MO - Injured Worker Gets Attorney Fees on Disability Discrimination, Retaliation Claims
04/08/2026 | 0
The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld an award of more than $2 million in attorney fees to an injured worker who prevailed on his disability discrimination and retaliation claims.
The appellate court also awarded more than $111,000 in additional fees for successfully defending the attorney fee award on appeal.
Scott Caldwell worked for UniFirst Corp. He injured his back at work, which resulted in difficulties performing his job as a district service manager.
Although UniFirst initially provided Caldwell with reasonable accommodations to assist him in completing his duties, it ...
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An Ohio appellate court upheld the dismissal of a widow’s claim for a roofing foreman's fatal injuries from a fall.
Case: Adams v. Kline & Kavali Mechanical Contractors LLC, No. 31429, 03/11/2026, published.
Facts: Ryan Adams worked as a foreman roofer for Building Technicians Corp.
He fell 20 feet through a roof two days before Christmas in 2020. Adams suffered serious injuries, and he died in October 2023.
BTC was the contractor completing a roof replacement project at Fairlawn Service Center Building No. 5 when the accident happened. Building No. 5 has five roofs, and...
A New York appellate court upheld a grant of summary judgment for a worker on his Labor Law claim for his injuries from a fall into a hole.
Case: Calle v. 686 Broadway Realty LLC, No. 158597/19, 03/17/2026, published.
Facts: Jeffry Calle worked for Branch Restoration Inc. He allegedly suffered injuries while performing asbestos abatement work on a construction project. Schimenti Construction Co. LLC served as the general contractor.
According to Calle, an unsecured wooden plank moved while he was at the site, causing him to fall into a hole and sustain injuries.
Procedural history: Calle f...
A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law claim for a fall on a staircase, but a third-party defendant should have been granted summary judgment on the indemnification and contract claims against it.
Case: Calix v. The Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, No. 152806/20, 03/17/2026, published.
Facts: Luis Romero Calix allegedly suffered injuries while working on a construction project when he fell on a staircase.
According to Calix, there was an elevator in the building, but it was being used for a protracted period, w...
A federal program aimed at protecting workers from heat-related injuries is set to expire today, April 8, raising concerns about enforcement gaps heading into the summer months.
In 2022, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched the national emphasis program, allowing the agency to inspect high-risk workplaces to prevent heat-related injuries and deaths. The program resulted in about 7,000 inspections in industries with high risks of exposure to extreme heat.
Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said allo...
The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Tuesday announced that its special inspection fee will increase to $500 per location from $200, effective July 1.
The WCIRB conducts special inspections to determine and confirm the correct industrial classifications applicable to a policyholder's business.
Special inspections are outside of the WCIRB's routing inspection selection process and are scheduled at the request of an insurer, broker or agent. The party requesting the inspection is charged the fee.
The WCIRB said the increased fee aligns with ...
The New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration on Tuesday adopted rules that it said will provide more clarity when awarding attorney fees and eliminate a provision that inadvertently limits communications with case managers.
Changes to the attorney fee rules require that all petitions for fees equal to or above the cap include a discussion of a multiple factors, including the time and effort the attorney expended in the case and the attorney's experience, skill and reputation; the extent to which issues were contested and the novelty or complexity of those issues; the relat...
NY - Bills Would Extend Comp Coverage to App-Based Delivery Workers
Bills introduced in New York would bring app-based delivery workers under the state’s workers' compensation system by classifying them as employees of delivery network companies.
SB 9813, introduced Monday, would amend the state’s workers' compensation law to define delivery network companies as the employers of delivery workers who use digital platforms to fulfill orders. The bill is a companion measure to A10222, which was introduced Feb. 12.
The measures would define a delivery network company as an entity that operates in New York exclusively through a digital network...
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill creating a presumption that Parkinson's disease arose from employment for firefighters.
The governor on Monday signed HB 466, which would presume that Parkinson's is a compensable occupational disease for firefighters who demonstrate exposure to a known toxin during employment.
According to media reports, the presumption was introduced to address difficulties that an 18-year veteran of the Birmingham Fire Rescue Service faced after he developed Parkinson's and was forced to retire.
Alabama law already presumed that hypertension, heart and resp...
The Ohio Supreme Court remanded a case with instructions for the Industrial Commission to analyze why a teacher was not working over a summer break to determine whether she was entitled to temporary disability benefits for three months in 2022.
Ohio law provides temporary disability benefits to those who lose wages as a direct result of an impairment arising from a compensable injury or occupational disease. Revised Code 4123.56(F) also disallows TD benefits when a person is not working as a direct result of reasons unrelated to the allowed condition.
The Industrial Commission failed to full...
The Workers Compensation Research Institute released its 2026 Annual Report, highlighting research published last year and how it informed policy discussions throughout the country.
WCRI published 44 studies in 2025 documenting rising medical payments, fewer injuries following California’s heat protections, comparable or faster outcomes when advanced practitioners provided initial care, and higher claim frequency after recreational marijuana legalization, WCRI President and CEO Ramona Tanabe wrote in her opening letter.
WCRI research also included its CompScope Benchmark repo...
A painter is suing Bill Belichick, alleging that the former New England Patriots' head coach created an unsafe working condition at a home in Nantucket that caused a serious injury, according to media reports.
Andrew Jackson alleges he injured his right ankle when he slipped and fell while working at Belichick's property in June 2024.
Jackson argues that Forty Five Fair St., a limited liability company owned and controlled by Belichick, or the general contractor on the project, created an unsafe work environment. He claims that the cause of the fall was "plastic sheeting o...
Workers who use technology designed to prevent musculoskeletal disorders report reduced physical strain and improved safety awareness, according to a study released Monday by the National Safety Council.
Technologies such as exoskeletons and robotics that provide direct physical support were most strongly associated with symptom reduction, while monitoring tools such as wearable sensors and computer vision systems helped workers identify ergonomic risks and adopt safer behaviors, according to the study.
Researchers surveyed more than 400 non-managerial workers across construction, manufactur...
The Maryland General Assembly on Monday passed bills that would expand the hypertension presumption for firefighters and extend heart disease and hypertension presumptions to correctional officers in another county.
The Senate unanimously passed HB 347 and HB 878.
HB 347 would establish criteria for a firefighter, rescue squad member, advanced life support member or sworn member of the Office of the State Fire Marshal to demonstrate disablement from hypertension. The first responders need two years of cumulative service, be employed at the time of the claim application, be diagnosed with the...
Kids’ Chance of America and the Workers’ Compensation Institute announced the launch of Kids’ Chance WORKS, a national initiative to help students impacted by a parent’s catastrophic workplace injury explore career pathways.
Kids' Chance said the new program, made possible by a $100,000 investment from WCI, will expand its mission beyond scholarships and provide workforce readiness and mentorship opportunities. The program will support both scholarship recipients and students in the Kids' Chance "Planning for the Future" pipeline.
The new Kids’...
