Category: Case comment

Jun 9, 2026

IL Court: Pandemic Furlough Does Not Sever Concurrent Employment for AWW Purposes

In an unpublished decision, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, has affirmed a workers’ compensation award based on concurrent employment, holding that a claimant furloughed from her primary job...

IL Court: Pandemic Furlough Does Not Sever Concurrent Employment for AWW Purposes IL Court: Pandemic Furlough Does Not Sever Concurrent Employment for AWW Purposes
Jun 8, 2026

South Carolina’s Mental-Injury Paradox

A South Carolina employee alleged that his manager threatened him, accused him of dishonesty, called the police, suspended him, and ultimately fired him. He then sued his employer for negligent...

South Carolina’s Mental-Injury Paradox South Carolina’s Mental-Injury Paradox
Jun 5, 2026

Iowa Supreme Court: Employer Not Bound by Opinion of Its Own Treating Physician

Many disputes over physician choice in workers’ compensation arise when an injured worker seeks treatment from a doctor of his or her own choosing. Hayes v. Christian Retirement Homes, Inc.,...

Iowa Supreme Court: Employer Not Bound by Opinion of Its Own Treating Physician Iowa Supreme Court: Employer Not Bound by Opinion of Its Own Treating Physician
Jun 1, 2026

NY High Court Holds JIWA Bars Collateral Estoppel Effect of Pre-Enactment Workers’ Comp Decisions

New York’s Court of Appeals recently affirmed an Appellate Division order blocking defendants in a personal injury action from using a Workers’ Compensation Board causation determination as collateral estoppel, holding...

NY High Court Holds JIWA Bars Collateral Estoppel Effect of Pre-Enactment Workers’ Comp Decisions NY High Court Holds JIWA Bars Collateral Estoppel Effect of Pre-Enactment Workers’ Comp Decisions
May 27, 2026

Nebraska Supreme Court Affirms Denial of Death Benefits Where Work Injury Delayed Cancer Treatment

In a case involving a Nebraska truck driver-farm laborer whose treatment for metastatic cancer was allegedly postponed by complications associated with a compensable hip injury and its resulting treatment, the...

Nebraska Supreme Court Affirms Denial of Death Benefits Where Work Injury Delayed Cancer Treatment Nebraska Supreme Court Affirms Denial of Death Benefits Where Work Injury Delayed Cancer Treatment
May 26, 2026

NC Court of Appeals: Exclusivity Doctrine Bars Negligence Suit Following Workplace Stroke

A North Carolina district manager who suffered a stroke while preparing for the opening of a restaurant location—and who allegedly waited hours before coworkers summoned emergency assistance—may not pursue negligence...

NC Court of Appeals: Exclusivity Doctrine Bars Negligence Suit Following Workplace Stroke NC Court of Appeals: Exclusivity Doctrine Bars Negligence Suit Following Workplace Stroke
May 21, 2026

Washington Court Allows “Preconception” Negligence Claim Against Employer — Exclusive Remedy Defense Rejected

In a noteworthy decision addressing the intersection of toxic exposure, reproductive injury, and workers’ compensation exclusivity, a Washington state appellate court recently held that a child conceived after an employee’s...

Washington Court Allows “Preconception” Negligence Claim Against Employer — Exclusive Remedy Defense Rejected Washington Court Allows “Preconception” Negligence Claim Against Employer — Exclusive Remedy Defense Rejected
May 18, 2026

Florida Court Rejects Minnesota Immunity Claim

FL’s Professional Athlete Exclusion Dooms Physician’s Use of MN’s exclusivity protection A Florida appellate court has rejected a Florida physician’s attempt to invoke Minnesota workers’ compensation immunity in a wrongful...

Florida Court Rejects Minnesota Immunity Claim Florida Court Rejects Minnesota Immunity Claim
May 14, 2026

Colorado Federal Court Dismisses Flight Attendants’ Tort Claims Against Frontier Airlines

Toxic Fumes, Fraud Allegations, and Workers’ Compensation Exclusivity A federal district court in Colorado has held that workers’ compensation exclusivity barred tort claims brought by flight attendants who allegedly suffered...

Colorado Federal Court Dismisses Flight Attendants’ Tort Claims Against Frontier Airlines Colorado Federal Court Dismisses Flight Attendants’ Tort Claims Against Frontier Airlines
May 13, 2026

MN Supreme Court: Co-employee Immunity Doesn’t Shield Vehicle Owner from Vicarious Liability

The Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed a court of appeals ruling that the co-employee immunity provision of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act does not protect motor vehicle owners from vicarious...

MN Supreme Court: Co-employee Immunity Doesn’t Shield Vehicle Owner from Vicarious Liability MN Supreme Court: Co-employee Immunity Doesn’t Shield Vehicle Owner from Vicarious Liability
May 11, 2026

Florida Rewrites Tolling Rules

Estes and Leighton Decisions Reshape Statute-of-Limitations Analysis in Compensation Cases In a pair of recent decisions, the Florida First District Court of Appeal has overruled more than twenty-five years of...

Florida Rewrites Tolling Rules Florida Rewrites Tolling Rules
May 6, 2026

NY Court Affirms Dependent Adult Child Finding in COVID-19 Death Claim

The Appellate Division, Third Department, has affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Board finding that a deceased worker’s adult autistic son was dependent upon him at the time of his COVID-19 death,...

NY Court Affirms Dependent Adult Child Finding in COVID-19 Death Claim NY Court Affirms Dependent Adult Child Finding in COVID-19 Death Claim