Category: Case comment

May 11, 2018

Montana: Both Parties to Employee Leasing Arrangement Enjoy Exclusive Remedy of State’s Workers’ Compensation Act

Constitutional Provision Protecting Only “Immediate” Employers Does Not Limit Immunity In a decision that has important implications for Montana firms that utilize professional employer organizations (“PEOs”) for their labor forces,...

Montana: Both Parties to Employee Leasing Arrangement Enjoy Exclusive Remedy of State’s Workers’ Compensation Act Montana: Both Parties to Employee Leasing Arrangement Enjoy Exclusive Remedy of State’s Workers’ Compensation Act
May 2, 2018

California High Court Narrows Rule For Classification of Workers as Independent Contractors

CA Employers: Stock Up on Your W-2s; Recycle Your 1099s In a decision that continues California’s trend toward allowing the designation of a worker as an independent contractor only under...

California High Court Narrows Rule For Classification of Workers as Independent Contractors California High Court Narrows Rule For Classification of Workers as Independent Contractors
Apr 30, 2018

Ohio Auto Insurers: Beware of Nascent Workers Comp Claims

High Court Says BWC Has Subrogation Interest in Spite of Denial of Claim In a decision that should impact settlement procedures in virtually all personal injury cases within the state...

Ohio Auto Insurers: Beware of Nascent Workers Comp Claims Ohio Auto Insurers: Beware of Nascent Workers Comp Claims
Apr 19, 2018

NC Court Approves Medical Claim for Non-FDA-Approved Compound Cream

A North Carolina appellate court recently held that non-FDA-approved drugs could not be categorically excluded from medical compensation under the state’s workers’ compensation system [Davis v. Craven County ABC Bd.,...

NC Court Approves Medical Claim for Non-FDA-Approved Compound Cream NC Court Approves Medical Claim for Non-FDA-Approved Compound Cream
Apr 18, 2018

PA Court Nixes Chiropractor’s Separate Charges for “Office Visits” in Connection with Treatments

A Pennsylvania appellate court has concluded that an examination involving no new medical condition, change in medical condition, or other circumstances that require an examination and assessment above and beyond...

PA Court Nixes Chiropractor’s Separate Charges for “Office Visits” in Connection with Treatments PA Court Nixes Chiropractor’s Separate Charges for “Office Visits” in Connection with Treatments
Apr 12, 2018

No Recovery For Swooning Virginia EMT

Repeat After Me: “Correlation Doesn’t Mean Causation” The Virginia Court of Appeals recently reversed an award of workers’ compensation benefits to an emergency room paramedic who fainted, sustaining a skull...

No Recovery For Swooning Virginia EMT No Recovery For Swooning Virginia EMT
Apr 3, 2018

20 Shades of Gray: NY Court Construes “Risks of Street Travel” Rule

Where a New York office worker sustained injuries when she tripped and fell while walking on a public sidewalk approximately 20 feet from the door to the building that contained...

20 Shades of Gray: NY Court Construes “Risks of Street Travel” Rule 20 Shades of Gray: NY Court Construes “Risks of Street Travel” Rule
Mar 16, 2018

Oklahoma Supreme Court: Parent Corporation Not Always Shielded by Exclusive Remedy Doctrine

Certified Question From Tenth Circuit re: “Dual-Capacity” A divided Supreme Court of Oklahoma, responding to a question certified to it by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, has held the...

Oklahoma Supreme Court: Parent Corporation Not Always Shielded by Exclusive Remedy Doctrine Oklahoma Supreme Court: Parent Corporation Not Always Shielded by Exclusive Remedy Doctrine
Feb 18, 2018

California Grubhub Driver is Independent Contractor, Not Employee

From Comp Standpoint: Are Uber, Lyft & Grubhub Truly “Disruptive?” Lamenting that in California, a worker’s status as an employee, vis-a-vis an independent contractor, is an “all-or-nothing proposition,” a U.S....

California Grubhub Driver is Independent Contractor, Not Employee California Grubhub Driver is Independent Contractor, Not Employee
Feb 9, 2018

The Road Less Traveled: Wisconsin Court of Appeals Shuns Majority Rule Re: Borrowing Employer’s Tort Immunity

Temporary Employee Has Option of Claiming Benefits or Suing in Tort Based, at least in part, on the court’s so-called “literal” reading of a Wisconsin statute [Wis. Stat. § 102.29(6)(b)1.], the...

The Road Less Traveled: Wisconsin Court of Appeals Shuns Majority Rule Re: Borrowing Employer’s Tort Immunity The Road Less Traveled: Wisconsin Court of Appeals Shuns Majority Rule Re: Borrowing Employer’s Tort Immunity
Jan 4, 2018

The Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Comp Cases for 2017

Annual “Bizarre” List Began 30 Years Ago Continuing a New Year’s tradition that informally began 30 years ago, when my mentor, Dr. Arthur Larson, original author of Larson’s Workers’ Compensation...

The Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Comp Cases for 2017 The Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Comp Cases for 2017
Jan 2, 2018

Ohio Commission Erred in Assessing Penalties Against Employer for Safety Violations

A worker, who sustained severe injuries, including a left-hand amputation and major depressive disorder, while performing routine maintenance on the employer’s conveyor belt system, is not entitled to additional compensation...

Ohio Commission Erred in Assessing Penalties Against Employer for Safety Violations Ohio Commission Erred in Assessing Penalties Against Employer for Safety Violations