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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
Sep 24, 2026

“Closed” Under Old Rules, Reprocessed Under New

Oregon Court Applies New Claim-Closure Requirements to Case Pending on Judicial Review The Oregon Court of Appeals has held that 2022 amendments limiting retroactive “medically stationary” determinations apply to a...

“Closed” Under Old Rules, Reprocessed Under New “Closed” Under Old Rules, Reprocessed Under New
Sep 22, 2026

Whose Work Was Being Done?

Federal Court: Gas Producer That Hired Out Well Casing Is Casing Worker’s Statutory Employer Under Pennsylvania Law A federal district court in Pennsylvania has held that a natural gas producer...

Whose Work Was Being Done? Whose Work Was Being Done?

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Jan 12, 2026

Failure to Secure Comp Insurance Proves Costly for TN Company

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has affirmed a trial court’s holding that a carpenter performing construction work on a farm property was neither a “casual employee” nor a “farm/agricultural laborer”...

Failure to Secure Comp Insurance Proves Costly for TN Company Failure to Secure Comp Insurance Proves Costly for TN Company
Jan 8, 2026

Texas Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Grain Bin Death Case

The Texas Court of Appeals, Seventh District, recently affirmed summary judgment for an employer in a wrongful death action filed by the mother of an employee who suffered fatal injuries...

Texas Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Grain Bin Death Case Texas Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Grain Bin Death Case
Jan 7, 2026

Idaho Clarifies Causation for Recurrent Injuries

The Idaho Supreme Court has reversed the Idaho Industrial Commission’s denial of benefits in a case involving a recurrent tendon tear, holding that the Commission applied an incorrect causation standard...

Idaho Clarifies Causation for Recurrent Injuries Idaho Clarifies Causation for Recurrent Injuries
Dec 29, 2025

TN Supreme Court: Product Vendor Not a “Subcontractor” Under Workers’ Comp Law

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently held that a retail store chain was not a statutory employer of a product vendor’s injured employee, reversing the state’s Court of Appeals and adopting...

TN Supreme Court: Product Vendor Not a “Subcontractor” Under Workers’ Comp Law TN Supreme Court: Product Vendor Not a “Subcontractor” Under Workers’ Comp Law
Dec 22, 2025

NY Attorney’s Ex Parte Communication with MD Sinks Claim

The New York Appellate Division, Third Department, recently affirmed the state Workers’ Compensation Board’s decision to disallow a claim for hearing loss based on improper ex parte communications between the...

NY Attorney’s Ex Parte Communication with MD Sinks Claim NY Attorney’s Ex Parte Communication with MD Sinks Claim
Dec 16, 2025

NC Supreme Court Applies a Demanding Joint Employment Standard in Deeply Divided Decision

In a 4–3 decision, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals and held that a construction company did not jointly employ an off-duty deputy sheriff injured while...

NC Supreme Court Applies a Demanding Joint Employment Standard in Deeply Divided Decision NC Supreme Court Applies a Demanding Joint Employment Standard in Deeply Divided Decision
Dec 11, 2025

Ohio Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Retaliation Case

Probationary Status and Multiple Witnesses Defeat Pretext Claim An Ohio appellate court has affirmed summary judgment for an employer in a workers’ compensation retaliation case where timing alone could not...

Ohio Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Retaliation Case Ohio Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Retaliation Case
Dec 9, 2025

PA Court Reverses PTSD Denial for Officer Who Shot Suspect in Life-or-Death Struggle

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court reversed a Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board decision affirming denial of benefits to a police officer who developed disabling PTSD following a November 2020 incident in...

PA Court Reverses PTSD Denial for Officer Who Shot Suspect in Life-or-Death Struggle PA Court Reverses PTSD Denial for Officer Who Shot Suspect in Life-or-Death Struggle
Dec 8, 2025

DE Supreme Court: Recurrence Finding Bars Coverage Following Commutation

The Delaware Supreme Court recently affirmed a decision applying the recurrence versus aggravation framework in a case with an unusual result: because the claimant had commuted his earlier workers’ compensation...

DE Supreme Court: Recurrence Finding Bars Coverage Following Commutation DE Supreme Court: Recurrence Finding Bars Coverage Following Commutation
Dec 4, 2025

When Customer Confrontations Turn Violent, Workers’ Comp May Still Control

Georgia Court Applies Exclusive Remedy to Customer Assault Claim The Georgia Court of Appeals recently addressed an unsettling scenario: a cashier who alleged she was stabbed by a disgruntled drive-through...

When Customer Confrontations Turn Violent, Workers’ Comp May Still Control When Customer Confrontations Turn Violent, Workers’ Comp May Still Control
Dec 2, 2025

NY Court of Appeals Issues Two Major COVID-19 Decisions

On November 24, 2025, the New York Court of Appeals issued two decisions that clarify the standards governing workers’ compensation claims arising from COVID-19. In Matter of McLaurin v. New...

NY Court of Appeals Issues Two Major COVID-19 Decisions NY Court of Appeals Issues Two Major COVID-19 Decisions
Dec 1, 2025

Borrowing Doctrines Across Systems: Arkansas Reconsiders Travel, Tort Liability, and the Temptation of Workers’ Compensation Analogies

Skala v. Comfort Systems USA, Inc., 2025 Ark. 183, 2025 Ark. LEXIS 144 (Nov. 20, 2025), is one of those cases where the doctrinal lines between two distinct bodies of...

Borrowing Doctrines Across Systems: Arkansas Reconsiders Travel, Tort Liability, and the Temptation of Workers’ Compensation Analogies Borrowing Doctrines Across Systems: Arkansas Reconsiders Travel, Tort Liability, and the Temptation of Workers’ Compensation Analogies

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