Soccer Player Wins Second Chance for Knee Injury Claim Appeal

In Little v. District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, a professional soccer player’s workers’ compensation claim faced challenges due to confusion over the nature of her injury. The player, who initially injured her left knee while playing in 2001 or 2002, later developed right knee problems, which she attributed to compensating for the original injury. After two surgeries on the right knee in 2015, her claim for compensation was denied by an administrative law judge (ALJ) and later affirmed by the Compensation Review Board (CRB).

However, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals vacated these decisions, finding that the ALJ and CRB misunderstood the player’s claim. The court clarified that her case was based on the right knee injury developing due to long-term effects of the left knee injury, not a separate acute incident. The court also noted that medical evidence supported her claim, shifting the burden to the employer to present specific evidence to refute the connection. The case was remanded for further consideration, allowing the player’s claim to receive a second look.