Supreme Court Issues 2 Rulings on Proper Scope of Employer Immunity

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the state’s Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act does not bar a worker from pursuing a tort claim against his employer’s stockholder, as long as the stockholder is not acting as the worker’s employer. AWCA Section 5(A) provides that the rights and remedies provided by the act are the exclusive rights and remedies available to an injured worker against his employer or “any principal, officer, director, employee, stockholder, partner or prime contractor of the employer.” However, Section 5(A) also says tha...