Sole Proprietor Need Not Notify Insurer of Injury by Deadline for Workers' Comp.

The article focuses on a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that a sole proprietor who is the only employee of his business is not required to notify his workers' compensation insurer within 120 days of a work-related injury to qualify for benefits. The court clarified that the 120-day notice requirement in Section 311 of the Workers' Compensation Act applies only to notifying the employer, defined as the business entity itself, not the insurer. This decision reversed a lower court ruling favoring Erie Insurance, which had denied a claim based on late notice to the insurer. The Supreme Court emphasized that any legislative changes to address potential gaps in the statute’s notice requirements must come from the legislature, not the courts. [Extracted from the article]