Disability Benefits – Credibility & Experts

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Stacy L. Childress v. Carolyn W. Colvin

Case No.: 16-1601

Officials: POSNER, KANNE, and SYKES, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Disability Benefits – Credibility & Experts

The plaintiff‐appellant, Mr. Childress, applied to the Social Security Administration for disability benefits in 2008, when he was 35. Turned down in 2010 after a hearing before an administrative law judge, he appealed to the district court, which initially remanded the case to the Social Security Administration for reevaluation of the medical opinions in the record and reconsideration of the plaintiff’s credibility. The upshot was a second hearing, held in 2013, before the same administrative law judge, who again ruled that Childress was not disabled; and this time the district court affirmed, precipitating his appeal to us. He complains that the administrative law judge again failed to give sufficient weight to the opinions of his treating physicians and did not accurately assess his credibility or his capacity to work.

Reversed and Remanded

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.