Department of Agriculture & Commerce v. Austin

CARLTON, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. Hugh Austin suffered a back injury while employed by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (Department of Agriculture). Austin filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, which the administrative judge (AJ) granted. The Department of Agriculture and the Mississippi State Agencies Workers’ Compensation Trust, the insurance carrier, appealed to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission (Commission). The Commission affirmed the AJ’s order finding Austin’s claim compensable, and the Department of Agriculture now appeals the Commission’s…