MI - Court: Summary Judgment Appropriate on Prison Worker's Use of Force Claim for Training Injury
08/13/2026 | 0
A federal appeals court ruled that a prison worker in Michigan was not seized under the Fourth Amendment and could not proceed with her excessive force claim against colleagues for injuries sustained during a hostage-training exercise.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday said workers' compensation was the most obvious source of relief for Danielle Arthur in a decision that affirmed summary judgment in favor of corrections officers who participated in the exercise. The court noted that Arthur successfully pursued a workers' compensation claim for injuries she sustained dur
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The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a school teacher had suffered a compensable back injury, but her hand and wrist injuries resulted from repetitive trauma that was not compensable.
Case: Sairafianpour v. Loudoun County Public Schools, No. 1459-25-4, 08/11/2026, unpublished.
Facts: Farzaneh Sairafianpour worked as a teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools. She tendered her resignation on May 9, 2024, effective June 18, 2024.
On May 31, 2024, between those two dates, Sairafianpour reported sustaining injuries to her left hand, left wrist and back while work
West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a finding that a retail clerk suffered a compensable injury when he fainted and fell at work.
Case: Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area Inc. v. Stowell, No. 26-ICA-55, 08/06/2026, published.
Facts: Larry Stowell worked for Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area Inc. as a retail clerk.
He went to a hospital emergency room in July 2025 with complaints of left elbow pain, right arm pain and a possible head injury after blacking out and falling at work.
Stowell filed a workers’ compensation claim, asserting he injured his he
The Delaware Supreme Court upheld the denial of a worker’s claim that he suffered a back injury while mixing mortar.
Case: Parker v. The Borsello Cos. Inc., No. 507, 2025, 08/10/2026, published.
Facts: Prince Parker began working for The Borsello Cos. Inc. in 2020. His job duties included operating a forklift and mixing mortar.
On Feb. 19, 2024, Parker lifted and emptied more than 100 buckets of water to mix mortar. He claimed he suffered a back injury that day.
Parker’s foreman, Johnny Arebalo, later denied that Parker reported any injury that day.
On Feb. 29, 2024
A new report from the California Workers’ Compensation Institute is reverberating across the industry, with the organization purporting to document a shocking rise in cumulative trauma claims.
Unfortunately, whatever data the CWCI bases its conclusions on is unavailable for verification by anyone outside the organization. The CWCI backs its assertions about the rise in CT claims by citing its own proprietary Industry Research Information System, about which scant information is available.
The CWCI report:
WorkCompCentral is hosting a webinar on Sept. 9 that aims to provide guidance on early recognition of delayed recovery risk factors associated with chronic pain claims and effective strategies that improve outcomes while controlling claim costs.
Instructors Dr. Steven D. Feinberg and William Zachry will cover topics including fear-avoidance behaviors, catastrophizing, treatment delays, communication breakdowns and other claims process challenges.
Feinberg, founder and medical director of the Feinberg Medical Group in Palo Alto, is a board-certified specialist in physical medicine and reh
WCF Insurance announced that it signed an agreement to purchase Work First Casualty Co., a specialty workers' compensation carrier that exclusively covers the temporary staffing industry.
The deal is expected to close Dec. 1. Terms were not disclosed.
Work First, which was founded in 2005 and is licensed in all 50 states, will continue to operate under its own brand. Jamie Madden will continue to serve as its president, and the company's full leadership team will remain in place.
WCF said the two companies will work side-by-side as they develop a phased integration plan.
The Florida Bar on Wednesday reported that an ongoing national fraud scheme involving fake online workers' compensation hearings that purport to award benefits to people on the condition that they make an upfront payment appears to also include the theft of a Miami attorney's identity.
Attorney Angel Ariel Bermudez received a call in May from a man who said he was waiting at the lawyer's office in Tampa for their scheduled appointment, the Bar reports. Bermudez does not have an office in Tampa.
The victim sent a text with what appears to be an AI-generated image of a busines
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Self-Insurers’ Association are holding their annual Workers’ Compensation and Safety Conference on Oct. 13 in Naperville.
