSBURG,    )      ) DefendantAppellee  )      )and      )      )SUEANNHEAD,DIRECTOROF )̀THEDIVISIONOFWORKERS )̀COMPENSATION,TENNESSEE )̀DEPARTMENTOFLABOR )̀SECONDINJURYFUND  )      ) DefendantAppellant.  )       ForAppellant:     ForAppellee:Ms.SandraE.Keith    Mr.CharlesM.Agee,Jr.AssistantAttorneyGeneral   AttorneyatLaw̜CordellHullBldg.,2ndFloor   P.O.Box2804265thAve.,North    Dyersburg,TN38025Nashville,TN37243 @ MEMORANDUMOPINION@ MembersofPanel:@ LyleReid,AssociateJustice,SupremeCourt@ JoeC.Loser,Jr.,SpecialJudge@ LeonardW.Martin,SpecialJudge̜JUDGMENTSOFTRIALCOURTSETASIDE;CASEREMANDEDFORNEWTRIAL.       Martin,Judge7lXdXXd7@ MEMORANDUMOPINION  ThisworkerscompensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkersCompensationAppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.section506225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingtotheSupremeCourtoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.̀ThedirectoroftheWorkersCompensationDivisionofTennesseeDepartmentofLabor,astrusteefortheSecondInjuryFund(SecondInjuryFund),appealsfromthedecisionofthetrialcourt.Thecourtapproved,overtheobjectionoftheSecondInjuryFund,asettlementagreementbetweentheemployee,JamesCliffordTatum,andtheemployer,MethodistHealthSystems(MethodistHospitalofDyersburg,Inc.),limitingtheemployersliabilitytobenefitsbasedon31percent(31%)permanentpartialdisabilitytothewholebody.TheclaimagainsttheSecondInjuryFundwasreserveduntiltrial.ThetrialofthecasewasbetweentheemployeeandtheSecondInjuryFund.Subsequently,attrial,thetrialcourtfoundtheemployeetobepermanentlyandtotallydisabledandheldtheSecondInjuryFundliablefor60percent(60%)ofthattotaldisability.BecausethecourterredinapprovingthesettlementovertheobjectionoftheSecondInjuryFund,thepanelconcludesthatbothjudgmentsshouldbesetaside,andthecaseremandedforanewtrialonallissues.  ThetrialcourtrecognizeditserrorandstatedinitsmemorandumopinionofApril29,1996,asfollows:     $X  ThissettlementwasapprovedovertheobjectionofϜ  theFund.Inretrospect,theCourtshouldnothaveapprovedϜ  thesettlementovertheobjectionoftheFund,butshouldhavetriedϜ  bothclaimstogether.   X $̛However,thetrialcourtapparentlybelievedthatithadcureditserror.Weconcludeotherwise.InaveryrecentcasedecidedbytheSupremeCourtonDecember23,1996,thecourtreasonedasfollows:    $X Here,thetrialcourtapprovedasettlementconcerningtheissueofdisabilitycausedbythesubsequentinjurythoughaparty,the  SecondInjuryFund,didnotagreetoitsterms.Thatdeterminationcannotbemade,overtheobjectionoftheSecondInjuryFund,byagreementbetweentheemployeeandtheemployer .... ̛ BecausetheSecondInjuryFundhasnotsettledtheliabilityissuebyagreement,itisentitledto submittheentirematterfordeterminationtothejudge ... 󛀀tohearanddeterminetheissuesandrenderandenforcejudgment.Tenn.CodeAnn.506225(a)(1)and(c)(1)(Supp.1996).TheSecondInjuryFundhastherighttohave theentirematterlitigatedamongalloftheinterestedparties.TherighttohavedisputedissueslitigatedbetweenallofthepartiesinworkerscompensationcaseshaspreviouslybeenrecognizedthisCourthasheldthatthestatutoryrequirementthattheSecondInjuryFundbegivennoticeandmadeapartytoproceedings isaclearindicationthattheLegislatureintendedthatanemployeesclaimagainsttheSecondInjuryFundistobelitigatedatthesametimeastheemployeesclaimagainsthisemployer. Farrv.Head,811S.W.2d894,89697(Tenn.1991);seealsoDaileyv.SouthernHeelCo.,785S.W.2d344,346(Tenn.1990) .ThetrialcourterredinapprovingthesettlementovertheobjectionoftheSecondInjuryFund ....  Theworkerscompensationstatute,Tenn.CodeAnn.506206(Supp.1996),recognizesthat theinterestedpartiesshallhavetherighttosettleallmattersofcompensationbetweenthemselves,butthestatutealsoprovides butallsettlements,beforethesamearebindingoneitherparty,shallbereducedtowritingandshallbeapprovedbythe[trial]judge.ThestatutefurtherprovidesthatthesettlementwillbeapprovedbythejudgeonlyuponafindingthattheemployeeisreceivingsubstantiallythebenefitsprovidedbytheWorkersCompensationLaw. ThetrialcourtsfindinginthiscasewasbasedupontheassumptionthattheliabilityoftheemployerandtheliabilityoftheSecondInjuryFundcouldbedeterminedseparately.Asdiscussedbelow,theawardagainsttheSecondInjuryFund,andthefindingsuponwhichthatawardisbased,areinvalidasattackedonappealbytheSecondInjuryFund.Consequently,withoutanawardagainsttheSecondInjuryFund,theemployee,basedonthefindingsbythetrialcourt,hasnotreceivedsubstantiallythebenefitsprovidedbytheWorkersCompensationLaw. Theresultisthatthejudgmentsenteredinthetrialcourtaresetaside,andthecaseisremandedforanewtrialonallissues. Sweetenv.TradeEnvelopes,Inc.,andLarryBrinton,Jr.,Dir.,SecondInjuryFund,򛀀S.W.2d򀀀 , (Tenn.1996)(slipop.filedDecember23,1996,FORPUBLICATION).$   X   Weconcludelikewise.Thejudgmentsenteredbythetrialcourtaresetasideandthecaseisremandedforretrialonallissues.Becauseoftheremand,wehavenotaddressedtheotherissuesraisedonappeal.  Costsareassessedagainsttheemployeeandtheemployerequally.Ӝ̛      򀀀      HMM*󀀀 LeonardW.Martin,JudgeCONCUR:򀀀LyleReid,AssociateJusticèJoeC.Loser,Jr.,Judge̜   X )@ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE@ ATJACKSON)X#` pX L X#JAMESCLIFFORDTATUM, ) DYERCHANCERY#` p` L X# ) NO.95C408` p` X Plaintiff/Appellee, ) #` p` L X#  ) Hon.J.StevenStafford,vs.  ) Chancellor  )METHODISTHOSPITALOFDYERSBURG, ) NO.02S019609CH00079  ) Defendant/Appellee. ) JUDGMENTSOFTRIAL  ) COURTSETASIDE;CASEand  ) REMANDEDFORNEW  ) TRIAL.J(,;+'b|`  `@JSUEANNHEAD,DIRECTOROFTHE )DIVISIONOFWORKERS'COMPENSATION, )TENNESSEEDEPARTMENTOFLABOR )SECONDINJURYFUND, )  ) Defendant/Appellant. )   @ )JUDGMENTORDER)X` p`  X ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanel'sMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference. Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanel'sfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt. Costswillbepaidbytheemployeeandtheemployerequally,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary. ITISSOORDEREDthis17thdayofApril,1997.        PERCURIAM(Reid,J.,notparticipating)$$ԛ