Judge Opens the Door for Exclusive Remedy Trial in Roofer's Death

A circuit court judge in Tallahassee, Fla., has opened the door for a $1-million lawsuit over the 2004 death of a North Carolina roofer whose widow contends she was shut out of the workers' compensation system, because both his employer and an insurer ignored her initial claim.Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper last week denied a summary judgment motion filed by G.R. Hammonds Roofing, of Lumberton, N.C., and American Interstate Insurance Co.The ruling follows nearly four years of legal wrangling over whether a lawsuit filed by Patricia A. Heflin, the widow of Claude Heflin Jr., can g...