A western Pennsylvania coal miner is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for the aggravation of a pre-existing psychological condition he suffered as a result of unwelcome sexual advances by a supervisor, the state Supreme Court ruled.
The unanimous decision by five justices reverses a Commonwealth Court ruling denying benefits to Ronald A. Hopton on grounds that that the sexual propositions his boss, Dominic Rossi, extended were normal in the “rough and tumble” mining industry. The appellate panel also concluded testimony presented to a workers’ compensation judge failed to establish the required abnormal working conditions.
