Yesterday, the Supreme Court of New Jersey, reversing a decision of the Superior Court, Appellate Division [see 466 N.J. Super. 160, 245 A.3d 1019 (App. Div. 2021)], found that serious injuries...
NJ Librarian’s Parking Lot Injuries When Struck by Snowplow are Compensable NJ Librarian’s Parking Lot Injuries When Struck by Snowplow are CompensableApplying the personal comfort doctrine [see Larson’s Workers’ Compensation Law, § 21.01, et seq.], pursuant to which small, temporary departures from work to administer to personal comforts or convenience are...
PA Court Agrees Injuries Were Compensable under Personal Comfort Doctrine PA Court Agrees Injuries Were Compensable under Personal Comfort DoctrineThe Supreme Court of Delaware affirmed the denial of workers’ compensation benefits to a courthouse employee who sustained injuries in a sinkhole accident near—but not on the courthouse property [Browning...
Delaware High Court Says Sinkhole Injuries Were Not Compensable Delaware High Court Says Sinkhole Injuries Were Not CompensableA Pennsylvania WCJ need not consider non-work-related injury limitations that were the result of actions that occurred after the work-related injury as part of a Pennsylvania injured employee’s “residual productive...
Post-Injury Felony Conviction Not a Factor in Determining PA Employee’s Earning Power Post-Injury Felony Conviction Not a Factor in Determining PA Employee’s Earning PowerConstruing N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-2(6), which defines “injury” to mean “only injury by accident arising out of and in the course of the employment” [emphasis added], the Court of...
NC Court Construes State’s “Injury by Accident” Requirement NC Court Construes State’s “Injury by Accident” RequirementCopyright 2022. Thomas A. Robinson. All rights reserved. This post may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or format, without the express written consent of...
The Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Comp Cases for 2021 The Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Comp Cases for 2021A Florida appellate court has affirmed a decision of a Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) holding that an injured firefighter was not entitled to reimbursement for additional surgical expenses related...
Florida Court Agrees Firefighter Not Entitled to Reimbursement for Back Surgery Florida Court Agrees Firefighter Not Entitled to Reimbursement for Back SurgeryIn a claim tangental to a highly-publicized 2019 indictment for alleged workers’ compensation fraud, a New York appellate court held that the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board abused its discretion when...
NY Board Abused Discretion in Failing to Allow Carrier’s Review Application NY Board Abused Discretion in Failing to Allow Carrier’s Review ApplicationNoting that a medical opinion need not be expressed with absolute medical certainty as long as it signified a probability of the underlying cause that was supported by a rational...
NY Firefighter Successfully Proved PTSD Claim Based Upon Multiple Gruesome Incidents NY Firefighter Successfully Proved PTSD Claim Based Upon Multiple Gruesome IncidentsIn a decision that is turning heads in the Keystone State, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, stressing the importance differences between two words—“shall” and “may”—reversed a decision by the state’s...
PA Supreme Court “Corrects” Long-Standing Rule Regarding Award of Attorney’s Fees Against Employer Who Reasonably Contests Issues PA Supreme Court “Corrects” Long-Standing Rule Regarding Award of Attorney’s Fees Against Employer Who Reasonably Contests IssuesIn an important decision that is certain to garner attention well beyond California’s borders, a California appellate court denied a petition for writ of mandate filed by an employer who...
California Comp Act Does Not Bar COVID-19 Wrongful Death Claim California Comp Act Does Not Bar COVID-19 Wrongful Death ClaimDodging an issue that had spawned multiple amicus curiae briefs regarding an interesting (and important) question—whether an employee’s representation in a workers’ compensation settlement agreement that he had only suffered...
IL Supreme Court Sidesteps Important Issue on Technical Grounds IL Supreme Court Sidesteps Important Issue on Technical Grounds