State Supreme Court Revives Pro Hockey Player’s Workers’ Compensation Claim

In a split decision, the Supreme Court of Michigan has revisited the question of whether a professional athlete can sue for workers’ compensation benefits in a state where his team/employer is based, but he is no longer a resident.   In so ruling, the court declined to retroactively apply recent case law, which suggested that both conditions must be present for a suit to move forward.   Plaintiff Andre Bezeau, a professional hockey player, signed a three-year contract in 1998 with t