Terms of Stipulation on Worker's Lost Wage-Earning Capacity Dictated Benefit Rate

A New York appellate court ruled that the terms of a stipulation between a worker and his employer pertaining to his lost wage-earning capacity was controlling as to the amount of his weekly benefit rate once he stopped working. Case: Matter of Sheets v. Airy Ridge Farm, No. 526000, 07/19/2018, published. Facts and procedural history: Paul Sheets worked for Airy Ridge Farm as a dairy farmer. He suffered injuries in April 2015 when a cow backed up and struck him in the chest. A workers’ compensation judge awarded him benefits for a fractured sternum. Sheets continued to work after...