Verne L. Abel v. Mike Russells Standard

The issue in this case is whether an employee who suffers an idiopathic fall is entitled to compensation under section 287.120.1, RSMo 1994, when the conditions of the work place bear no causal relationship to the employees injury. The Labor and Industrial Relations Commission denied workers compensation. The Court of Appeals, Southern District, reversed, relying on this Courts decision in Alexander v. D. L. Sitton Motor Lines, 851 S.W.2d 525 (Mo. banc 1993). One member of the court of appeals panel Dissented and certified the case to this Court because he believed the majority opinion was contrary to Alexander . We have jurisdiction, Mo. Const. art. V, § 10, and hold that section 287.120.1, RSMo 1994, requires the employee to establish a causal relationship between the conditions of the work place and his or her injuries before workers compensation is available. The decision of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission is affirmed.