He Had Sex on a Business Trip and Died. His Employer Is Liable

Paris court rules cardiac arrest during adulterous interlude was a workplace accident
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 9, 2019 8:02 AM CDT
Updated Sep 14, 2019 7:00 AM CDT
Worker's Comp Awarded After Death During Illicit Sex
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Motortion)

An employee for a French railway company went into cardiac arrest and died during an adulterous sexual encounter with a "perfect stranger" while on an out-of-town assignment for work, and a Paris court recently deemed it a workplace accident and is holding the employer liable. Quartz reports on the odd worker's comp case, in which the Paris Court of Appeal ruled in May that the incident involving a worker for TSO could be considered a workplace injury. That's because, according to the judges, a worker is still an employer's responsibility while on a business trip, even during off hours and even if he's not doing something job-related—as long as he doesn't deviate overall from his assignment's mission. Per French outlet BFM, TSO offered no proof that the worker didn't complete the work task he was sent to the Loiret region in 2013 to carry out.

That means anything incidental he did as part of "everyday life" while he was there—including eating, showering, and (apparently) having sex outside of marriage—could be expected to be covered by company insurance if he was injured or killed during any of those activities. It also didn't matter in the judges' eyes that the sexual encounter took place in a hotel room other than the one TSO had secured for the employee. Quartz notes the ruling is a marked contrast from how such cases are dealt with in the US, where employees who engage in an activity not related to their job can't expect "continuous coverage" from their employer. It's unclear what kind of payment is now due after the court's ruling, or who might be receiving it. (More sex stories.)

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