Allensworth v. Colvin

In 2008 plaintiff began having back pain that radiated to his legs due to a herniated disk and mild arthritis in his lumbar spine region; he also suffers from narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea, migraine headaches, numbness in his right leg, fibromyalgia, left-knee pain, and fatigue. He has limited mobility Dr. Imlach, his primary treating physician, concluded that the plaintiff’s conditions limited him to standing for a total of no more than half an hour, and sitting for no more than an hour, in an 8-hour workday and that plaintiff’s medications markedly limit the plaintiff’s ability to sustain concentration and pace. Plaintiff lives with his parents; he weighs 280-310 pounds, with a height of 6’2” to 6’3”. An administrative law judge denied his application for Social Security Disability benefits and the district court affirmed. The Seventh Circuit reversed, stating that the ALJ failed to explain why she gave little weight to Imlach’s findings and erred in finding the plaintiff not credible on the ground that he had “not been forthright in his allegations of … inability to perform work related activities.” The court concluded that plaintiff does not appear to be capable of any full-time gainful employment, given his hypersomnia. View "Allensworth v. Colvin" on Justia Law