Blanchard v. Belle Plaine/Vinton Motor Supply Co.

Dorothy Blanchard appeals a district court ruling on judicial review affirming the industrial commissioner’s decision to deny a worker’s compensation claim stemming from the suicide of her husband. We affirm.

Background facts. On March 28, 1993, Beryle Blanchard fatally shot himself in the warehouse of the Belle Plaine/Vinton Motor Supply Company. The company was a family business which was started by Beryle’s father and uncle in the 1940s. Beryle had been employed at the company his entire working life. At the time of his death, he owned two-thirds of the business and was chief executive…