Alabama Workers' Comp Blawg

  • 30
  • Aug
  • 2009

TRIAL COURT DECISION REVERSED WHERE ORDER CONTAINED NO FINDINGS OF FACT OR CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Joseph Grace v. Standard Furniture Manufacturing Company, Inc.:

On August 28, 2009, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals released this opinion wherein it reversed the trial court. After a trial on the merits, the trial court ruled in favor of the defendant employer and entered the following judgment:

This matter having come before this Court for trial on September 29, 2008 [,] and the Court having heard the testimony finds, based on the evidence presented, in favor of [employer].

The Court of Civil Appeals reversed the trial court and determined that the Order failed to comply with Alabama Code 1975, § 25-5-88.  Specifically, the judgment did not contain the requisite findings of fact or conclusions of law. The Court noted that the purpose of § 25-5-88 is to ensure that a trial court’s decision contains sufficiently detailed findings so that the appellate court can determine whether the judgment is supported by the facts. The Court also noted that a trial court’s judgment will not necessarily be reversed just because it has very few findings of fact or conclusions of law. In this case, however, the Court had no choice but to reverse the trial court’s decision because the trial court’s decision contained absolutely no findings of fact or conclusions of law.

 

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