Denial of disability benefits

By: Derek Hawkins//February 29, 2016//

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Ryan Alensworth v. Carolyn W. Colvin

Case No.: 15-2053

Officials: WOOD, Chief Judge, and BAUER and POSNER, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Denial of disability benefits

Appellant denial of disability benefits reversed where district court relied on unreliable statistics. Court erred in not finding the plaintiff credible.

“Apart from the fact that the vocational expert did not ex- plain where he got the job numbers (2700, 2250, 1800) from— we doubt that they are reliable statistics but will not press the issue—we have no idea how many jobs exist in the regional economy that the plaintiff’s manifold disabilities would not prevent him from doing. But the question is academic, since even if his physical disabilities were properly accounted for, he does not appear to be capable of any full- time gainful employment, given his hypersomnia.”

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.

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