Newest Articles

Oct 7, 2026

Two Boxes Checked “No”

LA Second Circuit Affirms Forfeiture for False Answers on Pre-Hire Questionnaires About Prior Work Accidents and a Recommended Surgery Louisiana’s Second Circuit Court of Appeal has affirmed a ruling that...

Two Boxes Checked “No” Two Boxes Checked “No”
Oct 5, 2026

Louisiana Court: Paid a Percentage, Still an Employee

LA Fourth Circuit, 3–2, Holds Dump-Truck Driver Paid 25% of Truck Earnings Was an Employee Despite 1099; Dissent Invokes Manifest-Error Review The Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit recently reversed...

Louisiana Court: Paid a Percentage, Still an Employee Louisiana Court: Paid a Percentage, Still an Employee
Sep 29, 2026

Alcohol Falls Outside KY’s Presumption of Causation

KY Supreme Court Holds the Statutory Presumption Against Recovery for Intoxicating Substances Does Not Apply to Alcohol The Kentucky Supreme Court has affirmed benefits for a traffic flagger who was...

Alcohol Falls Outside KY’s Presumption of Causation Alcohol Falls Outside KY’s Presumption of Causation
Sep 28, 2026

The Heart Has Wiring, Too

FL First DCA Holds Harlem’s Narrow “Heart Disease” Definition Does Not Bar a Firefighter’s Arrhythmia Claim Under the Heart-Lung Presumption Florida’s First District Court of Appeal has affirmed an award...

The Heart Has Wiring, Too The Heart Has Wiring, Too

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Dec 14, 2020

Opinion Mondays: Those Hiring Undocumented Workers Should Not be Allowed to Game the System

In a deeply divided (3-2) decision, a New York appellate court reversed a decision by the state's Workers' Compensation Compensation Board that had found an injured, undocumented construction worker had...

Opinion Mondays: Those Hiring Undocumented Workers Should Not be Allowed to Game the System Opinion Mondays: Those Hiring Undocumented Workers Should Not be Allowed to Game the System
Dec 11, 2020

NY Pharmacist May Proceed in Tort Against Entity Affiliated With His Employer

Finding that a NY corporation had failed to establish either that it and Plaintiff’s employer–a related entity–were part of a single integrated entity or that one of the corporations controlled...

NY Pharmacist May Proceed in Tort Against Entity Affiliated With His Employer NY Pharmacist May Proceed in Tort Against Entity Affiliated With His Employer
Dec 10, 2020

MS Court Reverses Commission Order Granting Sanctions Against Employer

A Mississippi appellate court held the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission erred when it entered an order that required an employer/carrier to pay attorney’s fees of $4,000 as a sanction for...

MS Court Reverses Commission Order Granting Sanctions Against Employer MS Court Reverses Commission Order Granting Sanctions Against Employer
Dec 8, 2020

Texas Employee’s Suit Against Co-Worker for Dog Bite is Barred by Exclusivity

A defendant/co-worker’s act of bringing her dog to the employer’s residential facility for pregnant women to serve as a comfort animal was an activity that had to do with and...

Texas Employee’s Suit Against Co-Worker for Dog Bite is Barred by Exclusivity Texas Employee’s Suit Against Co-Worker for Dog Bite is Barred by Exclusivity
Dec 7, 2020

Opinion Mondays: DC’s Hearings Division Has New Job—Choosing a Home Remodeling Contractor

The D.C. Court of Appeals reversed a decision by the District's Compensation Review Board (CRB) that had held the District of Columbia's Adjudication and Hearings Department had no statutory authority...

Opinion Mondays: DC’s Hearings Division Has New Job—Choosing a Home Remodeling Contractor Opinion Mondays: DC’s Hearings Division Has New Job—Choosing a Home Remodeling Contractor
Dec 3, 2020

Fifth Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment Favoring Former Employers in Toxic Chemical Case

In an unpublished decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision granting summary judgment in favor of two former employers who, according to...

Fifth Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment Favoring Former Employers in Toxic Chemical Case Fifth Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment Favoring Former Employers in Toxic Chemical Case
Dec 2, 2020

Intervening IL Workers’ Comp Insurer is Not a “Party” to the Underlying Tort Suit

Circuit Court’s Contempt Order for Failure to Abide by Discovery Order is Erroneous An Illinois trial court committed error when it found an intervening workers’ compensation insurer in contempt for...

Intervening IL Workers’ Comp Insurer is Not a “Party” to the Underlying Tort Suit Intervening IL Workers’ Comp Insurer is Not a “Party” to the Underlying Tort Suit
Dec 1, 2020

NY Substitute Teacher’s Loss of Earnings Due to Personal Choice, Not Injury

A New York appellate court affirmed a finding by the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board that a former substitute teacher had withdrawn from the labor market and any loss of earnings...

NY Substitute Teacher’s Loss of Earnings Due to Personal Choice, Not Injury NY Substitute Teacher’s Loss of Earnings Due to Personal Choice, Not Injury
Nov 30, 2020

Texas Court Affirms Summary Judgment Favoring Former Employer in Toxic Tort Suit

A Texas appellate court recently affirmed a state trial court’s decision granting summary judgment in favor of a former employer (and a companion company) who had been sued by a...

Texas Court Affirms Summary Judgment Favoring Former Employer in Toxic Tort Suit Texas Court Affirms Summary Judgment Favoring Former Employer in Toxic Tort Suit
Nov 27, 2020

Nevada Court Affirms PTD Award to Undocumented Worker on Odd-Lot Basis

In an unpublished decision, the Supreme Court of Nevada affirmed an award of permanent total disability benefits to an undocumented worker who sustained severe injuries to his head when a...

Nevada Court Affirms PTD Award to Undocumented Worker on Odd-Lot Basis Nevada Court Affirms PTD Award to Undocumented Worker on Odd-Lot Basis
Nov 24, 2020

MD’s Highest Court Says Lower Court Erred in Reversing a Jury’s Finding as to Co-Employer Status

The Court of Appeals of Maryland, in a divided decision, held the state’s Court of Special Appeals erred in concluding, as a matter of law, that Tyson Farms was a...

MD’s Highest Court Says Lower Court Erred in Reversing a Jury’s Finding as to Co-Employer Status MD’s Highest Court Says Lower Court Erred in Reversing a Jury’s Finding as to Co-Employer Status
Nov 23, 2020

Opinion Mondays: Tests for Employment Status Appear to Grow on Trees

Among the factors adding complexity to the issue of whether a particular worker is an employee or an independent contractor is the sheer number of tests that might be utilized...

Opinion Mondays: Tests for Employment Status Appear to Grow on Trees Opinion Mondays: Tests for Employment Status Appear to Grow on Trees

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