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The husband of an obese woman who died of a blood clot after working long hours at her home office is eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits, a New Jersey appeals court ruled Monday in a case that raised questions about the broader implications of the sedentary desk jobs of millions of Americans.
The case pits claims of whether poor health contributed to her death against whether poor work environment did.
Cathleen Renner, a 25-year employee of AT&T, died in 2007 from a blood clot that formed in her leg and lodged in her lung. She had been working overnight to finish a project in her home office in Edison, where she worked three of five days each week. Her husband filed a workers' compensation claim on her behalf after her death, claiming the clot developed while she was at her desk.
AT&T appealed, arguing that multiple risk factors unrelated to her job caused the clot. Renner, 47, had an enlarged heart and weighed more than 300 pounds, causing restricted blood flow, according to a medical expert enlisted by AT&T. She had also recently started taking birth control pills, which increase the risk factor blood clots for all women but especially those who are overweight, according to the Mayo Clinic.
"Sitting at your desk is a risk in and of itself," said Renner's husband's attorney, Patrick Caulfield. "It seems to be the No. 1 risk factor."
N.J. court rules extended hours at desk job led to obese woman's death | Courier-Post | courierpostonline.com
What a shame. Obese people and others with potential health issues may have an even tougher time finding employment in NJ.
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