Bassgar, Inc. v. Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission

Claimant, Darius Wicks, suffered an injury to his left arm at work on January 6, 2002, as a result of a physical altercation with his supervisor. Claimant was charged with and convicted of battery (720 ILCS 5/12 — 3(a)(2) (West 2002)) for his role in the incident. Subsequently, claimant sought compensation for his injury under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (Act) (820 ILCS 305/1 et seq. (West 2002)). The arbitrator concluded that the altercation was “related” to claimant’s work. Nevertheless, the arbitrator denied recovery, finding that claimant’s criminal conviction collaterally…