Olivia Works as an Advertising Executive for a Large Public

Olivia works as an advertising executive for a large public relations firm in New York. Her boss gives her tickets to attend a formal event in Washington,
D.C., that will be attended by many of the firm's clients. He expects her to represent the firm and generally solidify client relations through her attendance. While mingling with the attendees, she slips on a spilled drink and is severely injured in the fall. If Olivia files for workers' compensation, will she be eligible for benefits?
Yes, Olivia will be entitled to workers' compensation benefits. Eligibility is based on whether the injury resulted from an accident and whether she was hurt in the course of her employment. Certainly, slipping on a spilled drink is accidental. Although she was not in her New York office and was perhaps only indirectly performing advertising-executive-related duties, she was in attendance at the formal affair at the direction of her employer and she was performing company-related goodwill tasks. Courts will determine that she was acting in the course of her employment when injured and will award her workers' compensation benefits.