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Court denies claim alleging work-related stress caused heart attack - 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 Court denies claim alleging work-related stress caused heart attack by Louise Esola Workers Comp Coverage Sep 1, 2026 A Connecticut appeals court Tuesday upheld the denial of workers compensation survivor benefits to the widow of a nuclear submarine builder’s employee who suffered a fatal heart attack after business trips, which she alleged caused work-related stress. In Zito-Hannan v. Electric Boat Corp., the Connecticut Appellate Court unanimously ruled that sufficient evidence supported an administrative law judge’s finding that Michael Joseph Hannan’s work at General Dynamics Electric Boat was not a substantial factor in his heart disease or death. Mr. Hannan, who had worked for Electric Boat since 1980, began traveling regularly to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for work in 2019. While there, he worked six days a week and typically spent two weeks in Florida followed by one week at home. He died in his sleep on Feb. 27, 2020, one day after returning to Connecticut from a three-day Florida business trip. He had preexisting heart conditions, including hypertension and aortic stenosis, and had gained weight while traveling. His widow, Shawna Zito-Hannan, sought survivor benefits, arguing that the cumulative physical and emotional stress of his travel and long working hours contributed to the fatal cardiac event. An administrative law judge dismissed the claim in 2024 after crediting medical opinions that Mr. Hannan died from progressive heart disease and that the available records did not establish work-related stress as a substantial contributing factor. The Connecticut Compensation Review Board affirmed the ruling in 2025. Ms. Zito-Hannan argued on appeal that the judge improperly required proof of a “sudden or unusual” workplace stressor, a standard she contended did not apply to her repetitive trauma claim. The appellate court rejected that argument, finding that, when read in its entirety, the decision showed the judge had considered both a potential triggering event and the widow’s cumulative-stress theory. The court said it could not reweigh conflicting medical evidence or disturb factual and credibility findings supported by the record. 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