A termination request filed 17 days before the injury made all the difference in this case
An employer fired a worker five days after a workplace injury – and a Tennessee court said the termination was justified, thanks to documentation.
In a decision entered on March 20, 2026, the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims ruled that AccentCare, Inc. did not owe temporary disability benefits to L'Keshia Watson, a home health care worker who was terminated shortly after reporting a back and leg injury on the job.
The case turned on a question HR professionals deal with more often than they might like: can you fire someone who just got hurt at work?
The answer, at least in this instance, was yes – but only because AccentCare had its paperwork in order.
Watson injured her back and legs on June 5, 2025, after falling while moving a patient. She was diagnosed with a lumbar sprain and placed on light-duty restrictions. On June 10, AccentCare let her go. Watson argued the termination was retaliation for filing her workers' compensation claim.
AccentCare told a different story. Evidence presented in the case showed that Watson's manager had already submitted a termination request on May 19 – a full 17 days before the injury happened. Eboni Kelly-Williams, AccentCare's Senior Employee Relations Advisor, testified by affidavit that the company decided to give Watson time to improve her conduct.
She didn't. According to company records, Watson engaged in disruptive conduct on...
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