Introduction In 1951, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in O’Leary v. Brown-Pacific-Maxon, Inc., 340 U.S. 504, 71 S.Ct. 470, 95 L.Ed.483 (1951). The case involved a claim...
Throwback Thursday: O’Leary v. Brown-Pacific-Maxon, Inc. (U.S., 1951) Throwback Thursday: O’Leary v. Brown-Pacific-Maxon, Inc. (U.S., 1951)Background On September 28, 1973, at approximately 2:30 a.m., James Hawk II, the president, sole stockholder, and chief operating officer of Jim Hawk Chevrolet-Buick, Inc., died when his private airplane...
Throwback Thursday: Hawk v. Jim Hawk Chevrolet-Buick, Inc., 282 N.W.2d 84 (Iowa 1979) Throwback Thursday: Hawk v. Jim Hawk Chevrolet-Buick, Inc., 282 N.W.2d 84 (Iowa 1979)Rethinking the Limits of “Course of Employment” In traditional workers’ compensation doctrine, an injury must not only “arise out of” employment but also occur “in the course of” employment. Courts...
Throwback Thursday: Graybeal v. Board of Supervisors (1975) Throwback Thursday: Graybeal v. Board of Supervisors (1975)Background The early 20th century saw a seismic shift in how American society approached workplace injuries. Before the widespread adoption of workers' compensation laws, injured workers typically had to sue...
Throwback Thursday: New York Central R. Co. v. White (1917) Throwback Thursday: New York Central R. Co. v. White (1917)Background In 2000, Fernando Correa, an undocumented worker employed at Waymouth Farms, Inc., suffered a back injury while lifting a box in the company’s warehouse. His employer initially accepted the...
Throwback Thursday: Correa v. Waymouth Farms, Inc. (2003) Throwback Thursday: Correa v. Waymouth Farms, Inc. (2003)Exclusive Remedy and the Independent Injury Exception A cornerstone of workers’ compensation law is the exclusive remedy rule, which generally bars employees and their families from suing an employer in...
Throwback Thursday: Snyder v. Michael’s Stores, Inc. (1997) Throwback Thursday: Snyder v. Michael’s Stores, Inc. (1997)Background On December 28, 1979, Alcide Guidry, a 53-year-old industrial painter, arrived at work as usual at 7:30 a.m. for Sline Industrial Painters. Assigned with a colleague to paint large...
Throwback Thursday: Guidry v. Sline Industrial Painters, Inc. (1982) Throwback Thursday: Guidry v. Sline Industrial Painters, Inc. (1982)Background In 1916, the New York Court of Appeals issued a groundbreaking decision that would fundamentally shape how workers’ compensation law treats rescue attempts. The case, Waters v. William J....
Throwback Thursday: Waters v. William J. Taylor Co. (1916) – The Humanitarian Rescue Doctrine Throwback Thursday: Waters v. William J. Taylor Co. (1916) – The Humanitarian Rescue DoctrineBackground In 1928, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a decision that would help establish important principles about when off-premises lunch injuries fall within the scope of workers’ compensation coverage. The...
Throwback Thursday: Krause v. Swartwood (1928) – When Lunch is Part of the Job Throwback Thursday: Krause v. Swartwood (1928) – When Lunch is Part of the JobBackground On May 21, 1946, Kelly fell and injured his left knee in an accident which arose out of and in the course of his employment with the employer. He...
Throwback Thursday: Kelly v. Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. (1949) Throwback Thursday: Kelly v. Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. (1949)The Case and Its Context The 1955 Texas Supreme Court decision in Bailey v. American General Insurance Co., 154 Tex. 430, 279 S.W.2d 315 (1955), represents a landmark in the...
Throwback Thursday: Bailey v. American General Ins. Co. (1955) Throwback Thursday: Bailey v. American General Ins. Co. (1955)In Bradford County v. Pasko, 323 A.3d 39 (Pa. Commw. 2024), the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board decision that denied an employer’s claimed offset against workers’...
PA Commonwealth Court Says No Credit Allowed for Pension Benefits Provided by Employer to Injured Retiree PA Commonwealth Court Says No Credit Allowed for Pension Benefits Provided by Employer to Injured Retiree