A woman who worked at a See's Candies packing plant in Los Angeles County was exposed to COVID-19 while on the job in March 2020, the critical early period of the pandemic.
Matilda Ek alleged that the company had employees working in close quarters.
She soon became ill, and while being taken care of at home by her husband, he contracted the virus, as well as one of their daughters. Her husband, Martin Ek, succumbed to the virus in April 2020.
Now, the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles has ruled that Ek’s family can sue See's for damages, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The ruling, made on Tuesday, determined that "household members are not bound by the limits placed on employees by California's workers' compensation law," the paper reported.
Traditionally, workers' compensation applies to harm done to the employees, and does not extend to harm done to a loved one.
"When a person suffers a disabling or lethal injury, the harms they suffer from that injury necessarily extend beyond the injured person to those who love and/or depend on that person," said Justice Helen Bendix in the 3-0 ruling, the paper reported.
The case marks the first in California appellate court to determine this type of employer responsibility for COVID-19 transmission from an employee to others, the paper reported.
See's fought to dismiss the suit based on the traditional definition of workers' compensation.
See's Candies did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment at the time of publication.
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