March 4, 2025
False statements about previous injuries get overruled– because of the employer's actions
Inalfa Roof Systems has a significant presence in the United States, with multiple manufacturing facilities and engineering centers supporting the North American automotive market. The company operates major plants in Michigan and Georgia, where it produces sunroofs and panoramic roof systems for leading automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. Inalfa is owned by Beijing Hainachuan Automotive Parts Co., Ltd. (BHAP), a subsidiary of the BAIC Group, one of China’s largest state-owned automotive manufacturers.
Sharon McKay, an employee at the company, sustained two separate workplace injuries in 2021. The case primarily focused on the second injury, which occurred on September 14, 2021. McKay had originally been hired in late 2020 as an assembly operator, a physically demanding job requiring significant lifting, standing, and mobility.
The legal dispute
At the heart of the case was the Rycroft defense, a legal precedent from a 1989 Georgia Supreme Court ruling. The Rycroft defense allows an employer to deny workers' compensation benefits if three conditions are met:
1. The employee knowingly made a false statement about their medical history.
2. The employer relied on that false statement when making the hiring decision.
3. There is a direct connection between the false statement and the injury in question.
Inalfa successfully used this defense to argue that McKay’s original June 11 injury should not qualify for workers’ compensation because she had not disclosed her previous back injury. The State Board of Workers’ Compensation agreed with Inalfa, and the superior court upheld the decision.
However, McKay appealed, arguing that the Rycroft defense should not apply to her second injury on September 14. By that time, Inalfa knew about her past injuries and had still allowed her to continue working.
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