When you have contractors working on your property, you need to make sure they are insured and it’s a good idea to make sure they are following safety precautions.
This is not a matter of lack of insurance. By statute, the Publix contractor’s Workers Compensation insurance was the deceased worker’s sole remedy against his employer. His widow is now trying to pick Publix’s deeper pockets, hoping to prove that some negligence act or omission by Publix led to her husband’s death. Since Publix paid the independent contractor for its knowledge and expertise in performing the contracted work, the store appears to have an excellent defense in this case.