APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

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Donald R. West vs. State

03C01-9812-CC-00437
Hawkins County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
Anderson vs. Anderson

01A01-9802-CH-00082

Originating Judge:Carol A. Catalano
Montgomery County Court of Appeals 02/19/99
State vs. John Slate

03C01-9804-CC-00147

Originating Judge:James E. Beckner
Sevier County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
State of Tennessee v. Stephen Mullican

M2000-207-CCA-R3-CD

Originating Judge:Charles D. Haston, Sr.
Warren County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
State vs. Nathan McKissack

01C01-9804-CC-00190

Originating Judge:Henry Denmark Bell
Williamson County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
State vs. Laura Hudson

01C01-9508-CC-00270

Originating Judge:J. S. Daniel
Rutherford County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
State vs. Grady Gatlin

01C01-9807-CC-00287
Marshall County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
State vs. Brandon Patrick

03C01-9712-CC-00548

Originating Judge:D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.
Blount County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/19/99
Freeman v. American Motorist

03S01-9803-CH-00023
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordancewith Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. George Edward Freeman (employee), sustained an injury to his left eye while grinding metal at work, when a piece of metal penetrated his safety glasses and lodged in his cornea. The trial court awarded 7 percent permanent partial disability to the left eye, which the employer appeals as excessive. We affirm the judgment of the trial court. Employee had worked for Vinylex Corporation (employer), as a machine technician and maintenance fabricator for eleven years when he was involved in the above-described industrial accident on February 18, 1995. He was taken to an emergency room, where examination by Dr. Leslie Cunningham revealed a central corneal laceration, with inflammation, and a triangular metallic foreign body in his left eye. Dr. Cunningham surgically removed the foreign body, cleansed the wound and patched Mr. Freeman's eye. She advised the employee to leave the patch on the eye and to remain off work for six weeks. Mr. Freeman testified that he went back to work three days later owing to family financial responsibilities requiring him to earn his full salary. Dr. Cunningham assessed three to five percent permanent partial impairment to the left eye, but opined that if the employee works in bright sunlight or under bright lights or drives at night, then his medical impairment to the left eye would be 16 to 18%, and that he retains a permanent corneal scar. 2
Authoring Judge: William H. Inman, Senior Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. Billy Joe White,
Knox County Workers Compensation Panel 02/18/99
Allen vs. Donal Campbell

01A01-9804-CH-00199

Originating Judge:Irvin H. Kilcrease, Jr.
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/18/99
State vs. Jimmy Noah

03C01-9710-CC-00436
Blount County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/18/99
Smith vs. Donal Campbell

01A01-9804-CH-00201

Originating Judge:Irvin H. Kilcrease, Jr.
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/18/99
Russell vs. Mid-South Insurance et al

01A01-9803-CV-00135

Originating Judge:Patricia J. Cottrell
Court of Appeals 02/18/99
Baldwin et al vs. Pirelli Armstrong et al

01A01-9804-CV-00195

Originating Judge:Thomas W. Brothers
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/18/99
Oakley (Wilson) vs. Wilson

01A01-9802-CV-00100

Originating Judge:Muriel Robinson
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/18/99
State vs. Guillermo Juan

03C01-9708-CR-00318

Originating Judge:Rebecca J. Stern
Hamilton County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/18/99
State vs. James Clinton Wolford

03C01-9708-CR-00319

Originating Judge:Stephen M. Bevil
Hamilton County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/18/99
State vs. Gilbert Smith

03C01-9708-CC-00360

Originating Judge:D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.
Blount County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/18/99
Turner vs. TN Board of Paroles

01A01-9803-CH-00144

Originating Judge:Ellen Hobbs Lyle
Davidson County Court of Appeals 02/18/99
Blankenship v. Mars

03S01-9709-CH-00105
Authoring Judge: Roger E. Thayer, Special Judge
Originating Judge:Earl H. Henley, Chancellor
Bradley County Workers Compensation Panel 02/18/99
Mcgaha v. U.S. Marine

03S01-9711-CV-00137
Authoring Judge: John S. Mclellan, III
Originating Judge:Hon. Ben W. Hooper, Circuit Judge
Knox County Workers Compensation Panel 02/17/99
State vs. Darryl Kennedy

02C01-9708-CR-00318

Originating Judge:Carolyn Wade Blackett
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/17/99
State vs. Marty Thatcher

03C01-9710-CC-00446

Originating Judge:D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.
Blount County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/17/99
State vs. Cedric Dickerson

02C01-9802-CR-00051
Shelby County Court of Criminal Appeals 02/17/99
Hamilton v. Life Care Center

03S01-9712-CH-00143
This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. In this appeal, the employer, Life Care Center, insists the evidence preponderates against the trial court's finding that the injury to the employee or claimant, Hamilton, is permanent or, alternatively, that the award of permanent partial disability benefits is excessive. As discussed below, the panel has concluded the judgment should be affirmed. It is undisputed that, on September 15, 1993, the claimant slipped on a wet floor and fell backward, hitting the back of her head on a hard floor, while working for the employer. After a trial, the trial judge awarded permanent partial disability benefits based on forty percent to the body as a whole. The extent of an injured worker's disability is an issue of fact. Jaske v. Murray Ohio Mfg. Co., 75 S.W.2d 15 (Tenn. 1988). Thus, appellate review is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of correctness of the findings of fact, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(2). The claimant was forty-five years old at the time of her injury, with a high school education. She worked for Life Care Center as a nurse's assistant and had a second job as a greeter for Wal-Mart. Her work for Life Care required some heavy lifting and other strenuous work, whereas her work as a greeter for Wal-Mart was not very strenuous. She has never before made a claim for an injury to her head or neck. On the day of the accident, it had been raining heavily. As the claimant entered the building to attend classes for obtaining certification as a nurse's aide, her feet suddenly went out from under her and she fell, striking the back of her head on the tile floor. According to her testimony, accredited by the findings 2
Authoring Judge: Joe C. Loser, Jr., Special Judge
Originating Judge:Hon. Earl Henley,
Knox County Workers Compensation Panel 02/17/99