Joshua Davis Baker

This case involved an employee of a tree service company who suffered a severe right-hand injury from a chainsaw accident at work, leading him to seek workers' compensation benefits including temporary disability, permanent partial disability, and medical expenses. The court held that the employee was entitled to these benefits after finding the injury was work-related based on unrefuted testimony and the treating surgeon's opinions, which established periods of temporary total and partial disability as well as a 4% permanent impairment rating. The core reasoning focused on recalculating the average weekly wage to account for the employee's intermittent work schedule by dividing total wages by weeks with earnings, resulting in a higher compensation rate; crediting employer testimony on the timing of a return-to-work offer; and subtracting amounts already paid by the employer from the total award. The court awarded net temporary disability benefits of $1,861.37 plus permanent partial disability benefits of $9,694.98.

labor & employment

The case Kinsey, Robert v. SNS Transportation Services, Inc. was a dispute before the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims involving an employee claim against a transportation services company. The court addressed issues arising under workers' compensation law. Its decision was electronically filed on April 22, 2026, after an initial filing the prior day. The ruling applied relevant statutes and evidence to resolve the compensation issues presented.

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This case involves an employee, Miriam Bianco, who suffered a work-related fall injuring her right knee and lower back while employed by Academy of Maryland Farms. She requested new panels of physicians for treatment and temporary disability benefits after being released at maximum medical improvement by her treating physician, Dr. Richie, whom she claimed was not properly selected from an initial panel. The court denied both requests at the expedited hearing. It held that the employer had provided valid physician panels as required by Tennessee workers' compensation law, and the employee must select a treating physician from those panels; her treatment from a panel physician constituted acceptance. The court also found she did not show a likelihood of prevailing on her claim for additional temporary benefits.

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The case involved an employee, Adrianne Eason, who sought medical treatment for a left-knee mass that appeared after a work-related injury in August 2023 while employed by Federal Express Corporation. The employer denied the request, arguing that the statute of limitations barred the claim because the employee did not file a petition for benefits within one year of the last payment made on the claim. The court denied the request for benefits in this expedited hearing, finding that the employee filed her petition more than a year after the last payment on March 8, 2024, specifically on April 10, 2025, and did not raise any applicable exceptions. The reasoning centered on the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law requiring petitions to be filed within one year from the latter of the last authorized treatment or the cessation of payments, with the issuance date of the last payment triggering the limitations period.

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The case involves an employee's workers' compensation claim against his employer for injuries from a 2020 work fall. The employer moved to dismiss due to the employee's repeated failures to comply with court-ordered discovery deadlines, including depositions and expert medical proof, and his non-appearance at hearings. The court granted the motion to dismiss with prejudice, reasoning that the employee's non-compliance with discovery rules and court orders justified sanctions under Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure 37.02 and the court's inherent authority to manage its docket.

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In this workers' compensation case, employee Candice Clendening sought a panel of psychiatrists to treat mental health conditions she attributed to a December 2024 work accident in which her cement mixer truck rolled over after brake failure, leaving her trapped and fearing for her life. She had received orthopedic treatment from an authorized physician, Dr. Douglas, who initially referred her to psychiatrist Dr. Caruso; Dr. Caruso diagnosed work-related PTSD and major depressive disorder and recommended psychiatric care. The employer denied the request for a psychiatric panel, asserting through later statements from Dr. Douglas that the conditions were preexisting and not compensable. Following an expedited hearing, the court granted the requested panel, finding Clendening likely to prove at trial that she suffered a compensable mental injury arising from the accident.

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The case involves Edwin Barnes, an Electrolux employee who requested workers' compensation coverage for shoulder surgery and attorney's fees after feeling a pop in his left shoulder while moving stacked bins at work on April 24, 2025. Electrolux denied benefits, claiming the incident did not occur or that any injury was preexisting given Barnes's history of shoulder pain, physical therapy, and prior medical evaluations. Following an expedited hearing that reviewed medical records from multiple physicians, incident reports, and testimony about the event and Barnes's condition, the court ruled that Barnes is entitled to the surgery but not attorney's fees. The decision was based on evidence that the work incident caused or necessitated treatment for the diagnosed rotator cuff and biceps tendon injuries despite the preexisting issues.

labor & employment

The case involved employee Michael Hall's request for workers' compensation benefits, including an MRI and temporary disability payments, stemming from a claimed October 2023 back injury when his work chair collapsed. Hall had a prior August 2022 back strain claim from moving a fryer at work, and medical records showed ongoing issues with degenerative disc disease. The court denied the benefits at the expedited hearing stage. The core reasoning was that the sole expert medical opinion in the record, from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Burval, attributed Hall's condition and need for treatment to preexisting degenerative changes rather than the work incident, as confirmed in responses to causation questionnaires indicating the pathology was degenerative and not primarily work-related. Without contrary medical proof, Hall could not show he was likely to prevail at a final hearing under the statutory requirement that the work accident contribute more than 50% to the need for treatment.

