MD - Supreme Court Suspends Comp Attorney for Abandoning Clients
07/30/2026 | 0
The Supreme Court of Maryland this week suspended a workers’ compensation attorney for effectively abandoning three of her clients.
Sara Mohamed Samy El-Shall was admitted to the Maryland Bar in June 2013. El-Shall maintained an office in Baltimore, and her area of practice was workers’ compensation.
In November 2022, Stacey Wisniewski retained El-Shall after terminating her prior attorney due to communication concerns.
El-Shall maintained communication with Wisniewski up until January 2023, when she stopped responding to emails and phone calls.
El-Shall and Wisniewski met in p
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The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a child’s civil suit against various defendants who participated in a well-drilling project that resulted in the death of his father.
Case: Garciduenas v. Matrix New World Engineering Inc., No. 1 CA-CV 25-0212, 07/23/2026, unpublished.
Facts: In 2017, the Maricopa Mountain Domestic Water Improvement District hired Westland Resources Inc. to serve as an engineer and assist with upgrades to its water system infrastructure, including the construction of new wells.
Westland entered a subconsultant agreement with Southwest Groundwa
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld a determination that a worker had suffered a work-related aggravation of a preexisting condition that had resolved.
Case: Sewell v. United Parcel Service (WCAB), No. 1086 C.D. 2022 and 1087 C.D. 2022, 07/24/2026, unpublished.
Facts: Alvin Sewell suffered an injury to his foot as a child when a car ran over and crushed it. He had a skin graft on his foot after the injury.
Sewell began working for United Parcel Service in 1997 in a position that required significant walking.
In 2012, Sewell began having issues with his right foot. His d
A New York appellate court upheld a grant of summary judgment on a Labor Law claim for a worker who was struck by a falling grate.
Case: Hippert v. J. Rettenmaier USA LP, No. 478 CA 25-01336, 07/24/2026, published.
Facts: Robert F. Hippert suffered injuries while working on a construction project when a steel grate fell 5 to 5 feet from a catwalk and struck him.
At the time the grate fell, Hippert's co-worker was hoisting the catwalk with an aerial lift so Hippert could secure it to a dust collector.
Procedural history: Hippert filed suit against J. Rettenmaier USA LP, asserting a
At a meeting of California’s Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, a payer and network advocate argued that the state’s chaotic medical provider network system is a sterling success, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
The American Association of Payers, Administrators and Networks claimed that a general provider shortage, not a broken system riddled with pitfalls for providers, is the reason injured workers struggle to find doctors willing to treat them.
AAPAN shared findings from its white paper&n
Healthcare and social assistance are the "center of gravity for workplace violence," the National Council on Compensation Insurance said in a new analysis.
The share of days away from work due to assault doubled to 9.6% in 2019 from 4.8% in 2011. While the share fell during the pandemic, NCCI said that was the result of a surge in COVID-19 claims rather than a meaningful reduction in assaults.
"When viewed through rates instead of shares, the long-run pattern is even clearer: Assault rates rose from 6.4 per 10,000 (full-time employee) workers in 2011 to 9.8 in 2021-22, indicat
New Jersey officials announced a $2.775 million settlement with a trucking company accused of misclassifying hundreds of drivers as independent contractors.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and Kevin D. Jarvis, acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, jointly announced a settlement with STF Logistics Inc., STG Drayage LLC and other subsidiaries resolving the first-ever lawsuit filed under the 2021 law allowing the state to sue employers for misclassification.
Under the settlement agreement, truck drivers and the state will receive at least $2.77
The Texas Division of Workers' Compensation announced several updates regarding its organizational structure and leadership, including the launch of a new program area.
The division said its new AI Innovation and Integration unit will focus on the responsible use of artificial intelligence to modernize processes and reduce administrative burdens. The unit will also evaluate how system users are using the emerging technology.
Allen Craddock, formerly DWC's chief administrative law judge, will serve as deputy commissioner for this new area. Craddock brings a strong record of operat
A growing share of medical spending is occurring on services without fee schedule rates, a trend that likely contributed to rising medical payments, according to a new report from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
Services without fee schedule rates tend to be more expensive than those with set reimbursement rates, and the growing use of and payments for these services is likely driving recent growth in total medical payments, according to report authors Alesya Fomenko and Rebecca Yang.
"In some states, services without fee schedule rates are identified as 'by report'
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division announced that registration is now open for a two-day event in Bend that will focus on building and maintaining safe and healthy workplaces.
The Central Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Conference in September will cover topics including fall protection, safety committees, heat-illness prevention and wildfire smoke requirements.
Additionally, the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association's Safety and Health Section helped create sessions for emergency service workers and first responders, covering organizational resilience, strengtheni
The Washington Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker’s industrial accident proximately caused only a concussion and a cervical sprain/strain, but it didn't cause or aggravate his preexisting conditions.
Case: Calderon v. Department of Labor & Industries, No. 41216-4-III, 07/23/2026, unpublished.
Facts: In October 2018, while working at a potato processing plant, Hernan Calderon slipped on a wet floor and fell backward, hitting a metal pole.
Calderon went to the emergency room, where a neurological examination returned normal results. Computed tomography s
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld an award of disability benefits to a worker for a closed period of time for a foot condition.
Case: Perez-Martinez v. Dart Container Corp. of Pennsylvania (WCAB), No. 283 C.D. 2025, 07/24/2026, unpublished.
Facts: Rodolfo Perez-Martinez began working for the Dart Container Corp. of Pennsylvania in October 2014.
In January 2022, Dart began asking its employees to wear steel-toed boots or to use covers for their shoes.
Perez-Martinez alleged that the steel-toed boots were heavy and caused his feet to swell; he also developed a bump underneath his
California workplace safety regulators urge employers to provide water, shade and rest breaks to protect workers as a heat wave sweeps over the state.
The hottest conditions early in the week are expected in the Mojave Desert, where temperatures are forecast to range from 110 to 118 degrees, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health said.
Heat is expected to spread north throughout the week, with triple digits forecast for parts of Central and Northern California.
Cal/OSHA said its heat illness prevention standards require employers to protect workers in both indoor and
A New York appellate court upheld the summary dismissal of a worker’s Labor Law claim for his alleged injuries from a fall off a ladder.
Case: Arias v. Allen J. Reyen Inc., No. 2023-03124 and 2025-14253, 07/22/2026, published.
Facts: Rodrigo Arias allegedly was injured when he fell from a ladder while working on a barn at a property in Pound Ridge.
Procedural history: Arias filed suit against Allen Reyen and Allen J. Reyen Inc., alleging claims for violations of the Labor Law.
The defendants separately moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
Westchester County Supreme C
A New York appellate court ruled that a Labor Law defendant should have been granted summary judgment dismissing part of a worker’s claim for his injuries from a fall into an excavated hole.
Case: Letersky v. Militello Farms Inc., No. 458 CA 25-00451, 07/24/2026, published.
Facts: Kevin Letersky allegedly suffered injuries while he was marking fuel lines at night in preparation for an emergency repair of a water line owned and operated by Erie County Water Authority.
According to Letersky, he was injured when he fell into an excavated hole that was unmarked and unguarded.
The propert
