Katherine Stovall v. New England Telephone Company

Summary

The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the Appellate Division’s decision and remanded for entry of a decision affirming the ALJ’s denial that Katherine Stovall’s petition for restoration of workers’ compensation benefits was untimely. The Court held that Stovall failed to meet her burden of proving that the six‑year filing period was tolled by employer payments on a later injury, and therefore the petition was barred by the statutory limitations period. The decision rests on Maine’s tolling jurisprudence and the allocation of the burden of proof to the employee.