United States Fourth Circuit

Award of benefits to retired coal miner under Black Lung Benefits Act is vacated where the ALJ: 1) misapplied section 725.414(a)(3)(ii) of the Evidence-Limiting Rules when he excluded one of petitioner's interpretations of an X-ray; and 2) erroneously barred petitioner's discovery of draft reports and attorney-expert communications between respondent's lawyers and their physician-experts.

Appellate Information

• Argued 02/03/2006
• Decided 03/07/2007
• Published 03/07/2007

Judges

• Before NIEMEYER, MOTZ, and KING, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Douglas Allan Smoot, Jackson & Kelly, P.L.L.C., Charleston, West Virginia, for Petitioner.  Barry H. Joyner, United States Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, Washington, D.C.;  Anne Megan Davis, Johnson, Jones, Snelling, Gilbert & Davis, P.C., Chicago, Illinois, for Respondents.   ON BRIEF:  Kathy L. Snyder, Jackson & Kelly, P.L.L.C., Morgantown, West Virginia, for Petitioner. Howard M. Radzely, Solicitor of Labor, Donald S. Shire, Associate Solicitor, Christian P. Barber, Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Rita A. Roppolo, United States Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, Washington, D.C., for Respondent Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.  Thomas E. Johnson, Johnson, Jones, Snelling, Gilbert & Davis, P.C., Chicago, Illinois, for Respondent Velma Blake, Widow of Ivan Randall Blake.