Joseph Smith v. Kilolo Kijakazi

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS JUL 11 2022

MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK

U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

JOSEPH SMITH, No. 21-35430

Plaintiff-Appellant, D.C. No. 4:20-cv-05075-MKD

v.

MEMORANDUM*

KILOLO KIJAKAZI,

Acting Commissioner of Social Security,

Defendant-Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington Mary K. Dimke, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted April 12, 2022 Seattle, Washington

Before: BOGGS,** HURWITZ, and SUNG, Circuit Judges.

Joseph Smith sustained severe hand injuries at work in 2011. He developed

bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and in 2017, after years of surgeries and increas-

ingly severe symptoms, applied for Title II disability-insurance benefits. Although

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The Honorable Danny J. Boggs, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Ap- peals for the Sixth Circuit, sitting by designation. an administrative law judge (“ALJ”) concluded that Smith had…