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Jun 8, 2026

South Carolina’s Mental-Injury Paradox

A South Carolina employee alleged that his manager threatened him, accused him of dishonesty, called the police, suspended him, and ultimately fired him. He then sued his employer for negligent...

South Carolina’s Mental-Injury Paradox South Carolina’s Mental-Injury Paradox
Jun 5, 2026

Iowa Supreme Court: Employer Not Bound by Opinion of Its Own Treating Physician

Many disputes over physician choice in workers’ compensation arise when an injured worker seeks treatment from a doctor of his or her own choosing. Hayes v. Christian Retirement Homes, Inc.,...

Iowa Supreme Court: Employer Not Bound by Opinion of Its Own Treating Physician Iowa Supreme Court: Employer Not Bound by Opinion of Its Own Treating Physician
Jun 2, 2026

Maine Supreme Court: Massachusetts Law Strips Staffing Client of Workers’ Compensation Immunity

Court Applies Massachusetts Law to Maine Injury, Rejects Immunity Defense in Multi-State Staffing Arrangement A New Hampshire contractor that likely would have enjoyed workers’ compensation immunity under Maine law lost...

Maine Supreme Court: Massachusetts Law Strips Staffing Client of Workers’ Compensation Immunity Maine Supreme Court: Massachusetts Law Strips Staffing Client of Workers’ Compensation Immunity
Jun 1, 2026

NY High Court Holds JIWA Bars Collateral Estoppel Effect of Pre-Enactment Workers’ Comp Decisions

New York’s Court of Appeals recently affirmed an Appellate Division order blocking defendants in a personal injury action from using a Workers’ Compensation Board causation determination as collateral estoppel, holding...

NY High Court Holds JIWA Bars Collateral Estoppel Effect of Pre-Enactment Workers’ Comp Decisions NY High Court Holds JIWA Bars Collateral Estoppel Effect of Pre-Enactment Workers’ Comp Decisions

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Aug 21, 2020

Special Endorsement in NC Commercial Auto Policy Sinks Employer/Insurer's Subrogation Claim

The North Carolina Supreme Court, in a split decision, reversed an earlier decision by the state's Court of Appeals, and held that because the employer's commercial auto policy contained an...

Special Endorsement in NC Commercial Auto Policy Sinks Employer/Insurer's Subrogation Claim Special Endorsement in NC Commercial Auto Policy Sinks Employer/Insurer's Subrogation Claim
Aug 20, 2020

Washington Staffing Firm Was Not Employer For Purposes of Safety Violations

A Washington appellate court reversed a determination by a state superior court that had determined that a staffing firm, which assigned temporary workers to a specific entity, could be liable...

Washington Staffing Firm Was Not Employer For Purposes of Safety Violations Washington Staffing Firm Was Not Employer For Purposes of Safety Violations
Aug 18, 2020

Pennsylvania Well Owner and Service Provider Were Not Statutory Employers of Truck Driver Making Delivery

In a split decision, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania held that a well owner and another firm that provided well services to the well owner were not the statutory employers...

Pennsylvania Well Owner and Service Provider Were Not Statutory Employers of Truck Driver Making Delivery Pennsylvania Well Owner and Service Provider Were Not Statutory Employers of Truck Driver Making Delivery
Aug 17, 2020

Opinion Mondays: The AMA is on Another Collision Course With Protz

The first session at tomorrow afternoon’s virtual conference, sponsored by Workers’ Compensation Institute, has really piqued my interest. Entitled, “THE NEW AMA Guides®” (hereinafter “the Guides”), it begs the question:...

Opinion Mondays: The AMA is on Another Collision Course With Protz Opinion Mondays: The AMA is on Another Collision Course With Protz
Aug 14, 2020

Minnesota Chiropractor's Inaction Causes Loss of $9K in Medical Care Charges

The Supreme Court of Minnesota recently held that a health care provider who voluntarily declined to intervene in a pending workers’ compensation proceeding after receiving timely and adequate notice of...

Minnesota Chiropractor's Inaction Causes Loss of $9K in Medical Care Charges Minnesota Chiropractor's Inaction Causes Loss of $9K in Medical Care Charges
Aug 11, 2020

NJ Worker's Tort Action Against Supply Company Fails on Exclusivity Grounds

A New Jersey appellate court affirmed a state trial court’s decision to grant summary judgment in favor of a defendant supply company in a civil action filed against it by...

NJ Worker's Tort Action Against Supply Company Fails on Exclusivity Grounds NJ Worker's Tort Action Against Supply Company Fails on Exclusivity Grounds
Aug 10, 2020

NC Claims Rep's Occupational Disease Claim for Anxiety and Depression Fails

A North Carolina appellate court affirmed a decision by the state’s Industrial Commission that denied an employee’s claim for an alleged occupational disease due to excessive stress and other pressures...

NC Claims Rep's Occupational Disease Claim for Anxiety and Depression Fails NC Claims Rep's Occupational Disease Claim for Anxiety and Depression Fails
Aug 5, 2020

TN Appeals Panel Clarifies Presumption of Correctness Afforded to MIR Physician's Impairment Rating

Construing Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-204(d)(5), pursuant to which a presumption of correctness is afforded to the impairment rating provided by an independent medical evaluator who has been selected from...

TN Appeals Panel Clarifies Presumption of Correctness Afforded to MIR Physician's Impairment Rating TN Appeals Panel Clarifies Presumption of Correctness Afforded to MIR Physician's Impairment Rating
Aug 4, 2020

Las Vegas Police Officer's Injuries During Commute Home Were Compensable

Adopting a "totality-of-the-circumstances" approach to determine whether a police officer's injury fell within the so-called "law-enforcement" exception to the standard going and coming rule, the Supreme Court of Nevada reversed...

Las Vegas Police Officer's Injuries During Commute Home Were Compensable Las Vegas Police Officer's Injuries During Commute Home Were Compensable
Aug 3, 2020

Opinion Mondays: COVID-19 Presumptions Don't Stand Alone in the Workers' Comp World

Recently, I had an occasion to spar with a young reporter who was gathering background information on a COVID-19 piece that she’s preparing. She’s only been in the legal news...

Opinion Mondays: COVID-19 Presumptions Don't Stand Alone in the Workers' Comp World Opinion Mondays: COVID-19 Presumptions Don't Stand Alone in the Workers' Comp World
Jul 29, 2020

Waiver in Labor Broker’s Employment Contract Saves Client from Suit by Injured Security Guard

A Florida appellate court recently affirmed a trial court’s decision granting summary judgment to a defendant company in a negligence action filed against it by a security guard who was...

Waiver in Labor Broker’s Employment Contract Saves Client from Suit by Injured Security Guard Waiver in Labor Broker’s Employment Contract Saves Client from Suit by Injured Security Guard
Jul 28, 2020

NY Court Affirms Death Benefits Following Injured Worker’s Suicide

A New York appellate court affirmed a decision by the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board that awarded death benefits to a surviving spouse following the suicide of her husband, who had...

NY Court Affirms Death Benefits Following Injured Worker’s Suicide NY Court Affirms Death Benefits Following Injured Worker’s Suicide

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