Virginia Supreme Court: Navy Not Subject to Workers’ Compensation Act Requirements

RICHMOND, Va. –– The Virginia Supreme Court has reversed the dismissal of claims asserted on behalf of a former electrician serving in the U.S. Navy, ruling that the decedent never acquired the right to seek compensation for his asbestos-related injuries under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act.

In the Nov. 1 opinion, the state’s high court found that the claims fell outside the scope of the Act since the decedent was not a “contract of hire.”

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Kenneth M. Gibbs, who worked as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy. According to the court, the …