ROLAND L. BELSOME, Judge.
Plaintiff-Appellant Gregory Peters appeals the judgment of the Office of Workers' Compensation ("OWC") denying his Motion to Amend Judgment Calculation Errors. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.
Mr. Peters was hired as a driver for Greyhound Bus Lines, Inc. ("Greyhound") in 1996. On February 1, 2007, while operating a Greyhound bus, Mr. Peters suffered a panic attack subsequent to an altercation with a passenger. As a result, Mr. Peters sought treatment for his anxiety disorder and filed a Disputed Claim for Compensation with the OWC. Greyhound denied the claim.
The matter was brought for trial on December 5, 2008. The OWC determined that Mr. Peters had suffered a compensable work-related injury and rendered judgment in his favor on January 13, 2009. Pursuant to a joint stipulation between counsel regarding Mr. Peters' average weekly wage ("AWW"), Greyhound was ordered to pay temporary total disability ("TTD") benefits in the amount of $333.00 per week from February 1, 2007 through September 21, 2007, plus certain medical expenses. Greyhound appealed the judgment, which this Court affirmed. Peters v. Greyhound Bus Lines, Inc., 2007-6092 (La.App. 4 Cir. 9/23/09), 22 So.3d 1092. Mr. Peters did not appeal this Court's judgment.
The matter was brought before the OWC on January 15, 2010. Following oral argument of counsel, Mr. Peters' motion to amend was denied. Mr. Peters timely filed his pro se appeal.
In workers' compensation cases, the appropriate standard of review is the "manifest error-clearly wrong" standard. Dean v. Southmark Construction, 2003-1051, p. 7 (La.7/6/04), 879 So.2d 112, 117. Accordingly, the findings of the OWC will not be set aside by a reviewing court unless they are found to be clearly wrong in light of the record viewed in its entirety. Id. Under this standard, the reviewing court does not decide whether the factfinder was right or wrong, but only whether its findings are reasonable. Buxton v. Iowa Police Dept., 2009-0520, p. 18 (La.10/20/09), 23 So.3d 275, 287.
When legal error interdicts the fact-finding process in a workers' compensation proceeding, the de novo, rather than the manifest error, standard of review applies. MacFarlane v. Schneider Nat. Bulk Carriers, Inc., 2007-1386, p. 3 (La. App. 4 Cir. 4/30/08), 984 So.2d 185, 188.
Mr. Peters asserts three assignments of error: (1) the OWC made an error in applying La. C.C.P. art. 1951 in denying his motion to correct calculation; (2) The OWC erred in not applying the correct AWW pursuant to La. R.S. 23:1021(12)(a)(ii)
It is well-settled that a judgment that has been signed cannot be altered, amended, or revised by the judge who rendered the same, except in the manner provided by law. Bourgeois v. Kost, 2002-2785, p. 7 (La.5/20/03), 846 So.2d 692, 696. Likewise, the trial judge cannot, on his own motion or on the motion of any party, change a judgment which has been so signed, notwithstanding it was signed in error. Id.
La. C.C.P. article 1951 provides:
To alter the substance of a judgment, the proper recourse is a timely application for new trial, an action for nullity, or a timely appeal. Palmer, 996 So.2d at 24. Mr. Peters did not file a new trial motion or an action for nullity, nor did Mr. Peters appeal the January 13, 2009 judgment. Additionally, although Greyhound appealed the January 13, 2009 judgment, Mr. Peters did not assert any calculation errors by the OWC in that appeal. See Peters v. Greyhound Bus Lines, Inc., supra.
Furthermore, a review of the record evidences that Mr. Peters' workers' compensation benefits were correctly calculated based on the joint stipulation as to his average weekly wage earnings.
With regard to the stipulation itself, the Louisiana Supreme Court has acknowledged that "[i]t is well established that a stipulation has the effect of a judicial admission or confession, which binds all parties and the court." Becht v. Morgan Bldg. & Spas, Inc., 2002-2047, p. 5 (La.4/23/03), 843 So.2d 1109, 1112; See also La. C.C. art. 1853. Stipulations between parties are thus binding on the trial court when not in derogation of law, and the stipulations become the law of the case.
Upon a review of the record in its entirety, we find no error on the part of the OWC in denying Mr. Peters' motion to substantively alter the January 13, 2009 judgment. The trial court's denial of the Motion to Amend Judgment Calculation Errors is hereby affirmed.
Day v. Campbell-Grosjean Roofing & Sheet Metal Corp., 260 La. 325, 330, 256 So.2d 105, 107 (La. 1971) (footnotes omitted).