MO - Court Denies Line-of-Duty Compensation to Firefighter's Widow
06/24/2026 | 0
The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that a firefighter’s widow was not entitled to line-of-duty compensation even though his death was deemed compensable.
Patrick Williams served as a firefighter for the City of Kansas City for 38 years. Due to his exposure to multiple workplace carcinogens, he developed metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma and multiple myeloma.
Williams died as a result of his cancer in February 2018.
Williams’ widow filed a workers’ compensation claim, asserting that his cancer was an occupational disease.
In August 2023, an administrative la
Read More
West Virginia’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for a knee injury.
Case: Jackson v. Monroe County Council on Aging, No. 25-ICA-484, 06/02/2026, published.
Facts: Sharon Jackson worked for the Monroe County Council on Aging. She allegedly injured her right knee at work on Oct. 4, 2024.
Jackson went to the WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital emergency department that day and reported right leg pain and stiffness. Jackson stated that she regularly experienced muscle cramps that were relieved with creams, but that morning, she did not e
A New York appellate court upheld a jury’s verdict and award for a worker on part of his Labor Law claim, and it ruled that one of the defendants should have been granted indemnification from a third-party defendant.
Case: Sinera v. Bedford-Webster LLC, No. 23902/15, 06/09/2026, published.
Facts: Bubacarr Sinera suffered injuries while operating a forklift during a construction project when the floor collapsed under him.
Procedural history: Sinera filed suit against 3170 Webster Avenue LLC and Bedford-Webster LLC, asserting claims for violations of the Labor Law.
Bedford-Webster file
A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was not entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law claim for his injuries from allegedly being struck by a section of duct.
Case: Villanueva v. J.T. Magen & Co. Inc., No. 155823/20, 06/09/2026, published.
Facts: Carlos Villanueva suffered injuries while working on a construction project when a 350-pound section of duct struck him, knocking him to the ground.
According to Villanueva, the duct that fell on him was stacked on top of another duct being transported on two wooden dollies by him and his co-workers. The ducts were not strap
After decades of being wildly underpaid due to the Sunshine State’s abysmally low workers’ comp fee schedule, 2025 saw those worthies get a major jump in pay: 41%, to be precise.
That’s a key takeaway from the Workers Compensation Research Institute's recent report on nonfacility prices paid for workers’ comp medical services.
But — and it's a big but — Florida’s docs are still paid below the median in the 36 states evaluated by WCRI.
A key point is that WCRI’s report speaks to the prices paid, no
The California Senate Appropriations Committee forwarded to the full chamber a bill that would permanently allow employers to pay indemnity benefits with prepaid debit cards.
AB 1683 would make permanent the debit card pilot project launched in 2018.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday sent it to the floor for a vote by the full Senate pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, which allows the committee to forego hearing a bill if the chair determines that potential costs for the state are not significant.
An analysis performed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee in April determined that
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill that explicitly identifies adenocarcinoma as a form of cancer that is presumed to be compensable for first responders, and it applies retroactively to June 30, 2021.
Hobbs on Monday signed SB 1215, which includes an itemized list of specific cancers that are part of the presumption, including bladder cancer, brain cancer, colon cancer, mesothelioma of the respiratory tract and adenocarcinoma.
The bill clearly identifies adenocarcinoma as a covered condition and applies retroactively to June 30, 2021, to reflect the fact that lawmakers intended for chang
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs seeks public comment on methods to test hearing and the best practices for evaluating occupational hearing loss.
In a request for information posted Tuesday, the OWCP asks for input from audiologists and other medical professionals, as well as employers, carriers and other interested parties, on the reliability and validity of audiograms compared with other tests, such as auditory brainstem response, auditory steady state response and otoacoustic emissions.
The agency is also soliciting comments on the c
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a bill allowing parties to a co-employment relationship to decide who will provide workers' compensation coverage for workers.
SB 655, which takes effect Aug. 11, repeals the law requiring employee leasing companies to pay for workers' compensation coverage for all leased workers.
The bill instead requires all leasing arrangements to explicitly detail whether the leasing company or client company will secure and maintain workers’ compensation insurance.
Client companies that elect to secure coverage themselves would be required to notify
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
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
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
