In a ruling that likely will rile business groups, the Florida Supreme Court unanimously decided Thursday that a worker who suffered severe burns and lost all his fingers in an on-the-job explosion can sue his employer in circuit court even though he already is receiving workers’ compensation benefits.
The justices, in a per curiam opinion, found that injured employees who have not pursued their workers’ comp case to a conclusion can sue their employer when the injuries are “caused by conduct of the employer so egregious that it is tantamount to an intentional tort.”
