Depression Resulting from Failed Venture is Not Compensable in N.H.

Major depression resulting from the failure of a business is not a compensable "injury" under New Hampshire law, the state Supreme Court concluded in a split decision. The Supreme Court of New Hampshire decided that the Legislature intended to exclude a former business owner's depression from the list of compensable injuries, in the case of In Re Appeal of Letellier.The Dec. 15 decision described how Raymond Letellier's steel materials business initially flourished before a fire ravaged its manufacturing facility. The cost of rebuilding the plant far exceeded projections, and the busin...