Dan Vaden Chevrolet v. Mann

Johnson, Presiding Judge.

We granted the discretionary appeal in this workers’ compensation case to determine whether the burden of proof in an initial claim was improperly shifted to the employer, and whether the superior court erred in failing to accept the State Board’s findings of fact.

The claimant, Johnny Mann, worked for Dan Vaden Chevrolet for three to four years, originally as a porter and finally as a vehicle detailer. Before Dan Vaden Chevrolet hired him, Mann had a longstanding history of back problems, including two surgeries. On February 22, 1996, he strained his lower back at…