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Appeals court says Taco Bell worker’s fatal stabbing limited to comp - Business Insurance Skip to content Register for free Search Search Log In Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Appeals court says Taco Bell worker’s fatal stabbing limited to comp by Louise Esola Claims Disputes , Workers Comp Coverage , Workplace Safety Jun 5, 2026 A California appeals court ruled that workers compensation is the exclusive remedy for the family of a Taco Bell employee who was fatally stabbed in the restaurant’s parking lot while on an unpaid meal break. The California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, on Tuesday affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of a wrongful death and survival action filed by the parents and estate of Kevin Wrenne, who was killed in March 2022 outside the Redding, California, restaurant where he worked as a crew member, according to the unpublished ruling in Wrenne v. JA Sutherland Inc. Mr. Wrenne had clocked out for a 30-minute unpaid meal break and was sitting on a curb in the Taco Bell parking lot when he was stabbed five times by Brent Close, described in the ruling as a transient individual who was later convicted of murder. His family sued J.A. Sutherland, the restaurant’s owner/operator, along with other defendants, alleging premises liability and negligence. The complaint alleged the restaurant was in a high-crime area and that defendants failed to provide adequate lighting, employee rest areas, security guards and surveillance cameras despite a history of police calls and violent incidents at the location. The appeals court said the claims were barred by California’s workers compensation exclusivity rule. Applying the “premises line rule,” the court found that Mr. Wrenne’s injuries occurred in the course and scope of employment because he was on his employer’s premises during an authorized meal break. The court rejected the family’s argument that Mr. Wrenne was off duty and engaged in a purely personal act that did not benefit his employer. The court said injuries occurring on an employer’s premises during a regular lunch break can arise in the course of employment even when the break is unpaid. “Had Wrenne not been working a shift at Taco Bell, he would not have been stabbed and killed in the restaurant’s parking lot during his 30-minute unpaid meal break,” the court said. The court also found the plaintiffs failed to show how they could amend the complaint to state a viable civil claim, and affirmed dismissal without leave to amend. 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