In a decision that will interest those that practice in Workers Compensation and with the U.S. Postal Service (and perhaps no one else), the Connecticut Supreme Court yesterday ruled that U.S. Postal Service is not an employer within the scope of workers compensation laws in Connecticut.

The decision in Lopa v. Brinker Int’l is an interesting exercise on statutory interpretation and whether the state intended to cover certain federal government entities in the statute (or whether it even has the power to do so).  Ultimately, it concludes that the postal service was not organized under or created pursuant to the laws of Connecticut, and therefore cannot be an employer, as defined by Connecticut law.

But for employers, the decision should otherwise be a non-issue and I can’t foresee it having any real impact on private employers in the state, other than to leave the Postal Service out of any workers compensation case that may get filed.