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Oct 22, 2026

NY PTSD Claim Fails Under Pre-Amendment Stress Standard

Subway Cleaner Who Witnessed a Platform Injury A New York appellate court recently affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Board decision disallowing a subway-station cleaner’s PTSD claim after he witnessed a woman’s...

NY PTSD Claim Fails Under Pre-Amendment Stress Standard NY PTSD Claim Fails Under Pre-Amendment Stress Standard
Oct 20, 2026

Who Made the Firing Decision? Alabama Court Upholds Retaliation Finding

AL Supreme Court: HR’s Role Was a Jury Question The Alabama Supreme Court, by a 5–4 vote, affirmed liability for retaliatory discharge where the evidence permitted a jury to find...

Who Made the Firing Decision? Alabama Court Upholds Retaliation Finding Who Made the Firing Decision? Alabama Court Upholds Retaliation Finding
Oct 19, 2026

Uncertain Cardiac Sequence Does Not Defeat NY Bus Driver’s Claim

NY Bus Driver’s Crash and Arrhythmia A New York appellate court has affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Board finding that a school bus driver’s injuries and death arose out of his...

Uncertain Cardiac Sequence Does Not Defeat NY Bus Driver’s Claim Uncertain Cardiac Sequence Does Not Defeat NY Bus Driver’s Claim
Oct 15, 2026

Safety Rule Defense Fails Where Employer Tolerated Violation

IL Applies Saunders Acquiescence Exception to Footwear Rule An Illinois appellate court, in a decision not designated for full publication, has affirmed an award of benefits to an ice cream...

Safety Rule Defense Fails Where Employer Tolerated Violation Safety Rule Defense Fails Where Employer Tolerated Violation

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Jul 15, 2025

Caught on Camera: Surveillance Undermines NC Claimant’s Testimony

Surveillance footage doesn’t always tell the whole story—but sometimes it tells just enough. In a recent decision, the Court of Appeals upheld the state Industrial Commission’s denial of workers’ compensation...

Caught on Camera: Surveillance Undermines NC Claimant’s Testimony Caught on Camera: Surveillance Undermines NC Claimant’s Testimony
Jul 14, 2025

Who Sets the Fee? Two New Mexico Decisions Clarify the State’s Comp Law

Two recent decisions from the New Mexico Supreme Court—Pena v. State, 2025-NMSC-007, 2025 N.M. LEXIS 138 (June 27, 2025), and Hanrahan v. State, 2025-NMSC-008, 2025 N.M. LEXIS 139 (June 27,...

Who Sets the Fee? Two New Mexico Decisions Clarify the State’s Comp Law Who Sets the Fee? Two New Mexico Decisions Clarify the State’s Comp Law
Jul 8, 2025

Maryland High Court Bars Wrongful Death Suit Against Employer by Non-Dependent Child

In a case of first impression, a deeply divided (4–3) Maryland Supreme Court recently held that the exclusive remedy provisions of the state’s Workers' Compensation Act bar a wrongful death...

Maryland High Court Bars Wrongful Death Suit Against Employer by Non-Dependent Child Maryland High Court Bars Wrongful Death Suit Against Employer by Non-Dependent Child
Jul 7, 2025

PA Court: Good Faith COVID Vaccination Refusal Doesn’t Amount to Wilful Misconduct

A recent decision from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania offers important guidance for workers’ compensation practitioners navigating COVID-19 vaccination mandate disputes. The court held that an employee’s well-documented religious and...

PA Court: Good Faith COVID Vaccination Refusal Doesn’t Amount to Wilful Misconduct PA Court: Good Faith COVID Vaccination Refusal Doesn’t Amount to Wilful Misconduct
Jul 3, 2025

Throwback Thursday: Frampton v. Central Indiana Gas Co. (Ind. 1973)

When Retaliatory Discharge First Became Judicially Recognized Before 1973, in many states that followed the common-law doctrine of employment-at-will, a worker fired for asserting the right to workers’ compensation benefits...

Throwback Thursday: Frampton v. Central Indiana Gas Co. (Ind. 1973) Throwback Thursday: Frampton v. Central Indiana Gas Co. (Ind. 1973)
Jul 1, 2025

Louisiana Supreme Court Narrows State’s “Manual Labor Exception”

The Louisiana Supreme Court recently clarified the scope of the state’s unique “manual labor exception” to workers’ compensation immunity, holding that the exception does not extend to the employees or...

