JESSIE HARRIS v. EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS, ET AL. - Articles

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JESSIE HARRIS v. EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS, ET AL.

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 9, 2026

Court: TN Workers Comp Appeals Board

Attorneys 1: Katherine X. Hinkle and Gregory H. Fuller, Knoxville, Tennessee, for the employer-appellant, Express Employment Professionals.

Attorneys 2: Adam C. Brock-Dagnan, Nashville, Tennessee, for the employee-appellee, Jessie Harris.

Judge(s): WEAVER

The employer, a temporary staffing agency, questions the trial court’s award of medical benefits and attorneys’ fees in this interlocutory appeal. The employee was working for the employer’s client when he was pinned by machinery, causing numerous injuries and requiring emergency medical treatment. The employer later sent the employee to a walk- in clinic, where the provider referred the employee to a variety of specialists. The employer provided a panel to honor one of the referrals but denied the others. The employer then denied the claim in its entirety, citing the employee’s alleged illegal drug use and willful misconduct as affirmative defenses. After an expedited hearing, the trial court ordered the employer to continue to provide medical treatment, including ongoing treatment with the authorized physician, and panels related to the referrals that had been denied. It further awarded the employee attorneys’ fees due to the employer’s unreasonable failure to timely initiate medical benefits. The employer has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record and having heard the arguments of counsel, we affirm the trial court’s award in its entirety and remand the case.

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