MN Supreme Court Rules Against Minneapolis Schools, Sides With Teacher Who Tore ACL

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A Minneapolis teacher who tore her ACL while playing basketball with students after school is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Oct. 22 after reviewing the case.

The state’s highest court affirmed an earlier decision by the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals (WCCA), concluding that Erin Lindsay’s February 2023 knee injury at Sullivan STEAM School “occurred in the course of her employment” and was not excluded under Minnesota’s recreational-activity statute.

Lindsay, a math teacher at Sullivan since 2020 and part of the district since 2011, joined her students for an after-school basketball practice with permission from both the coach and the principal.

During a rebounding drill, she landed awkwardly and ruptured her left ACL, later undergoing surgery and missing more than a month of work.

Minneapolis Public Schools, which is self-insured for workers’ compensation, denied the claim, arguing that the injury happened during a "voluntary employer-sponsored recreational program."

The district appealed twice, first to the WCCA and then to the Supreme Court.

Writing for a unanimous court, Justice Gaïtas said the relevant statute “applies only to employer programs that are for the benefit of employees.”

The justices found that Lindsay’s participation in basketball practice served the students’ benefit and advanced the school’s mission, not her own recreation or wellness.

“The undisputed facts show that the employee sustained the injury within an hour of the end of the workday, the injury occurred at the workplace, and the employee was engaged in employment-related activity,” the opinion states.

The decision clarifies that under Minnesota law, teachers injured while participating in student-centered activities, even outside regular hours, can still qualify for workers’ compensation if the activity is connected to their educational role.

The Supreme Court’s ruling affirms earlier findings by Compensation Judge Jacob R. Colling and the WCCA (No. WC24-6567).

Attorneys Jeremiah Sisk and David Kempston represented Lindsay; Joshua Steinbrecher and Chris Wehr represented Minneapolis Public Schools.