N.J. Supreme Court holds session with newly appointed justice

The New Jersey Supreme Court hears a case in Trenton last year.

(Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)

TRENTON — The state Supreme Court today ruled that the husband of an AT&T manager who died from a blood clot after sitting at her desk for more than 10 hours one night is not entitled to workers' compensation benefits, overturning a decision by a lower court.

Cathleen Renner, a mother of three, died in 2007 at age 47 from a clot in her lung about an hour after she finished working a sedentary, overnight shift at the computer in her home office in Edison, the ruling said.

In 2011, a state appellate court upheld a lower judge's decision that Renner's condition — known as a pulmonary embolism — was caused by her work and that her husband, James, was entitled to benefits under New Jersey's workers' compensation law. Experts said the case of was the first of its kind that they can recall.

But the Supreme Court voted 5-0 today to reverse that ruling, saying there wasn't enough evidence to prove Renner's work was to blame.

"Cathleen read, took telephone calls, sent and received, emails, had conferences with her superiors and co-workers, and made decisions," wrote Judge Ariel A. Rodriguez, who is temporarily sitting on the court to fill a vacancy. "These responsibilities did not

require her to remain in a seated position for long, uninterrupted stretches of time."

Marty Richter, a spokesman for AT&T, said the company is pleased with the court's decision and declined further comment.

Patrick Caulfield, the Renners' attorney, said he was "disappointed for the family."

"This was a tough case," Caulfield said. "But it's unfortunate because (the husband) is a widower with three kids."

Renner, a 25-year employee for the communications giant, worked from home several times a week, the ruling said. The night before she died, she was under deadline pressure to finish a project due the next day and worked through the night, the ruling said.

Around 11:30 a.m., Renner called 911 and said she couldn't breath, according to the ruling. She was pronounced dead after arriving at JFK Hospital in Edison.

Dr. Leon Waller, who testified on Renner's behalf in 2011, said the clot developed while she was working and that the sedentary nature of her work contributed significantly to it forming, the ruling said. He stressed that Renner was an otherwise active woman, who often attended her children's sporting events, according to the ruling.

But AT&T argued that evidence was inconclusive as to whether Renner's work led to her death and that many other factors played a role, the ruling said.

Dr. William Kritzberg, who testified on AT&T's behalf, said Renner's obesity, age, use of birth control pills, and enlarged heart contributed greatly to her death, the papers said. Renner weighed more than 300 pounds, according to the ruling.

Most pulmonary embolisms begin as a blood clot in the leg and can form in a matter of hours, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. The clot then breaks free from the vein and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs. There, it can block an artery.

Leg clots usually form when someone does not move around for a prolonged period of time, according to the institute.

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