Texas Supreme Court to Rehear Workers Comp Case

The Texas Supreme Court has agreed to rehear a case from Jefferson County dealing with the scope of the state workers’ compensation law.

The court has not yet set the date for new arguments but said it will rehear Entergy Gulf States Incorporated versus John Summers.

Four lawmakers and the Texas AFL-CIO had asked the court in December to reverse its decision in the case. They said it incorrectly expanded liability protections for employers under state workers’ compensation laws.

The Supreme Court ruled against Summers, a contract worker injured in a 2001 accident at an Entergy Gulf States plant in Bridge City. The court said Entergy was immune from a lawsuit seeking damages because Summers was covered by an Entergy workers’ comp policy, but the lawmakers disagreed.