High court rules against employee in Tennessee workers' comp case
May 15, 2012
Tennessee: On May 8, the Tennessee Supreme Court released a 4-1 opinion denying workers' compensation benefits to an employee that "willfully violated" safety rules. The majority of justices overturned a decision by the trial court, which had earlier awarded benefits to the Fayetteville Public Utilities employee.[1]
The court disagreed with the trial court since the employee admitted that he purposely violated the utility company's safety rule, which said that all employees must wear gloves when working with copper wires. The dissent came from Justice Janice Holder, who argued that willfulness does not necessarily apply when a worker believes he is not in harm's way.[1]
To read the full opinion, visit: Tennessee State Courts, Opinion: Troy Mitchell v. Fayetteville Public Utilities.
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