Campbell v. Stuart H. Kaplan, M.D., Professional Corporation

**School Bus Driver Injury Case Highlights Worker Protection Issues** This case involved a school bus driver who was injured while delivering meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The driver sued the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education for negligence after getting hurt during this meal delivery work. The school board argued they shouldn't be held responsible because the meal deliveries were part of emergency management activities, which would protect them from lawsuits under North Carolina's Emergency Management Act. The North Carolina Court of Appeals disagreed with a lower court's decision and said the case should continue. The appeals court found there were still important questions about whether the meal deliveries actually counted as emergency management activities that would shield the school board from being sued. Since these facts were still in dispute, the case couldn't be dismissed and must proceed to trial. This matters for workers because it shows that employers can't automatically avoid responsibility for workplace injuries by claiming their activities were part of emergency response efforts. Workers who get hurt on the job may still have legal options even when employers try to use emergency laws as protection from lawsuits.