Construing Va. Code Ann. § 65.2-503(C), which provides for PTD benefits, rather than PPD benefits, when an individual suffers the loss of use of two limbs in the same accident,...
Virginia Court Says Injuries Occurring Two Years Apart Can Actually Be From the “Same Accident” Virginia Court Says Injuries Occurring Two Years Apart Can Actually Be From the “Same Accident”In a proverbial “battle of the statutes,” an Iowa appellate court held that, under the facts of the case, a workers’ compensation decision granting a claimant’s application for alternate medical...
Iowa Claimant Allowed Alternate Treatment in Spite of Employer’s IME Request Iowa Claimant Allowed Alternate Treatment in Spite of Employer’s IME RequestIn a case of first impression, earlier today (January 13, 2020), the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed an order of a state workers’ compensation judge...
NJ Court Approves Order Requiring Employer to Reimburse Worker for Medical Marijuana NJ Court Approves Order Requiring Employer to Reimburse Worker for Medical MarijuanaIn an unusual case that shows how traditional procedural rules can sometimes be disregarded in workers’ compensation cases, a New York appellate court affirmed a finding of the state’s Workers’...
NY Court Affirms Use of Hearsay Evidence to Establish Employee Fraud NY Court Affirms Use of Hearsay Evidence to Establish Employee FraudAs is the rule in many jurisdictions [see Larson’s Workers’ Compensation Law, § 7.04], New York provides a presumption of compensability for accidents occurring during the course of employment which...
“Substantial” Evidence, Not Just “Some” Evidence Required to Rebut NY Presumption Regarding Unwitnessed Injuries “Substantial” Evidence, Not Just “Some” Evidence Required to Rebut NY Presumption Regarding Unwitnessed InjuriesReversing itself (in relevant part), a divided Supreme Court of Idaho cast aside a year-old decision and, after re-argument, adopted what amounts to a reckless standard in so-called “intentional” tort...
Idaho High Court Does “a 180”: Employees May Sue Employers for Reckless Conduct Idaho High Court Does “a 180”: Employees May Sue Employers for Reckless ConductA recent decision from the Empire State, Matter of Keller v. Cumberland Farms, 2019 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9113 (3d Dept. Dec. 19, 2019), illustrates a point sometimes lost on...
NY Court Bars IME Physician’s Testimony on Strict Procedural Grounds NY Court Bars IME Physician’s Testimony on Strict Procedural GroundsR.I. Gen. Laws § 45-19.1-1 (1956) does not create a conclusive presumption that cancer in firefighters arises out of and in the course of the employment, held a divided Supreme...
Divided Rhode Island Supreme Court Nixes Conclusive Cancer Presumptions for Firefighters Divided Rhode Island Supreme Court Nixes Conclusive Cancer Presumptions for FirefightersIn a case of first impression, the Supreme Court of Nevada addressed the traveling employee rule and, quoting Larson’s Workers’ Compensation Law, § 25.01, approved of the so-called Larson rule...
Nevada Supreme Court Sets Out Rules Regarding Traveling Employees Nevada Supreme Court Sets Out Rules Regarding Traveling EmployeesIn an interesting case that illustrates the tension between some of the recent technological “advances” that purportedly streamline traditional workplace practices, a federal district court yesterday held that a plaintiff’s...
Federal Court Says Action under Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act is Not Barred by Exclusivity Federal Court Says Action under Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act is Not Barred by ExclusivityWhere a New York workers’ compensation claimant admitted that, prior to his work-related injury, he had been told by an employer’s representative that the employer had contacted the claimant’s union...
Proximity of NY Worker’s Termination to Claim Could Not Alone Establish Retaliatory Motive Proximity of NY Worker’s Termination to Claim Could Not Alone Establish Retaliatory MotiveA regulation of New York’s Workers’ Compensation Board [N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs., tit. 12, § 300.13(b)(1)(i)] that authorizes the Board to dismiss an application for Board review where...
State Court Strikes Down New York Board’s Eight-Page Brief Limitation State Court Strikes Down New York Board’s Eight-Page Brief Limitation