Justia Injury Law Opinion Summaries

This appeal arose out of Ryan Dorman's petition for an extension of his worker's compensation temporary total disability (TTD) benefits and for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred in travelling from Idaho to Cheyenne to obtain medical care. In May 2006, Dorman sought treatment from an Idaho physician for treatment of his alleged work-related injury. Due to the nature of Dorman's injury, he consulted multiple physicians, first in Idaho, then in Wyoming. With each consultation, the doctors indicated that the injury was outside of their scope of expertise, and referred Doman to another specialist. During the period that Dorman was changing physicians, the Division and Dorman negotiated a stipulation concerning his TTD benefits and other benefits. This followed OAH and district court decisions that largely reversed the Division's earlier determinations concerning TTD benefits and Dorman's need for continued medical treatment. The Stipulated Order also provided that medical benefits would be paid as directed by the district court's order. After the Division paid the stipulated TTD benefits, Dorman submitted a letter to the Division requesting extended benefits The Division thereafter issued a final determination denying them, and further denied several applications for travel expense reimbursement for Dorman's trips to Idaho and Cheyenne. The matters were referred to the OAH where a combined hearing was held on the denial of TTD benefits, denial of travel reimbursement, and denial of diagnostic testing related to Dorman's injury. The OAH upheld the denial of TTD benefits on the ground that Dorman had failed to make the required showing that the Idaho and Cheyenne doctors were the closest available medical providers. Dorman appealed the portion of the OAH order denying extended TTD benefits and travel reimbursement to the district court. Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed the OAH denial of the travel reimbursement: Dorman could not prove that reimbursement of travel expenses was not supported by substantial evidence and in accordance with law.

The Wyoming Workers' Safety and Compensation Division awarded benefits to Appellant Gary Mitcheson after he fell at work and injured his tailbone in July of 2007. Approximately two years later, the Division issued a final determination denying payment for medical care that Appellant claimed was related to his workplace injury. Appellant requested a contested case hearing, and the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) upheld the Division's determination. Appellant appealed to the district court, which upheld the OAH's order. On appeal, Appellant challenged the OAH order contending: (1) the order was arbitrary and unsupported by substantial evidence; (2) the OAH's denial of payment for treating Appellant's tailbone was arbitrary; and (3) the OAH order denying payment for medical care contrary to the "Rule Out" rule was contrary to law. Finding the issues Appellant raised on appeal to be without merit, the Supreme Court affirmed the OAH's decision.

Black Diamond Energy Partners (BDE Partners) were Nevada limited partnerships which owned interests in coal bed methane wells located in Wyoming. Black Diamond Energy, Inc. (BDE Inc.) was a Wyoming corporation and the managing general partner of several of the BDE Partners. Black Diamond Energy, Inc. of Delaware (BDE Del) was a Delaware corporation and the managing general partner of two of the BDE Partners. BDE Inc. and BDE Del were wholly owned subsidiaries of Koval Resources, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company. Koval entered in a loan agreement in Pennsylvania with S&T Bank, a regional state bank with offices only in Pennsylvania. Koval ultimately defaulted on the loan. BDE Partners filed a complaint in Wyoming against S&T alleging negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and other claims. The district court dismissed the complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that BDE Partners presented sufficient undisputed evidence that S&T's activities in Wyoming were such that, as a matter of law, Wyoming courts had personal jurisdiction to decide their claims.

Bill Kuhl brought wrongful termination claims against his former employer, Wells Fargo Bank, asserting claims for breach of an express contract of employment, breach of an implied contract of employment, promissory estoppel, and tortious breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. After the parties engaged in discovery, Wells Fargo moved for summary judgment. Kuhl resisted that motion. After a hearing, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of Wells Fargo. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the district court did not err in granting summary judgment in favor of Wells Fargo on any of Kuhl's claims.

