I hadn’t thought about bee dancing for a long time, when someone pointed me to this post by Laura Luebbert and Lior Pachter on a bit of data fraud in biology. Luebbert writes: Four years ago, during the first year … Continue reading →

Since the mid-1970s, the world has witnessed the rise and... more

A New York appellate court rejected an insurance carrier’s challenge to its liability for injuries two workers suffered while being transported in a van to a jobsite. Case: Matter of Reyes Bonilla…

A New York appellate court upheld a finding that a police officer’s retirement was voluntary and not caused by his prior duty-related injuries. Case: Matter of Carroll v. Nassau County Police Department, No.

A New York appellate court ruled that a company partially owned by an individual serving as the general contractor on a construction project at his private residence was not liable for…

A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was properly denied leave to file a late notice of claim. Case: Matter of Polak v. MTA Long Island Railroad, Nos. 2022-00039…

A New York appellate court upheld an award of benefits for a worker even though he was heavily intoxicated when he fell from a ladder. Case: Matter of Lujan-Espinzo v. Electrical Illuminations by…

The Nevada Supreme Court overturned its own precedent and ruled that an insurance carrier does not need to intervene or otherwise participate in a worker’s third-party claim to recover on…

The New Jersey Superior Court’s Appellate Division ruled that a worker was entitled to benefits for his injuries from falling while taking a dip in a hotel pool. Case: Terhune v.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed $819,417 in penalties for a New Jersey contractor that it says has a history of exposing workers to potentially deadly fall hazards. OSHA…

The Nebraska Court of Appeals upheld an award of benefits to an assembly line worker for her neck and finger injuries. Case: Mendoza v. Honeywell American Meter Co., No. 23-807, 05/28/2024,…

Until now computers have failed to solve mathematical problems. But the AI program AlphaGeometry has succeeded in finding proofs for dozens of theorems from the International Mathematical Olympiad

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services said it received notice of seven fatalities accepted for workers’ compensation benefits in the first three months of 2024, one less than…

The Oregon Court of Appeals clarified when a worker’s spouse falls within an exception to the definition of “beneficiary” because the couple was “living in a state of abandonment” at…

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services reported that it received notice of 42 fatalities accepted for workers’ compensation benefits in 2023. The 42 compensable workplace fatalities represent a 40%…

The District of Columbia’s highest court ruled that the Office of Administrative Hearings lacks authority to review penalty calculations by the Office of Risk Management. Luigi Buitrago injured his back in…

The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that a worker was entitled to permanent total disability benefits for the loss of use of the eyes, plus additional permanent partial disability benefits for…

An Illinois appeals court overturned the denial of death benefits to a deceased worker’s adult son, finding that the father's fatal heart attack was compensable and that the son was an…

Long-tenured Illinois workers’ compensation attorney James K. Keefe Sr. died at the age of 68. James K. Keefe Sr. (kasslyfuneral.com) Keefe died at his home Sept. 9, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission said…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld an administrative decision finding that an employer could not join another entity and its insurance carrier as liable parties for a worker’s fatal accident. Case:…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that an employer should have been allowed to set aside its stipulation of facts agreeing to the enlargement of an employee’s claim. Case: VNA of…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld an award to an injured worker but sent the case back to the judge to provide a more specific description of the compensable conditions. Case:…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld a finding that a worker sustained a compensable aggravation of his preexisting lumbar spine degenerative disease and lumbar radiculopathy. Case: Chester Water Authority v. Swiggett,…

Pennsylvania’s Superior Court upheld a jury’s $15.5 million award to a worker for his electric shock injuries. Case: Feldman v. CP Acquisitions 25 LP, No. 501 EDA 2023, 09/12/2024, published. Facts: The…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania rejected an employer’s challenges to orders reinstating a worker’s benefits, the expansion of his claim and the imposition of penalties. Case: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board v. Berardi (WCAB),…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for penalties for his employer’s failure to pay for his prescribed medications. Case: Benedict v. Hard Chrome Specialists Inc.

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that a worker’s settlement of his compensation claim against his employer did not preclude him from pursuing a civil suit against alleged third-party tortfeasors…

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that if a worker is injured as a passenger in an employer-owned vehicle, and workers’ compensation exclusivity precludes a recovery under the automobile liability policy, the…

The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld an award of benefits for a man with a rapid-repetitive-motion injury and that he did not forfeit his entitlement to benefits by lying about his medical…

A divided federal appellate court overturned an award of black lung benefits to a coal miner based on an administrative law judge’s misapplication of the burden of proof for a legal…

EDITOR’S NOTE: The New York State Workers Compensation Board said Friday afternoon that the majority of online services should now be restored. “Users may still experience lingering issues with some applications,”…

The software update that grounded airplanes and disrupted hospitals worldwide Friday also wreaked havoc on workers’ compensation regulators in some states. Officials from Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York,…

The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a poultry processing plant worker’s claim for injuries from an unexplained fall. Case: Gutierrez v. Perdue Farms Inc., No. 0176-23-2, 05/21/2024, unpublished. Facts:…

The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld a denial of benefits to a worker for his injuries from falling from a scaffold, finding he was an independent contractor. Case: Pineda v. Dante…

The Virginia Court of Appeals overturned an award of benefits to a worker who suffered identical foot injuries 11 years apart. Case: HealthSouth Corp. v. Hawthorne, No. 2058-23-3, 09/03/2024, unpublished. Facts: Pamela…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that a worker was entitled to benefits for his injuries from being struck by a car while attempting to aid a motorist…

A divided West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the doctrine of collateral estoppel did not bar a worker who failed to prove his occupational disease claim from seeking a civil…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Board of Review erred in applying the standard of compensability for occupational pneumoconiosis to a widow’s claim for…

The West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for injuries allegedly suffered while assisting a colleague having a medical emergency. Case: Hollandsworth v. Workforce West…

The West Virginia Supreme Court overturned an award of permanent partial disability benefits to an injured worker, finding that it was improperly based on the opinion of a doctor who failed…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a doctor’s request to expand a worker’s claim to add post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety as compensable conditions. Case: Travers v. Blackhawk…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s request to expand his claim to include additional conditions. Case: Justice v. Transwood, No. 24-ICA-57, 09/04/2024, unpublished. Facts: Keven Justice…

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a denial of benefits for a hospital maintenance worker’s COVID-19 infection. Case: Morrill v. Lifepoint Hospitals Inc., No. 23-461, 09/23/2024, published. Facts: Curtis Morrill was a…

West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a determination that an injured worker was entitled to a 0% permanent partial disability award. Case: Gibson v. Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, No. 24-ICA-160,…

The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited trucking Wayne Transports Inc. after a worker died in a confined space. Justin Erickson, 39, was found dead in the tank of a tanker…

The Maryland Appellate Court rejected a dispute over whether an injured worker qualified as a public safety employee due to a lack of jurisdiction. Case: Clifton T. Perkins Hospital v. Frierson, No.

The Maryland Insurance Administration announced that penalties for certain statutory violations will increase on Oct. 1. The maximum penalty the administration can impose on an unauthorized insurer or person engaging in the…

Two companies were fined a combined $650,000 after a worker died in an apple storage facility that had a low oxygen level to prevent fruit from spoiling, the Washington State…

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries fined four roofing companies a combined $1.27 million for allowing people to work on top of homes without fall protection gear. L&I said…

The claims professional is the decision maker with respect to compensability of any claimed injury, and with respect to the benefits that are to be voluntarily paid. These decisions will…