Employee Leasing Servs. v. Amissah, 08ap-151 (12-9-2008)

What Happened
Employee Leasing Services challenged a workers' compensation decision made by Ohio's Industrial Commission. The company disagreed with the Commission's ruling that awarded scheduled loss compensation to an employee named Amissah, who had suffered a total loss of use of his left hand. The employer wanted a higher court to force the Commission to reverse its decision through a legal action called a writ of mandamus.

What the Court Decided
The appellate court sided with the employee and rejected the employer's request. The court found that the Industrial Commission had properly awarded compensation for the complete loss of use of the worker's left hand. The court determined that the Commission had not abused its discretion in making this decision and upheld the original compensation award.

Why This Matters for Workers
This ruling reinforces that workers' compensation decisions made by state agencies deserve respect from the courts. When employees suffer serious workplace injuries that result in permanent disability, like total loss of use of a body part, they can expect that properly awarded compensation will be protected. Employers cannot easily overturn these decisions just by asking higher courts to intervene.