Maryland Court of Special Appeals finds dancing employee eligible for Workers’ Compensation

In a recent opinion from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the court was called upon to determine whether an employee, sent to a resort for work, was entitled to WC benefits when he was injured through a slip and fall accident at a night club while dancing after work hours. The court held:

We conclude that a traveling employee who is engaged in reasonable and foreseeable

recreational activities when injured, is entitled to recover workers’ compensation benefits for

his injuries because such recreational activities are “reasonably incident to travel.”

DALLAS E. GRAVETTE v. VISUAL AIDS ELECTRONICS, ET AL., No. 291, September Term 2013 (MD COSA, 4/29/2014). The full opinion can be found here.

While perhaps not the last word, as it is unknown whether review has been sought in the Maryland Court of Appeals, for the moment this case appears to expand the scope of WC benefits availability.