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Charles Collins
v.
Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) and West Bend Mutual Insurance
Appellant
Charles Collins
Appellee
Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) and West Bend Mutual Insurance
Attorney for the Appellant
Richard Schmidt
Attorney for the Appellee
Charles A. Blades
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Paul Scott, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Schumacher, P.J., and Ahlers and Langholz, JJ. Opinion by Langholz, J. (10 pages)
Charles Collins appeals the district court’s denial of his petition for judicial review of the workers’ compensation commissioner’s ruling that he is not entitled to benefits because he failed to prove he contracted COVID-19 in the course of his employment with the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority. OPINION HOLDS: Substantial evidence supports the commissioner’s finding that Collins did not prove he was exposed to COVID-19 in his workplace. True, Collins took many precautions outside of work to avoid contracting COVID-19. But shortly before testing positive, he also traveled out of state to the Mayo Clinic—staying in a hotel for several days and encountering other people. Collins also could not show he had prolonged exposure to any COVID-positive employee while at work. Presented with competing theories of exposure and dueling expert reports, the commissioner’s decision was supported by substantial evidence in the record.
