workerscompensation

Workers Compensation Appeals Panel Upholds Rejection of Permanent Total Disability Claim By Trial Court

Burrow Lee, PLLC defended General Motors in a workers compensation case where the employee sought permanent total disability benefits at trial (James Harrison v. General Motors, LLC).  This could have led to an award of in excess of $400,000.00 in disability benefits.  We successfully defended the case at trial and the employee was only awarded workers compensation benefits for PPD totaling $18,545.76.  This case was appealed to the Tennessee Special Workers Compensation Appeals panel and the appellate court rejected the appeal of the employee.  The Court found that the trial courts determination that the defense expert was more persuasive on the issue of permanent total disability than the expert of the employee, was appropriate and affirmed the trial court ruling.

workerscompensation

Workers Compensation Defense Verdict on Claim of Bilateral Knee Septic Arthritis

We obtained a defense verdict in east Tennessee as associated with an employee’s claim of septic arthritis allegedly associated with an injury to his leg. In the case of Gary Burleson v. Doyle’s Tire Service Inc., and Federated Mutual Insurance Co., Docket No. 2016-02-0033, the Court determined and the Appellate Court affirmed the employee failed to establish he injured his ACL and/or MCL as a result of the work accident and could not, therefore, prove the septic arthritis alleged was caused primarily by his alleged work injury. The Court found the defendant employer’s expert testimony more credible than that of the employee and, therefore, held the employee failed to establish a work-related injury and entered a defense verdict for the employer/insurer which was affirmed on appeal.