Iowa Workers' Compensation

In a case which runs counter to most of the cases that appear in these synopses, the Iowa Court of Appeals in Mike Brooks, Inc.   v. House , No. 13-0303 (Iowa App. Aug. 21, 2013), held that the decision of the agency was not supported by substantial evidence.  This despite the fact that there was no medical evidence supporting the contention of defendants.  Judge Vaitheswaran dissented and would have affirmed the case on substantial evidence grounds. Claimant had suffered an admitted injury in March of 2007.  Claimant returned to work, but testified that he continued to experience significant back problems while working.  In January of 2008, he reported to the company doctor that he had pushed a door at work and had felt increased pain as a result of that incident.  He was seen by a surgeon, Dr. Hatfield, who ultimately performed three surgeries.  Claimant returned to work briefly following the first surgery but was unable to continue working as a tr...

Numerous cases on this blog have discussed situations in which the decision of the agency was affirmed on substantial evidence grounds.  In Estate of Herman v. Overhead Door Co. of Des Moines, No. 12-0892 (Iowa App. May 15, 2013), the court concludes that because there was no substantial evidence to support the agency's decision that claimant's injury did not arise out of and in the course of employment, claimant (or claimant's estate, since claimant died before this decision) was entitled to benefits.  The court concluded that: "because we find the commissioner’s outright rejection of uncontroverted medical opinions is not supported by substantial evidence when the record is viewed as a whole, and we find Herman’s injury arose out of and in the course of his employment as a matter of law, we reverse and remand." Claimant worked in an unheated warehouse, and there was really little dispute that claimant worked in subfreezing temperatures in the winter of 2009, ...