Comp Settlement Establishes Status as Employee at Time of Wreck

A Louisiana appellate court ruled that a worker’s settlement was dispositive of her employment status at the time of a motor vehicle accident and that the doctrine of res judicata also barred her from recovering from her employer in tort. Case: Lewis v. Wieber, No. 2021-CA-0476 and 2021-CA-0477, 07/06/2022, published. Facts: On Dec. 12, 2018, Erin Wieber drove her vehicle into a tractor-trailer rig. At the time, Rico Lewis was driving the tractor-trailer, and his wife, Kim Lewis, was riding as a passenger. Rico and Kim Lewis worked for Acme Truck Line Inc., which leased the rig f...