No specific laws identified for this ruling.
The Vermont Supreme Court reversed the Department of Labor Commissioner's summary judgment decision, holding that a student teacher/intern falls within the statutory definition of an employee for workers' compensation purposes despite receiving no monetary wages, and remanded for further proceedings.
Student Teacher Wins Workers' Compensation Case
Catherine Lyons was a student teacher doing her required internship at a school in Vermont's Chittenden Central Supervisory Union when she was injured on the job. When she tried to claim workers' compensation benefits, the school district argued she wasn't actually an "employee" because she wasn't paid wages - she was just a student completing her education requirements.
The case went through the state's workers' compensation system, where officials initially sided with the school district. However, the Vermont Supreme Court disagreed and ruled in Lyons' favor. The court determined that student teachers and interns can be considered employees for workers' compensation purposes, even if they don't receive monetary payment for their work.
This ruling is significant for workers because it expands protection to unpaid interns and student workers who might get hurt while performing job duties. Many people work without wages as part of training programs, internships, or educational requirements. This decision establishes that in Vermont, these workers may still be entitled to workers' compensation benefits if they're injured, regardless of whether they receive a paycheck. The case was sent back to lower courts to proceed with Lyons' workers' compensation claim.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
Workers' Compensation — Causation — fibromyalgia — doctor's opinion testimony The Court of Appeals erred in concluding that competent evidence was presented to support the Industrial Commission's findings of fact with regard to the cause of plaintiff-employee's fibromyalgia based solely on the…
1. Workers' Compensation — Seagraves test — injured employee's right to continuing benefits — termination for misconduct Our Supreme Court adopts the Seagraves , 123 N.C. App. 228 (2003), test for determining an injured employee's right to continuing workers' compensation benefits after being…
1. Workers' Compensation — sale of business — continuing jurisdiction of Industrial Commission An employer who had sold its paper mill and workers' compensation liabilities after an employee's work-related accident continued to be subject to the jurisdiction of the Industrial Commission with regard…
Court rulings like this one are useful, but every situation is different. Take 3 minutes to see which laws may protect you — it's free, private, and no account is required to start.
This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
See something wrong, or named in this ruling and want it corrected or redacted? Request a correction.