Workers’ Compensation for Performing Artists

In 2011, opera singer Wendy White fell from a platform eight feet above the stage during a performance. She suffered no broken bones, but resulting nerve damage prevented her from singing professionally and, because of these injuries, she moved to sue. But the Metropolitan opera claimed she was an employee that was simply doing her normal duties. Her case reflects some of the complexities surrounding workers’ compensation for performing artists. In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks to Justin Beck about the entitlement of performing artists to workers’ compensation. Their discussion incorporates exclusions in commercial general liability policy, the difference between star performers and the ensemble, and relevant cases, like Wendy White’s. Justin Beck is a law clerk at Thomas, Thomas & Hafer LLP in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He concentrates his research and work in the area of workers’ compensation and employer's’ defense. Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.