Liberty Mutual Unit Found Liable For Injury Claim Despite Insurer Change

Montana’s high court ruled that a Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. unit that covered an injured employee’s carpal tunnel syndrome when it was first diagnosed is also liable for coverage when the injury later worsened, even though it was no longer the company’s insurer. The ruling by the Montana Supreme Court, which was released Tuesday, overturns an earlier ruling in favor of the insurer by a workers compensation court. Kim Wiard began working at Saint Regis, Montana-based Tricon Timber L.L.C. in 2002 and was diagnosed with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome in 2010 or 2011, according to the ruling in Montana State Fund v. Liberty Northwest Ins. Corp.