Regions Bank v. Allen

Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama

Baldwin County | 256 So. 3d 669 | Jan. 12, 2018


Employer's Appeal Over Termination of Medical Benefits Denied; Lack of Detailed Findings Results in Reversal and Remand

Regions Bank appealed the decision of the Baldwin Circuit Court, which had denied its motion to terminate medical benefits it had been ordered to pay on behalf of Kathleen Allen under Alabama's Workers' Compensation Act. The benefits stemmed from an incident in 1996 where Allen sustained injuries while at work due to a chair breaking. In the original judgment, the trial court awarded Allen a lump-sum payment and held Regions responsible for future medical benefits regarding the accident.

In 2017, Regions moved to terminate these medical benefits, arguing that Allen's ongoing treatment was related to natural aging and not the 1996 injury. This motion was based on feedback from Allen's treating physician. However, the trial court denied Regions' motion. Regions then sought to supplement the court records with exhibits argued during its motion but received no ruling on this request. On appeal, the key issue was the trial court's failure to provide detailed findings of fact or conclusions of law in its judgment, as required by Alabama law. This omission meant the appellate court could not determine if the judgment was backed by facts. Due to the trial court's oversight, the appellate court reversed the decision, remanding the case to the trial court to provide the necessary findings and conclusions.

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