WY - Supreme Court Upholds Dismissal of Worker's Civil Suit Against Co-Employee
06/23/2026 | 0
The Wyoming Supreme Court upheld the summary dismissal of a worker’s civil suit against a co-employee for causing injuries to his hand.
Dusty Courtney and Kenneth Meyer worked for Wyoming Waste Systems. Meyer was a 28-year veteran, and he was training Courtney on the morning of Aug. 4, 2023.
The two men headed out on a garbage route, with Courtney driving the trash truck. The truck was equipped with arms that raise and lower dumpsters from the front to deposit trash into the truck’s container.
After collecting a dumpster, Courtney began to feel nauseous. He stopped the truck and
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The Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled that a general contractor owed no duty of care to a subcontractor’s employees.
Case: Martinez v. Reliable Poultry LLC, No. CV-24-29, 05/20/2026, published.
Facts: Jenny Nguyen hired Reliable Poultry LLC as a general contractor to build poultry houses on a farm in Beech Bluff, Tennessee.
Reliable subcontracted with A&L Hernandez Construction LLC to frame the houses.
Alfredo Martinez, a Tennessee resident, worked for A&L. He fell while working on the roof of a poultry house in October 2021. He was not using any fall protection or safety harne
A New York appellate court reinstated the bad faith claims against an insurance carrier that had declined to defend an employer from a personal injury action by an alleged independent contractor.
Case: Shattuck v. Dryden Mutual Insurance Co., No. 266 CA 24-01732, 06/05/2026, published.
Facts: Louis Shattuck suffered injuries while performing construction work using the tools and equipment provided by Cory Lisinski.
Lisinski did business as CNL Construction and Maintenance. The company had coverage from Dryden Mutual Insurance Co.
Lisinski notified Dryden of Shattuck’s injuries, but D
A divided New York appellate court ruled that a worker should have been granted summary judgment on his Labor Law claim for his fall from a ladder.
Case: Delisle v. FBBT/US Properties LLC, No. 212 CA 24-01928, 06/05/2026, published.
Facts: Scott Delisle allegedly suffered injuries while performing construction work on premises owned by FBBT/US Properties LLC and leased to CSL Plasma Inc.
FBBT and CSL had hired Barker Contracting Inc. as the general contractor for the project, and Barker subcontracted a portion of the project to Delisle’s employer.
Delisle alleged that an A-frame ladd
May 20, 2026
Pennsylvania employers and insurers pay more for medications under workers’ compensation than do payers in any other state. Drug payments under workers’ compensation can be 100 times higher than payments for the same drugs under Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance.
Pennsylvania lacks many of the cost controls common in other states, such as formularies, employers' ability to keep injured workers within PBM networks, or fee schedules with stated prices. Instead, charges in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation are based on inflated figures included in an
A bill that would limit the ability of out-of-state athletes to file workers' compensation claims in California for cumulative traumas and occupational diseases would apply prospectively, under recent amendments.
Sen. Laura Richardson, D-Los Angeles, last week amended SB 795 to eliminate proposed language that would make the measure apply to any claim that hadn't been reduced to a final award by May 11. The amended bill would apply to claims filed on or after Sept. 30.
Richardson amended the bill on Thursday, one day after the Assembly Insurance Committee postponed a scheduled hearin
A policy committee in the California Senate passed a bill proposing Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund reforms that differ from changes proposed by the governor.
The Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee voted 4-1 on Wednesday to pass AB 1576, by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro. The bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Under Ortega's bill, injured workers would need substantial evidence of a preexisting disability that predates a second injury and caused a loss of earnings or interfered with activities of work or daily life to qualify
A United Parcel Service mechanic in Northern California was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of workers' compensation fraud.
Derrick Hodge was also ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to Liberty Mutual Insurance, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
Hodge worked at the UPS facility in Grass Valley.
He claimed he was injured in 2023 when he was hit by a falling chunk of ice.
The District Attorney's Office said surveillance from the date of the alleged accident did not show anything falling from the roof of the UPS building. Additiona
The California Assembly Insurance Committee is scheduled to hear testimony at its next meeting on a bill that would increase permanent partial disability benefits by 51%.
