Spears v. Carhartt, Inc.

OPINION OF THE COURT

This appeal concerns a workers’ compensation claim that was submitted for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), as authorized by KRS 342.277 and a collective bargaining agreement between the claimant’s union and her employer. An arbitrator determined after a hearing that the claimant’s request for arbitration was untimely under the agreement, and the Workers’ Compensation Board (Board) and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Among other things, the claimant raises two broad arguments, that the ADR program was invalid because it diminished her rights under Chapter 342 and that…