Va. High Court: ‘Horseplay doctrine’ grants man worker’s comp

Published March 2, 2011 5:00am ET



Virginia’s highest court has ruled that a man injured while lifting his arm to block ice being thrown at him by co-workers at a Manassas restaurant is entitled to worker’s compensation under an arcane rule known as the “horseplay doctrine.” The state Court of Appeals and the state Workers’ Compensation Commission had previously ruled against Matthew Edward Simms, who was employed as a server at Ruby Tuesday in Manassas when the incident occurred.

During Simms’ work shift, three other employees started throwing ice at him, and when he felt ice hit the back of his head, he turned around, lifted his left arm and felt his shoulder dislocate, according to court documents.

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