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In this workers' compensation case, employee J.D. Russell sought temporary total disability benefits after a February 2024 workplace injury in which a heavy steel tripod struck his head, neck, back, and shoulder, leading to emergency treatment, post-concussion syndrome, and a subsequent stroke that left him unable to work. The employer and its insurer, Builders Mutual, denied benefits from the injury date until the first authorized physician visit, arguing that Russell's roughly four-month delay in selecting from a panel of physicians barred recovery. The Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims held an expedited hearing and ruled that Russell was likely to prevail at trial, awarding past temporary total disability benefits and attorney's fees. The court reasoned that the insurer's panel offer did not constitute a genuine offer of treatment because the carrier continued to investigate causation, demanded additional records, and conditioned benefits on further information rather than promptly providing care. Russell's age, concussion-related cognitive issues, and lack of prior workers' compensation experience were noted as factors in the delay.

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This case involved an employee, Thaddeus Forrest, who suffered a femur fracture at work when plywood and metal forms fell on his leg. The employer denied workers' compensation benefits, arguing the injury resulted primarily from a preexisting cancer-related lesion that weakened the bone. After an expedited hearing, the court awarded temporary total disability benefits and medical benefits, finding the workplace accident caused the fracture. The decision rested on the treating physician's testimony that the trauma from the falling forms was the primary cause, exceeding 50% contribution even accounting for the bone weakness, while denying a request for attorney fees.

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The case involves Macey McGuire's claim for workers' compensation benefits after she injured her back at work while bending to retrieve a serving tray. Her employer initially provided medical treatment and temporary disability benefits, but after the authorized treating physician reviewed surveillance video of the incident and revised his causation opinion to conclude that no work-related injury occurred, the employer denied further benefits. McGuire requested an expedited hearing seeking reinstatement of medical treatment and temporary disability benefits. The court denied the request, holding that she must prove she is likely to prevail at a final hearing and that the physician's updated opinion prevented her from meeting this standard.

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This case involved employee Patricia Evans's claim for workers' compensation medical benefits after she alleged a left-knee injury from twisting while walking at her Kroger workplace. Kroger denied the claim based on the opinion of the authorized treating physician, Dr. Kurtz, who attributed her osteoarthritis and Baker's cyst to a preexisting condition unrelated to the work incident. The court denied the request for benefits in this expedited hearing. It reasoned that the panel physician's causation opinion is presumed correct under Tennessee law and that Evans failed to rebut it with contrary medical evidence, making her unlikely to prevail at a final hearing on whether the work accident caused more than 50% of her need for treatment.

labor & employment

This case involves an employee, Carma Kean, seeking medical benefits under workers' compensation for a trigger-finger condition she attributed to repetitive gripping while cutting hair at her employer, McRocket, LLC d/b/a Great Clips. Following an expedited hearing, the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims denied the claim for benefits. The court found that Ms. Kean did not show she was likely to prevail at a final hearing because the authorized treating physician, Dr. Douglas, stated to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the condition was not work-related and was instead due to underlying biology, outweighing contrary suggestions from a prior non-authorized physician. The opinion applied the statutory requirement that work must contribute more than fifty percent to the need for treatment, considering all causes.

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This case involves a workers' compensation claim by employee Kendra Smith against employer Regard Recovery JP, LLC, seeking medical treatment and temporary disability benefits for an alleged aggravation of her preexisting asthma caused by two workplace exposures to vape smoke in 2024. The court consolidated two related claims and, following an expedited hearing, ruled that Smith is likely to prevail at a final hearing on her request for a pulmonology referral and on temporary disability benefits due to unaccommodated work restrictions that left her unemployed. However, the court denied her request for specific medical treatment because no expert medical evidence established its reasonableness and necessity. The reasoning centered on initial claim acceptance, a nurse and physician's pulmonology recommendation shortly after exposure, the employer's failure to provide a compliant three-physician panel after denying the claim, and medical records showing worsened symptoms requiring oxygen, though post-exposure pulmonology records lacked causation opinions.

