Employee Developed an Infection During a Business Trip

[SafetyCFirst]

Ohio.
I had an employee acquire an infection while on a business trip. He claims that it is from a dirty hotel. He had an open wound which he said was reoccurring related to stress from the job (a before hire pathogen which causes lesions). This was part of his job function which he was hired to do(traveling sales). He has a blood sugar problem which makes the lesions heal slowly and open for infection. Will I be liable? He has not turned it in, but plans too. So I have not seen the Dr. notes to see if the secondary infection was caused before going to the hospital.

[Mr. Knowitall]

It's awfully attenuated - he has a medical condition (unrelated to work) which causes him to heal slowly. He has an injury in the form of an open wound, and purports that somehow work stress is causing it to "reoccur" (which is it - blood sugar or work stress). He claims to have been placed in a dirty hotel room, but apparently it wasn't so dirty that he asked to be moved to a different room or hotel. He claims to somehow know that it was his stay in the hotel room which caused him to develop an infection.

I would expect that, even if he can get his personal doctor to vouch for this story, the worker's compensation carrier will take a different view and deny the claim. But I am imperfect at predicting the future, so for more than that you'll have to wait and see.