La. Court Affirms Judgment for General Contractor on Furniture Refinisher’s Injury Claim

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana appellate court has affirmed the denial of workers’ compensation benefits for a furniture refinisher who submitted an unsuccessful claim against the general contractor on a hotel renovation project as an employee or statutory “borrowed servant.”

Louisiana’s Fourth Circuit held Aug. 14 that Jeffery M. Garrett was neither a contractual employee of Adcock Construction Co. nor a borrowed servant under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act because Adcock lacked control of his activities, among other factors.

Garrett was retained to refinish furniture as part of the renovation project. Because the hotel’s windows were not operational, an Adcock …