North American Royalties, Inc. v. Thrasher

OPINION

DAUGHTREY, Justice.

This workers’ compensation appeal concerns the propriety of the trial court’s award of a partial lump-sum payment to the injured employee, Rufus Thrasher, Jr. The order of commutation was apparently designed to permit full payment of attorney’s fees to Thrasher’s lawyer and to give Thrasher enough money to make a down payment on a house. The remainder of the award is to be paid on a periodic basis, as provided by statute. For the reasons set out below, we conclude that the record in its current state does not support commutation. Moreover, we find no statutory…