State ex rel. Middlesworth v. Regal Ware, Inc.

Appellee-claimant, Frances E. Middlesworth, began working for appellant, Regal Ware, Inc., in approximately 1979. In 1990, she filed a workers’ compensation claim alleging that she had contracted a respiratory condition as a result of inhaled contaminant exposure. An occupational disease claim was allowed for “interstitial pulmonary fibrosis with bilateral apical lung disease.” Claimant received temporary total disability compensation (“TTC”) followed by wage-loss compensation.

On March 4, 1996, claimant moved for permanent total disability compensation (“PTD”) based on Dr. Joseph A. Sopko’s…