Employee Who Pursued Civil Remedy Must Repay Second Injury Fund

The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld a determination that an injured worker who elected to pursue a civil suit against his uninsured employer was required to reimburse the Second Injury Fund for the benefits he had received from it. Billy Hood suffered an eye injury while working as a carpenter on property owned by the Vandalia Area Historical Society. Michael Menech had hired him for the job. Hood filed a workers’ compensation claim, but neither VAHS nor Menech carried workers' compensation insurance. An administrative law judge determined that Menech was Hood’s employer an...