The case involved Bonnie Baird, a Target Corp. employee who suffered a severe 2015 work injury leading to bilateral above-knee amputations and wheelchair dependence, seeking a full teardown and rebuild of her 1945 home plus attorney fees as part of her workers' compensation claim that had settled with future medical benefits reserved for home modifications. The court held that Baird was entitled only to modifications to her existing home, such as ramps, widened doorways, roll-under sinks, and a front-loading washer as recommended by her treating physician, must vacate assisted living within 30 days of completion or cover those costs herself, and was not entitled to attorney fees. The core reasoning was that the physician's testimony established the necessity of specific accessibility changes for daily living activities but did not support demolition and new construction, and no basis existed for fee shifting.
Michael Hodge, a former brick mason at Alcoa/Arconic, alleged that occupational exposure to coal tar pitch and other toxins from 2002 to 2016 caused a cerebral meningioma, vision loss, headaches, and cognitive deficits, and he sought medical benefits including monitoring under the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law. The employers denied the claims, raising defenses of late notice, statute of limitations, and lack of causation. After an expedited hearing reviewing medical records and physician opinions, including those linking the conditions to workplace exposure, the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims held that Hodge is likely to prevail at a compensation hearing and granted his request for medical benefits in part.
Walter Hubert Myers filed a workers' compensation claim against his former employers Alcoa, Inc. and Arconic Corp., alleging that occupational exposures to toxins such as dust, asbestos, and coal tar pitch from 1979 to 2007 caused pulmonary disease, cognitive impairment, and swallowing difficulties, for which he sought medical benefits and monitoring. The employers denied the requests, raising defenses including late notice, the statute of limitations, and lack of causation. In this expedited hearing order, the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims found that Myers was unlikely to prevail at a full compensation hearing because his treating physician attributed the conditions to his decades-long smoking history, prior heart attack, and stroke rather than workplace exposures, and therefore denied the requested benefits.
The case Greene, Troy v. Covenant Homecare was a workers' compensation claim brought before the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims. The court assessed the filing fee against the employer, Covenant Homecare, requiring payment within five days of the order's entry. Attorneys for the employee and employer were notified via the certificate of service. No further details on the underlying dispute or additional rulings appear in the provided excerpt.
Jeffery Sherwood was injured at work in 2020 when he fell from a scooter, and his employer Justworks accepted the workers' compensation claim, paid initial benefits, and later settled the matter with an award of permanent disability benefits plus open future medical care. After a 2024 surgery, Sherwood petitioned for additional relief including a new physician panel, lost wages, and penalties, but Justworks denied further liability and sought summary judgment. The Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims granted the motion and held that Sherwood was not entitled to the requested benefits.
Roberta Dennis, a custodian employed by Knox County Schools, filed a workers' compensation claim alleging she suffered chemical burns to her hands from a work incident involving floor-stripping chemicals or, alternatively, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome caused by her employment. Knox County moved for summary judgment, citing undisputed facts including admissions from Dennis that her authorized treating physicians determined within a reasonable degree of medical certainty that her conditions did not arise primarily out of and in the course of her employment, as well as her failure to identify any expert witnesses by the court-ordered deadline. Dennis did not respond to the motion or the statement of undisputed facts, and her motion for voluntary dismissal was denied because a summary judgment motion was pending. The court granted summary judgment to Knox County, holding that Dennis's evidence was insufficient to establish the essential element of causation required for her claim.