On September 25, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that is poised to set significant precedent for workers' compensation law. Giuseppe Amato v. Township of Ocean School District (Docket A-31-24).
The case centers on the dependency claim filed by the widower of a school teacher who tragically died of COVID-19 after returning to in-person instruction as she complied with The Governor's Executive Order to return work in the classroom. The Supreme Court's review focuses on a highly contentious legal question: the scope of New Jersey's COVID-19 Essential Employee Presumption..
