Legal Environment of Business 8th Edition by Henry Cheeseman

Exercise 4

Workers' Compensation John B. Wilson was employed by the city of Modesto, California, as a police officer. He was a member of the special emergency reaction team (SERT), a tactical unit of the city's police department that is trained and equipped to handle highly dangerous criminal situations. Membership in SERT is voluntary for police officers. No additional pay or benefits are involved. To be a member of SERT, each officer is required to pass physical tests four times a year. One such test requires members to run 2 miles in seventeen minutes. Other tests call for minimum numbers of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups. Officers who do not belong to SERT are not required to undergo these physical tests. One day, Wilson completed his patrol shift, changed clothes, and drove to the Modesto Junior College track. While running there, he injured his left ankle. Wilson filed a claim for workers' compensation benefits, which was contested by his employer. Who wins? Wilson v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, 196 Cal.App.3d 902, 239 Cal.Rptr. 719, Web 1987 Cal.App. Lexis 2382 (Court of Appeal of California)