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Mental injury claim fails over ‘routine’ meeting, court rules - 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 2026 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 2026 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 2026 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 2026 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 Mental injury claim fails over ‘routine’ meeting, court rules by Louise Esola Claims Disputes , Workers Comp Coverage , Workplace Safety Aug 28, 2026 A Tennessee workers compensation appeals panel held Thursday that an Allstate Insurance claims representative failed to prove that a meeting with supervisors constituted the sudden or unusual workplace stimulus required for a compensable mental injury. In 2026 TN WC App. 49 , the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board affirmed and certified as final a lower court ruling denying benefits to a woman working in Allstate’s total loss division. According to documents, she had preexisting diagnoses of major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety. But she alleged that increased workloads, disciplinary issues and the company’s failure to address her requests for accommodations exacerbated her conditions. Her claim ultimately focused on a March 28, 2024, virtual meeting with her supervisor and a regional manager. The woman said she expected the meeting to address her accommodation requests, but those issues were not discussed. She testified that the meeting led to a “complete breakdown,” including sleeplessness, panic attacks and difficulty focusing. Her partner testified that she found the woman sobbing in a dark closet afterward. The appeals board said Tennessee law requires a mental injury to arise primarily from a compensable physical injury or an identifiable work-related event producing a “sudden or unusual stimulus.” Gradual or cumulative mental injuries caused by ordinary employment stress are not compensable. The board said the woman acknowledged there was no yelling or confrontation during the meeting and characterized it as a “regular routine meeting.” Although her reaction was severe, the proper test is objective and considers whether the event was extraordinary or unusual compared with stress ordinarily experienced by an employee performing similar duties. The board also found that the medical evidence did not establish that the meeting was the primary cause of a compensable mental injury. One psychiatrist attributed much of her condition to broader workplace stressors, while another based her causation opinion on the “subjective” account of the meeting. 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