Worker's Death Won't Allow Employer to Back Out of Settlement

The Mississippi Court of Appeals this week ruled that an employer can’t duck out of its agreement to pay a $71,659.43 settlement for a comp case just because the worker died before the Workers’ Compensation Commission approved of the deal. Under the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Law, the commission may disapprove of a settlement agreement only if it finds the agreement would not be in the best interests of the worker, the court said. Thus, the court said, the death of Thomas Taylor wasn’t a valid reason for the commission to set aside the agreement he had neg...