Louisiana Supreme Court Narrows State’s “Manual Labor Exception” Louisiana Supreme Court Narrows State’s “Manual Labor Exception”
Jun 26, 2025

Florida JCC Must Approve Fee Stipulation Absent Legitimate Grounds to Invalidate Agreement

In Fox v. Sarasota County School Board, 2025 Fla. App. LEXIS 4851 (Fla. 1st DCA June 25, 2025), the Florida First District Court of Appeal reversed a Judge of Compensation...

Florida JCC Must Approve Fee Stipulation Absent Legitimate Grounds to Invalidate Agreement Florida JCC Must Approve Fee Stipulation Absent Legitimate Grounds to Invalidate Agreement
Jun 24, 2025

NY Court: Attorney Fees Must Reflect Actual Claimant Recovery

The New York Appellate Division, Third Department, has resolved an important fee calculation issue for workers’ compensation practitioners. In Matter of Cooper v. New York City Health & Hospital Corp.,...

NY Court: Attorney Fees Must Reflect Actual Claimant Recovery NY Court: Attorney Fees Must Reflect Actual Claimant Recovery
Jun 23, 2025

NC Court Rejects “Woodson” Claim After Zirconium Explosion Death

In a tragic case involving a fatal explosion at a metal processing plant, the North Carolina Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s refusal to grant summary judgment to the...

NC Court Rejects “Woodson” Claim After Zirconium Explosion Death NC Court Rejects “Woodson” Claim After Zirconium Explosion Death
Jun 19, 2025

Throwback Thursday: Cowart v. Pearl River Tung Co. (Miss. 1953)

Pre-Existing Conditions, Aggravation, and the Enduring Reach of Larson’s Rule In the evolving history of American workers’ compensation, few doctrines have proven more enduring—or more contentious—than the rule that employers...

Throwback Thursday: Cowart v. Pearl River Tung Co. (Miss. 1953) Throwback Thursday: Cowart v. Pearl River Tung Co. (Miss. 1953)
Jun 17, 2025

Florida Court Reinforces Exclusivity Doctrine and Procedural Requirements

In a case of apparent first impression, the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal has held that employees may not unilaterally declare workplace injuries non-compensable under workers’ compensation law and...

Florida Court Reinforces Exclusivity Doctrine and Procedural Requirements Florida Court Reinforces Exclusivity Doctrine and Procedural Requirements
Jun 16, 2025

W. Va. Supreme Court Reinstates COVID-19 Award for Nurse

Might Awards for the Common Cold or Flu be Next? In Foster v. Primecare Med. of W. Va., Inc., 2025 W. Va. LEXIS 187 (W. Va. May 27, 2025), a...

W. Va. Supreme Court Reinstates COVID-19 Award for Nurse W. Va. Supreme Court Reinstates COVID-19 Award for Nurse

New Comments

  • ramivou: They hid behind a flawed "reading" of this statute for a decade. I am glad the SC finally put an end to the misconception that it was a "first six months only" filing requirement, rather than an ongoing responsibility.
  • trob: Thanks for the query. New York's going and coming doctrine is similar to that in place in the majority of jurisdictions. That is to say that for employees with a fixed place of work and who are on a relatively consistent work schedule, the commute to and from the residence is outside the course and scope of the employment. Often overlooked is the fact that the employee must generally have a fixed ...
  • ramivou: Is coming and going covered in NY?
  • trob: Excellent question. My thought is that the employer was following what it assumed was the typical practice of seeking to protect its "subrogation" interest in state court; in virtually all jurisdictions, the state trial courts are where subrogation issues are litigated. What differed here, of course, was that it wasn't a standard subrogation case, i.e., the employee's work-related injury wasn't ca...
  • ramivou: Why didn't they file it with the state Commission instead?
  • Thomas A. Robinson: I suspect that ACME could seek contractual indemnity, as you note, either from the staffing agency or its carrier. The goal of the Board or agency generally is to see to the proper award of benefits for compensable injuries. Allowing the "aggrieved" parties to sort it out later is completely consistent with the overall theory of workers' compensation. Many thanks for the comment. Best wishes.
  • Barry Stinson: I wonder if Acme's insurer could seek contractural indemnity from Variety's insurer outside of the WC system.
  • Michael C. Duff: The conceptual distinction is between joint causation and presumptive single causation.
  • Thomas A. Robinson: Sorry, I don't/can't provide legal advice. Best wishes, however.
  • Ken Smith: What can I do when my attorney blows my case with an incomplete RB89