Mail Boxes, U.S.A. v. Industrial Commission

This appeal presents a particularly troublesome issue. On the one hand, the claimant paid premiums for insurance against a loss of earning capacity due to an industrial injury. Yet his insurer asserts that no compensation need be paid for his permanent disability because he was working as the sole proprietor of an as yet unprofitable business at the time of the injury. In light of the basic public purpose of workers’ compensation to provide compensation, this result seems unjust.

On the other hand, as the majority opinion ably argues, both the insurance policy and the governing statute appear…