Kennedy v. Tyson, RR-500

Decision Date14 April 1980
Docket NumberNo. RR-500,RR-500
Citation382 So.2d 820
PartiesPrince KENNEDY, Jr., Appellant, v. William TYSON and Lathern Broughton and Morrison Assurance Company, Appellees.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

Roderick G. Magie of Levin, Warfield, Middlebrooks, Mabie, Rosenbloum & Magie, P. A., Pensacola, for appellant.

L. Kathleen Horton of Clark, Partington, Hart & Hart, Pensacola, for appellees.

SHAW, Judge.

Appellant fell and sustained a compensable injury to his left knee on November 7, 1974. On March 8, 1978 he reached maximum improvement and in December of 1978 he was examined by Dr. Batson who opined a 25% permanent partial impairment of the left lower extremity. Appellant's claim for benefits in excess of the anatomical rating was denied.

The order denying the claim contains findings that appellant's injury "functionally" exceeds the assigned 25% rating; that appellant's disability is 35% based solely upon loss of wage-earning capacity and that disability is 50% of the left leg after "considering all factors." The judge then makes the statement that:

(T)his Court feels compelled to limit its award to the schedule set forth in F.S. 440.15(3)(b) in spite of the clear language of F.S. 440.15(3)(s) and the holding of the Supreme Court in Magic City Bottle & Supply Co. v. Robinson, 116 So.2d 240 (Fla.1959). The Industrial Relations Commission has repeatedly held that the Magic City case cannot be used to circumvent the holding in Mims and Thomas Manufacturing Co. v. Ferguson, 340 So.2d 920 (Fla.1976), see H.B.H. Services Corp. v. Powell, IRC Order 2-3388 (1978). The holding in Magic City is clear. The Deputy Commissioner ruled that in spite of the doctor's testimony to a five percent impairment rating, the Claimant had lost in excess of 1/3 of the normal use of his left leg.

In my opinion, the case is irreconcilable with the opinion of the Court in Mims. . . . A careful reading of both the Magic City and Mims cases leads one to the conclusion that it is difficult, if not impossible, to understand how the cases can be reconciled. One can only conclude that the cases are irreconcilable and that the Industrial Relations Commission has opted for the de facto overruling of the Magic City case by Mims.

Appellees concede, and we agree, that the judge misinterpreted Magic City. This perhaps led him to the conclusion that Magic City and Mims are irreconcilable and he is compelled thereby to limit disability to 25% of the leg. In light of...

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7 cases
  • Broadfoot v. Albert Hugo Ass'n, Inc.
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • November 20, 1985
    ...390 So.2d 426 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980); Westberry v. Copeland Sausage Company, 389 So.2d 1214 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980); and Kennedy v. Tyson, 382 So.2d 820 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980). Claimant was employed as an interior decorator. In the month preceding his heart attack he was required to rearrange furnitu......
  • Baird-Ray Datsun v. Butler
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • July 9, 1981
    ...Co. v. Robinson, 116 So.2d 240 (Fla.1959). Yet, Section 440.25(3)(b) has not completely overruled Magic City. See Kennedy v. Tyson, 382 So.2d 820 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980). The result is that Magic City is modified as follows: If a disability rating is based solely on an anatomical basis, Section......
  • Hall's Camp, Inc. v. Decker, SS-226
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • February 11, 1981
    ...is free to consider other evidence in arriving at a permanent partial loss or loss of use of a scheduled member. Kennedy v. Tyson, 382 So.2d 820 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980); Magic City Bottle and Supply Company v. Robinson, 116 So.2d 240 (Fla.1959). Based upon the record, there is competent, substa......
  • University of Florida v. Green, VV-144
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • March 13, 1981
    ...in this regard is fully explained in Vargas v. Americana of Bal Harbour, 345 So.2d 1052 (Fla.1977), and in Kennedy v. Tyson, 382 So.2d 820 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980), wherein Judge Shaw The order lacks the degree of specificity necessary to enable us to determine how he arrived at his conclusions ......
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