The conference will include information from experts on work comp, health care, legislation and self-insurance.
Educational sessions will include an update on the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, legislative developments from 2026 and a review of appellate court decisions issued over the past year.
Other sessions will focus on topics that include the use of artificial intelligence and technolog
Jacksonville, FL – July 10, 2026 – PhysNet welcomes Michelle Despres, PT, EMBA as Chief Operating Officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company enters its next stage of national growth.
A licensed physical therapist and seasoned healthcare executive, Michelle brings a strong blend of clinical insight, operational leadership, and people-centered strategy. S
The Tennessee Workers' Compensation Appeals Board will require all parties to disclose whether any content in their filings was written by artificial intelligence.
The WCAB and the Bureau of Workers' Compensation announced on Aug. 3 that, starting Monday, all litigants will be required to include a disclaimer on the first page of any pleading, motion or brief prepared with AI. The statement — "This document includes content written by an artificial intelligence tool" — must appear in bold print and be prominently displayed.
The notice also states
The South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission on Wednesday announced that Deidra D. Byrd was appointed to serve the unexpired term of Aisha Taylor, who resigned in June.
Byrd started her legal career as a law clerk before going on to practice law in the private sector, focusing on commercial and business litigation and workers’ compensation.
She earned her bachelor's degree and law degree from the University of South Carolina.
Byrd will serve a term running from June 30 through June 30, 2032.
Taylor was first appointed to the commission in 2013. The South Carolina Senat
A California appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a lower court's decision sustaining a demurrer and finding that loss of consortium claims are not available under general maritime law or the Jones Act.
"There being no evidence that loss of consortium was historically available in personal injury unseaworthiness actions, coupled with the observation that a parallel statutory scheme does not allow for recovery of loss of consortium, we conclude loss of consortium is unavailable in this case," the court said.
Tracy Simerley was injured while working on a ferryboat owned by the Golde
A federal appellate court revived an injured worker’s claim of disability discrimination based on his employer’s failure to offer him a light-duty position following his clearance to return to work.
Ibrahima Dieng worked for Orkin LLC as a pest control technician for many years. By all accounts, Dieng performed well. Supervisors attested to his skills, abilities and strong customer relationships.
In February 2016, Dieng slipped and injured his right kneecap while servicing a building.
In July 2016, Dieng’s doctor advised him that, though he would be unable to return to wor
West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that a claims administrator could recover an overpayment of benefits to a worker.
Case: Heath v. Alliance Coal LLC, No. 25-ICA-466, 08/06/2026, published.
Facts and procedural history: Richard Heath worked for Alliance Coal LLC. In July 2022, the Board of Review determined that he was entitled to temporary total disability benefits for the period from Feb. 19, 2020, through March 16, 2021.
A claims administrator for Alliance’s insurance carrier noted that Heath previously received TTD benefits for 17 weeks from October 2019 thr
A Louisiana appellate court upheld a dollar-for-dollar credit to a carrier for wages paid in lieu of benefits that resulted in an overpayment to an injured worker.
Case: Ory v. HKA Enterprises Industrial Solutions LLC, No. 2025 CA 0430, 08/06/2026, published.
Facts: Tyler Ory worked as a millwright for HKA Enterprises Industrial Solutions LLC. His normal wages were $37.99 per hour and $56.99 per hour for overtime.
In January 2022, Ory sustained second- and third-degree burns on his hands and legs in a workplace accident. HKA paid Ory $46,654.40 in wages in lieu of compensatio
A federal appellate court ruled that an injured worker’s civil suit was not viable because he failed to assert an intentional act by the defendant, and the defendant qualified as his statutory employer.
Case: Knight v. Methanex USA LLC, No. 26-30178, 08/10/2026, unpublished.
Facts: Albert Knight worked for the Turner Industries Group LLC. Methanex USA LLC and Methanex Louisiana LLC hired Turner to perform a “maintenance turnaround” of Methanex’s methanol plant in Geismar.
Knight was part of a crew assigned to install a 2,500-pound “check valve” at the pla
