Cap on compensation for harm to workers headed to governor

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A bill that would cap some of the damages West Virginia workers and their families can receive if their employer deliberately puts them in harm’s way on the job is headed to the desk of Gov. Jim Justice. The Republican governor has not indicated whether he will sign the bill. Most workers’ compensation laws protect employers from being sued by their employees as long as they provide them with benefits. Under West Virginia law, if an employer acts with “deliberate intent” to cause an injury to an employee, the employer loses that immunity. The bill headed to Justice would cap noneconomic damages at $500,000, or twice the economic damages incurred by a worker and their family.