Ruth Dwyer, Petitioner-Appellant v. Ford Motor Company, Respondent-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and remanded for entry of a workmen's compensation award, holding that an employee who suffers a heart attack can recover if ordinary work strain materially contributed to the injury. The Court rejected the presumption that heart disease is a natural cause and required the claimant to prove causation by a preponderance of the believable evidence. Justice Haneman dissented, arguing the majority expands the statute beyond legislative intent, while Chief Justice Weintraub concurred in the result but expressed uncertainty about the proper medical standard.