Worker's Settlement Deprives Commission of Jurisdiction Over Dispute on Employer's Identity

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that a worker’s settlement of his claim deprived the Workers’ Compensation Commission of jurisdiction over a dispute as to the identity of his statutory employer. Case: Bridges v. J.L. Rothrock Inc., No. COA26-175, 10/21/2026, unpublished. Facts and procedural history: Bobby Bridges Jr. injured his back in September 2015. At the time, he was party to a contract with J.L. Rothrock Inc., wherein Rothrock leased a truck owned by Bridges and entered him in the American Emerald Transportation Services Inc. insurance program for workers’ ...