Caltrans Not Liable for Suicide of Bullied, Criticized Employee

The California State Department of Transportation is free from claims that its failure to prevent bullying in the workplace led to the suicide of an employee because it is protected by the Workers’ Compensation Act, a state appellate court said.

John Coffman’s family sued Caltrans after he committed suicide in 2015. The suit alleged Coffman was bullied, ridiculed, and harassed at work, and that Caltrans and Coffman’s former supervisor failed to prevent those acts, leading to a mental health condition that caused his death.

Coffman was placed on medical leave following an incident with a coworker in 2015, and died ...