Va. Court Finds Sexual Battery Precipitated Stress

The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled that a sexual battery in a mental hospital was a precipitating event for a claim of post-traumatic stress syndrome. The unpublished opinion in Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute v. Wright, No. 0489-06-3, 10/10/06, reviewed an award of benefits to Sheila Mae Wright for delayed post-traumatic stress disorder. Her employer, Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute, asserted that the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission erred in awarding Wright benefits for a sexual battery against her by two patients who were registered sex offender...