Bishop v. Valley Rich Dairy

By Judge Clifford r. Weckstein

Billy Eugene Bishop, who was severely injured in an accident at Valley Rich Dairy’s Richlands, Virginia, branch, brought this damage suit against Valley Rich. .I hold that, as Valley Rich argues, this suit must be dismissed because Valley Rich was Bishop’s “statutory employer” under the Workers’ Compensation Act.

In order to answer this “mixed question of law and fact,” Burch v. Hechinger Co., 264 Va. 165, 169, 563 S.E.2d 745 (2002), I heard testimony from Bishop and from three employees of Valley Rich. There are no material facts in dispute; the relevant facts…