A slaughterhouse worker took his case all the way to the Supreme Court to prove that he suffered an injury, not an illness, as a result of his work and should therefore be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

The worker contracted brucellosis, a blood contamination caused by certain bacteria carried by domestic animals, during his 10 years at the meat packing plant. Six years after leaving the company, he learned that he had brucellosis and filed a worker’s compensation claim for disability benefits. However, the slaughterhouse claimed that the worker suffered from an illness, not an injury, and therefore was not eligible for benefits. After a long series of court battles, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that an injury would have occurred for the bacteria to be contracted, and thus the condition could be considered an injury.

If you are fighting to receive the workers’ compensation and disability benefits you need, contact the Des Moines workers’ compensation attorneys of LaMarca & Landry, P.C. at 877-327-2600.