Zapp v. CSX Transportation, Inc.
2008-CA-001362 9/25/09 2009 WL 3047630 Rehearing pending
Opinion by Judge Taylor; Chief Judge Combs and Judge Nickell concurred. The Court reversed and remanded an order of the circuit court granting a motion for directed verdict for an employer on an employee’s claim under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA).
The circuit court found that the claim was barred by the statute of limitations. The Court held that the circuit court erred by deeming the employee’s testimony a judicial admission and by usurping the prerogative of the jury to decide a disputed issue of fact – when the statue of limitations was triggered. While the employee testified that his hand symptoms worsened while working in 1999, the circuit court erroneously inferred that the employee knew or should have known that the injury was caused by work duties in 1999.
