Senesac v. Employer's Vocational Resources Inc. Nunc Pro Tunc June 6, 2001

**Senesac v. Employer's Vocational Resources Inc. - What Workers Should Know** This case involved a dispute between a worker and a vocational rehabilitation company that was supposed to help the worker find new employment after a workplace injury. The worker sued the company for several issues, including negligence, causing severe emotional distress, and providing poor vocational rehabilitation services. Initially, a lower court threw out all of the worker's claims. However, an appeals court disagreed with this blanket dismissal. The appeals court ruled that while workers' compensation laws prevented some of the claims from moving forward, other claims could continue. Specifically, the court said that allegations of intentional infliction of emotional distress and other intentional wrongdoing could proceed because these actions went beyond the normal employment relationship and vocational services. This ruling matters for workers because it shows that even when workers' compensation laws limit your ability to sue, you may still have legal options if someone intentionally causes you harm. If a vocational rehabilitation provider or other service provider deliberately mistreats you in ways that go beyond their normal job duties, you might be able to seek compensation outside of the workers' compensation system. Workers should know that intentional misconduct may not be protected by workers' compensation exclusivity rules.