A termination request filed 17 days before the injury made all the difference in this case
An employer fired a worker five days after a workplace injury – and a Tennessee court said the termination was justified, thanks to documentation.
In a decision entered on March 20, 2026, the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims ruled that AccentCare, Inc. did not owe temporary disability benefits to L'Keshia Watson, a home health care worker who was terminated shortly after reporting a back and leg injury on the job.
The case turned on a question HR professionals deal with more often than they might like: can you fire someone who just got hurt at work?
The answer, at least in this instance, was yes – but only because AccentCare had its paperwork in order.
Watson injured her back and legs on June 5, 2025, after falling while moving a patient. She was diagnosed with a lumbar sprain and placed on light-duty restrictions. On June 10, AccentCare let her go. Watson argued the termination was retaliation for filing her workers' compensation claim.
AccentCare told a different story. Evidence presented in the case showed that Watson's manager had already submitted a termination request on May 19 – a full 17 days before the injury happened. Eboni Kelly-Williams, AccentCare's Senior Employee Relations Advisor, testified by affidavit that the company decided to give Watson time to improve her conduct.
She didn't. According to company records, Watson engaged in disruptive conduct on multiple occasions in May, refused to see patients on June 3, and drew a complaint from one of AccentCare's care facilities the same day. Each incident was flagged as a violation of company policies in the employee handbook. When Watson's behavior continued, AccentCare approved the termination on June 5 and submitted the paperwork on June 6.
Judge Shaterra R. Marion acknowledged that the timing of Watson's firing raised questions. But the full picture told a clearer story. The termination process was already in motion before Watson ever got hurt, and the documented misconduct gave AccentCare a defensible basis for its decision. Watson, who represented herself, did not provide evidence to support her claim that a manager had texted her about light-duty availability. The court denied her request for temporary partial disability benefits.
Watson did, however, win on medical benefits. The court found she was still in pain and entitled to continued treatment related to her workplace injury. AccentCare had offered her a panel of orthopedic physicians before the hearing, and the court ordered Watson to select one as her authorized treating physician.
The ruling also carried a sting for AccentCare. When Watson first reported her injury, the company sent her to a clinic rather than offering a panel of physicians within the three-business-day window required under Tennessee regulations. The court referred AccentCare to the state's Compliance Program for potential civil penalties over the delay.
For HR professionals, the case is a textbook example of why documentation matters – and why process matters just as much. AccentCare fended off a retaliation claim at the expedited hearing stage not because it had a clever legal argument, but because its records showed a clear, consistent trail of misconduct that predated the injury. At the same time, the penalty referral is a reminder that even when you get the big call right, smaller procedural missteps can still cost you.
The case is Watson v. AccentCare, Inc., Docket No. 2025-80-4314, State File No. 860190-2025 (Tenn. Ct. Workers' Comp. Claims, Mar. 20, 2026).