Catherine Morris submitted a worker's compensation claim for permanent total disability (PTD) benefits, and the Wyoming Workers' Safety and Compensation Division denied her claim. The Wyoming Medical Commission upheld the Division's denial of benefits. The district court affirmed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the Commission did not abuse its discretion in admitting a psychological report produced after the discovery cutoff; and (2) the Commission abused its discretion in limiting the scope of Morris' testimony to matters not discussed in the discovery deposition taken by the Division, but Morris did not object below to that limitation and thus waived her right to appeal that issue.

Chrstine Nodine, whose husband was killed by an avalanche on a ski run at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR), appealed the district court's summary judgment order dismissing her wrongful death action. The court dismissed the action pursuant to Estate of Johnson because Nodine, although duly appointed as personal representative of her husband's estate in her home state of Texas, had not been appointed personal representative by the Wyoming state district court upon the filing of her wrongful death action and before the two-year period for filing the wrongful death action expired. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the cause of action in this matter accrued before the publication of Johnson; and (2) the Court's decision in Johnson was intended to have prospective operation only and did not apply retroactively to strip Nodine of her status as a properly appointed personal representative in her wrongful death action against JHMR.

Dan Artery was attacked by three Boston terriers that were under the care of Frank Jones and Amy Bates. Artery brought an action against Jones and Bates for injures he sustained during the attack. During trial, Jones admitted one hundred percent liability for the injuries, and the district court dismissed Bates as a defendant. The jury then awarded Artery damages in the amount of $13,059. The district court thereafter ordered Jones to pay Artery's costs. Jones appealed a portion of the awarded costs. The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part, holding that the district court abused its discretion in awarded costs for witness subpoena service fees for an earlier vacated trial because the original trial date was vacated by the district court on its own motion. Remanded.

These consolidated appeals arose from a judgment on jury verdict in a case involving personal injuries suffered by Appellant Marcia Beckwith. Beckwith fell from a horse while on a trail ride operated by the Gros Ventre River Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. The jury found that Beckwith's injuries were the result of an inherent risk of horseback riding as defined by the Wyoming Recreation Safety Act, and she therefore recovered no damages for her injuries. In one appeal, Beckwith claimed the district court erred in failing to instruct the jury as she requested. In the other appeal, Beckwith claimed the district court erred in awarding costs to Appellees, the ranch and the ranch's owners, due to her indigence. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the district court properly instructed the jury as to Appellant's claims, and also provided an appropriate form of special verdict for the jury's use; and (2) the award of costs the district court made was not an abuse of discretion.

Appellant Chip Dave purchased a car on eBay. Before he took possession of the vehicle, the seller sold it to another buyer, Appellee Bill Valdez. Appellant filed a complaint against Appellee citing a number of causes of action, including replevin. Following Appellee's failure to respond to Appellant's second amended complaint, a default judgment was entered and Appellant was granted a writ of replevin ordering Appellee to relinquish possession of the vehicle. Appellant then appealed the district court's denial of an award of attorney fees, arguing that the American rule, requiring each party to pay his or her own attorney fees, was inapplicable. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the statutory exception to the American rule applies only where the legislature has made it explicit that attorney fees will be allowed; and (2) in this case, no exception to the American rule applied.

Appellant was injured when she was involved in a motor vehicle accident. The other vehicle involved in the accident, a truck, was listed on two different insurance policies: an Allstate policy issued to Jeremy Lucas and a Mountain West policy issued to Wyoming Electric Company. Appellee, Mountain West, filed a complaint for declaratory judgment, requesting that the district court find Mountain West did not have to cover the truck under the policy. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of Mountain West, finding that the owner of Wyoming Electric had given the truck to Lucas and, therefore, the truck was no longer covered under the company's insurance policy. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that although the truck was titled and registered in the name of Wyoming Electric and was still listed as a specific vehicle on the Mountain West Policy, Mountain West was not required to pay under the policy because, on the date of the accident, Wyoming electric no longer owned the truck and the truck was no longer covered under the Mountain West insurance policy.