Howard v. Uselton

OPINION

DROWOTA, Chief Justice.

The sole issue in this workers’ compensation appeal is whether the Chancellor erred in ruling that the Plaintiff, a convict doing work for the county during his term of imprisonment and at the time of his alleged injury, could not and did not enter into a contract of hire with Marion County, and thus was not an employee as defined by T.C.A. § 50-6-102 and was not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.

Plaintiff, Clarence Howard, was an inmate at the Marion County jail, having been sentenced to serve one hundred twenty (120) days on a conviction for driving…