In Goulding v. NJ Friendship House, Inc., the New Jersey Supreme Court reviewed a workers’ compensation court’s ruling in favor of an employer after an employee was injured during the company’s “Family Fun Day”. The Court ruled that N.J.S.A. 34:15-7 sets out a two-element test to determine if an employer is liable for an employee’s injury at a social or recreational activity. But the Court also held that “whether an activity is social or recreational should turn on the employee’s role in the activity — whether she is participating as a guest or providing services for her employer at the event.” Here, the employee was a cook and attended the event to cook. Thus, the Court found that the injury she suffered at “Family Fun Day” was compensable.