Committee members are also slated to hear bills on Wednesday related to fraud reporting and professional athlete claims for occupational diseases and cumulative traumas.
Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, on June 1 amended SB 555 to propose increasing the range of wages used to calculate PPD benefits for injuries on or after Jan. 1, 2027. The bill would raise the minimum average weekly earnings to $363 from $240, while the maxi
Payers would be required to provide contact information for providers to request a copy of any contract used to reduce payment for services rendered, under a recently amended bill working through the California Legislature.
Assemblymember Phillip Chen, R-Brea, on June 15 amended AB 1048 to introduce language that would require that an explanation of benefits or explanation of review include the state-assigned medical provider network identification number and an email address that the provider can use to request a copy of the underlying contract that purports to allow reducing payment.
The b
A Texas appellate court upheld a worker’s $973,522.24 default judgment for his injuries that happened while he was performing construction work.
Eleazar Alvarado alleged that he worked for Kerry D. Nowell, who did business as K-Industries.
Fortress Iron LP allegedly hired Nowell to do work at its warehouse in October 2021. According to Alvarado, Fortress provided plans for the work, which included tearing out the ceiling and other walls.
While Alvarado was performing his tear-out, the roof collapsed, and he fell more than 20 feet onto the concrete floor, fracturing his
A Louisiana appellate court overturned a finding that a worker’s industrial exposure to benzene more likely than not caused him to develop lung cancer.
Case: Pizzuto v. Chalmette Refining LLC, No. 2024 CA 0524, 05/19/2026, published.
Facts: Joseph Michael Pizzuto filed a workers’ compensation claim in 2021 after he was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer.
Pizzuto asserted that his cancer came from his exposure to benzene while employed by Chalmette Refining LLC.
Procedural history: The Office of Workers’ Compensation found that Pizzuto carried his burden
West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for a foot injury.
Case: Erskine v. Whitecap Waste Holdings LLC, No. 25-ICA-423, 06/02/2026, published.
Facts: Anthony Erskine worked for Whitecap Waste Holdings LLC. He allegedly slipped and fell at work on Dec. 24, 2024, striking his head on a dumpster.
Erskine went to the hospital on Dec, 27, 2024, complaining of bilateral foot pain. He reported he had suffered a ground-level slip and fall at home three days earlier. Erskine reported that he also hit his head.
He was diagnosed with metat
A New York appellate court partially revived a worker’s Labor Law claims for his alleged injuries from a demolition project.
Case: Fahey v. Worship House & Outreach Ministries Inc., No. 2022-07581, 06/03/2026, published.
Facts: The New York City Department of Buildings issued emergency declarations directing the demolition of two abutting buildings on the same lot in Brooklyn. DOB provided notice of the emergency declarations to the owner of the premises, Worship House & Outreach Ministries Inc.
DOB informed Worship House that if it did not take action to remediate the dangero
A New York appellate court reinstated a worker’s Labor Law and negligence claims against a homeowner for his injuries from an alleged fall into a hole.
Case: Antunez v. Denoia, No. 2024-00176, 06/03/2026, published.
Facts: Santos Antunez allegedly suffered injuries while renovating a bathroom in a house owned by Carmine Denoia.
Antunez claimed that his employer, the contractor hired by Denoia, directed him to demolish a wall in the bathroom. According to Antunez, there was a hole in the bathroom floor approximately 5 to 6 inches from the wall he was told to demolish.
Antune
A New York appellate court ruled that a Labor Law defendant should have been granted summary judgment dismissing the claim against it.
Case: Beaton v. Tamco Mechanical Corp., No. 2025-03619, 06/03/2026, published.
Facts and procedural history: Shelly Beaton filed suit against Tamco Mechanical Corp. to recover damages for personal injuries she allegedly sustained while working at Riker's Island.
She asserted a claim for a violation of Labor Law Section 200.
Section 200 is a codification of the common-law duty to provide a safe workplace.
Tamco moved for summary judgment dismissing the
