Court of Appeals Reverses District Court, Affirms Agency Decision That Claimant Failed to Meet Her Burden of Proof
Cufurovic v. Tyson Foods, Inc. , No. 20-1094 (Iowa App. Aug. 4, 2021) - Claimant's workers' compensation case was dismissed by the agency, which concluded she had failed to meet her burden of demonstrating an injury that arose out of her employment. The agency had relied on the opinions of Dr. Gordon and Dr. Schmitz in concluding that claimant had not met her burden of proof. Dr. Delbridge's opinion in support of claimant's assertion of a work-related injury was discounted as he allegedly misunderstood claimant's work duties. The district court concluded that the record might have supported a different outcome according to the Court of Appeals. The role of the appellate court, however, was not to determine whether the evidence supports a different finding but to determine whether substantial evidence supported the finding made by the agency. In this case, the opinions of Dr. Gordon and Dr. Schmitz supported the decision of the agency, there was substantial evi