GEORGE PATRICK LAWSON v. AQUA-CHEM, INC., ET AL - Articles

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GEORGE PATRICK LAWSON v. AQUA-CHEM, INC., ET AL

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 1, 2025

Court: TN Workers Comp Appeals Board

Attorneys 1: David H. Dunaway, Alcoa, Tennessee, for the employee-appellant, George Patrick Lawson.

Attorneys 2: Owen R. Lipscomb, London, Kentucky, for the employer-appellee, Aqua-Chem, Inc.

Court Appealed: WEAVER

In this interlocutory appeal, the employee challenges the trial court’s denial of his motion to compel. The employee alleged he contracted several diseases, including metastatic cancer and toxic encephalopathy, as a result of occupational exposures over the course of his employment with the employer. The employer obtained an opinion from a doctor specializing in oncology and hematology regarding causation who initially determined the employee’s conditions were more likely than not caused by occupational exposures. However, once the employer provided additional information to its expert regarding the employee’s medical history and conditions at the employer’s facility, she revised her causation opinion. After the employer declined to allow the employee to enter its facility to obtain video and photographs of conditions inside the plant, the employee filed a motion to compel. The employer objected to the employee’s request on the grounds of relevance and confidentiality, stating that it could not grant such access to the facility because of its obligations to its customers, including the United States military, and any video and photographs obtained would not be relevant because the employee had not worked at the facility in ten years. The trial court denied the motion to compel, and the employee has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record, we affirm the trial court’s order and remand the case.

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