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In this workers' compensation case, employee Carlos Townsend claimed that lifting an engine at work on July 6, 2018, aggravated his preexisting thoracic spine condition from prior car accidents and sought permanent partial disability benefits and future medical treatment. The employer, Hendrickson USA, LLC, contested the claim, arguing it was not compensable. The Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims denied the benefits and dismissed the claim with prejudice, finding insufficient expert medical proof that the work incident caused more than fifty percent of the aggravation as required by statute. The court noted inconsistencies in the treating physician's testimony regarding the extent of the work-related contribution and the employee's prior medical history.

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This case involves a workers' compensation claim by Anait Sudzhyan against her employer, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, following a head injury sustained at work on February 12, 2024, when children pulled her hair and threw a basketball at her head. The employee sought psychiatric treatment and temporary disability benefits due to resulting symptoms including headaches, anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD, which her doctors linked to the work injury exacerbating a pre-existing condition. The court, after an expedited hearing, determined that the employee is likely to prevail at a final hearing on her entitlement to psychiatric treatment because the referral from the authorized neurologist makes it presumed medically necessary under Tennessee law, and her doctors had removed her from work due to the injury-related conditions. However, the request for temporary disability benefits was denied pending more information for calculation.

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This case involves an accepted workers' compensation claim by employee James Rice against employer Vanderbilt University Medical Center for neck and left arm injuries sustained while lifting trash at work. The parties agreed on the facts and that Rice returned to work at equal or greater pay, but disputed the amount of permanent partial disability benefits, with Rice seeking a $200,000 award. The court applied the statutory formula requiring multiplication of the impairment rating by 450 weeks and adopted the 12% whole-body impairment rating from the Medical Impairment Rating Registry physician, which was presumed accurate absent clear and convincing rebuttal evidence. It awarded Rice 12% permanent partial disability benefits calculated at the stipulated compensation rate plus future medical benefits, holding that the court must follow the unambiguous statute without deviation even if the result seemed unfair to the employee.

labor & employment

This case involved an employee, James Rice, who suffered a workplace injury to his neck and left arm while employed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and sought permanent partial disability benefits along with future medical treatment. The parties agreed on the facts, including that Rice returned to work at the same or higher pay, but disputed the amount of benefits due under Tennessee's workers' compensation statute. The court determined that the Medical Impairment Rating Registry physician's 12% whole-body impairment rating was presumed accurate and applied the statutory formula multiplying the impairment rating by 450 weeks and the compensation rate of $407.44, resulting in an award of $20,823.01 after crediting an overpayment of temporary benefits, plus lifetime medical benefits with the authorized physicians. The core reasoning was that the court must strictly follow the unambiguous statutory language for calculating the original award and could not deviate based on the employee's suggested higher amount or differing expert opinions.

labor & employment

The case involved a workers' compensation claim by Jian Di Yan against his employer, Neng Yuan Lan d/b/a China King, alleging a work-related foot burn injury from hot oil on May 25, 2022. After the claimant presented his case at a compensation hearing without introducing any medical evidence or physician's opinion, the employer moved for involuntary dismissal under Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 41.02(2). The court granted the motion and dismissed the claim with prejudice, finding that the claimant failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he suffered a disabling work injury, as required by Tennessee law which mandates a physician's opinion to establish the injury to a reasonable degree of medical certainty.

labor & employment

This case involves a workers' compensation claim by Ricardo Hernandez against his employer, Carlos Lopez d/b/a Emmanuel Tree Service, for injuries sustained on August 21, 2023, when his hand was caught in a sawing machine during log work, resulting in partial amputation of his index finger and lacerations to other fingers. The court found an employment relationship existed despite Hernandez using the assumed name Nestor Rodriguez on pay documents, as the statute includes all persons whether lawfully or unlawfully employed, and the injury was work-related. It ordered the employer to pay past medical bills and provide future necessary treatment but denied temporary disability benefits at this stage and ruled Hernandez ineligible for the Uninsured Employers' Fund because he failed to notify the Bureau within 180 days of the injury. The decision relied on the employer's admissions, unrebutted evidence of the accident, and strict application of statutory notice requirements for fund eligibility.

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