Penn. Store Manager Robbed at Gunpoint Wins Workers’ Comp

Is being robbed at gunpoint in a Pennsylvania state liquor store an “abnormal working condition” or not?

Since 2008, Gregory Kochanowicz has claimed it is, and now that the Commonwealth Court agrees, he’s due to receive $727 in weekly workers’ compensation benefits.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported this month the state Liquor Control Board could still appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court within 60 days.

The 60-year-old plaintiff sought the benefits claiming he’s been haunted by stressful memories of the heist in April 2008, when a robber pressed a gun to his head and duct-taped him to a chair at his store in Bucks County.

Attorneys for the LCB’s insurance company, however, have said workers’ comp should only be awarded due to “abnormal working conditions” and noted nearly 100 state store robberies near Philadelphia from 2002 and 2008.