posted on Friday, October 07, 2005 11:48 AM
by
Lou Michels
Knight Riders
Apparently there is a lot more to being a medieval knight than riding around in polished armor to the adulation of a crowd, battling the occasional wizard and being waited on by serfs and wenches (not my term, folks). You have to take more than your fair share of lumps as well. In a case widely reported in the Chicago area, several former knights (late knights?) of the Medieval Times restaurant chain are suing for retaliation after they were fired when they filed workers compensation claims. For the uninitiated, a Medieval Times show involves full-speed horseback riding in armor, jousting with mock-up wood lances (that appear to break fairly easily), and orchestrated fights using passable replicas of broadswords. As befits an entertainment venue involving mounted combat, there's a fair amount of action involving people falling off horses, which is apparently where most of the serious injuries alleged in the lawsuit occurred. The allegations of the complaint revolve around a memo allegedly sent out about the company's concern with increasing costs of workers compensation claims. Allegedly the memo caused Medieval Times managers to threaten employees with termination if they filed workers compensation claims for their injuries. The plaintiffs indicate this is exactly what happened to them. The company, of course, denies what would be a clear violation of state law, so this might go all the way through to litigation after all. But it does seem that a company putting on these kinds of shows would expect a lot of long-term injury claims given the physical demands on the employees. We'll update this case as it develops, if for no other reason than it gives us the opportunity for lots of bad puns and double entendre remarks.