Husband was a sales rep who traveled from California to Kentucky to Indiana in March 2020

A woman applying for workers’ compensation alleged that her husband, while employed by the defendant as an executive sales representative, sustained injury to his internal organs and other body systems in the form of COVID-19, leading to his death.

In the case of Ramirez vs. Maurice Kariem & Company, Inc. and Sentinel Insurance Company, Ltd / The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., the employee’s duties included traveling to various locations across the United States to meet customers and to conduct jewelry shows.

On Mar. 2, 2020, the employee flew from Los Angeles to Kentucky to meet a customer then drove to Indiana to do a trunk show. He came back to Los Angeles on Mar. 8, 2020. He then experienced body aches, dry cough, and a fever. He died on Mar. 16, 2020.

On Mar. 26, 2020, a pathologist performed an autopsy and found that the employee died as a result of acute viral pneumonia likely secondary to COVID-19 infection. The postmortem molecular testing showed that the COVID-19 virus was present, which suggested that the employee’s death could be due to COVID-19.

The workers’ compensation administrative law judge found that the employee sustained injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment (AOE/COE) in the form of COVID-19, resulting in injury to his internal organs and causing his death.

The defendant employer asked for reconsideration. It argued that the...

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