Month: January 2025

Jan 30, 2025

Throwback Thursday: Whetro v. Awkerman (1970)

When Mother Nature Met Workers’ Compensation On Palm Sunday 1965, a devastating series of tornadoes tore through southern Michigan. Among the victims were two workers: Carl Whetro, injured when the...

Throwback Thursday: Whetro v. Awkerman (1970) Throwback Thursday: Whetro v. Awkerman (1970)
Jan 28, 2025

“Traveling Employee” Exception Not Applicable in Third-Party Tort Action Against Ohio Employer

An Ohio employer cannot be held liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior for an employee’s negligent driving during a commute to work, even where the employee might reasonably be...

“Traveling Employee” Exception Not Applicable in Third-Party Tort Action Against Ohio Employer “Traveling Employee” Exception Not Applicable in Third-Party Tort Action Against Ohio Employer
Jan 27, 2025

IL Supreme Court: Widow Can Sue in Tort Although Husband’s Exposure to Toxins Occurred Before 2019 Legislative Change

An Illinois widow may pursue a civil action against her deceased husband’s employer for his asbestos-related death, even though his exposure occurred decades before a 2019 amendment to the state’s...

IL Supreme Court: Widow Can Sue in Tort Although Husband’s Exposure to Toxins Occurred Before 2019 Legislative Change IL Supreme Court: Widow Can Sue in Tort Although Husband’s Exposure to Toxins Occurred Before 2019 Legislative Change
Jan 23, 2025

Throwback Thursday: Booker v. Duke Medical Center (1979)

Background In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Robert Booker worked as a laboratory technician at Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, performing routine chemical tests on blood specimens....

Throwback Thursday: Booker v. Duke Medical Center (1979) Throwback Thursday: Booker v. Duke Medical Center (1979)
Jan 20, 2025

No PTSD Benefits for NY City Bus Driver

Passenger’s Attack Just Part of Driver’s “Normal Work Environment” In Matter of Waddy v. Manhattan & Bronx Surface Tr. Auth., 2025 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 244 (3rd Dept. Jan. 16,...

No PTSD Benefits for NY City Bus Driver No PTSD Benefits for NY City Bus Driver
Jan 14, 2025

MN: Driver’s Co-Employee Immunity Doesn’t Shield Vehicle Owners From Liability

Yesterday, reversing a trial court’s decision granting defendant vehicle owners’ motion for summary judgment, in Niebuhr v. Sieberg, 2025 Minn. App. LEXIS 4 (Jan. 13, 2025), the Minnesota Court of...

MN: Driver’s Co-Employee Immunity Doesn’t Shield Vehicle Owners From Liability MN: Driver’s Co-Employee Immunity Doesn’t Shield Vehicle Owners From Liability
Jan 13, 2025

VT High Court Upholds Administrative Rule on Concurrent Employment Wage Calculations

In a unanimous decision, Hill v. Agri-Mark, Inc., 2025 VT 3, 2025 Vt. LEXIS 2 (Jan. 10, 2025), the Supreme Court of Vermont affirmed the state Department of Labor’s authority...

VT High Court Upholds Administrative Rule on Concurrent Employment Wage Calculations VT High Court Upholds Administrative Rule on Concurrent Employment Wage Calculations
Jan 7, 2025

What Should the Tort Jury Know About Comp Benefits Already Received?

NC Court Should Not Disclose Power of Court to Reduce Employer’s Comp Lien The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently held that despite the statutory requirement that a trial judge...

What Should the Tort Jury Know About Comp Benefits Already Received? What Should the Tort Jury Know About Comp Benefits Already Received?
Jan 6, 2025

Iowa Court Affirms Denial of Benefits re: COVID-19 Claim

In Collins v. Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), 2024 Iowa App. LEXIS 918 (Dec. 18, 2024), the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed denial of workers’ compensation benefits to...

Iowa Court Affirms Denial of Benefits re: COVID-19 Claim Iowa Court Affirms Denial of Benefits re: COVID-19 Claim
Jan 6, 2025

Nebraska COVID-19 Claim Fails For Want of Expert Medical Evidence

In Spisa-Kline v. Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, 2024 Neb. App. LEXIS 750 (Dec. 31, 2024), the Nebraska Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for the employer in a workers’ compensation...

Nebraska COVID-19 Claim Fails For Want of Expert Medical Evidence Nebraska COVID-19 Claim Fails For Want of Expert Medical Evidence