Employer Loses Challenge to Deadlines for Contesting Black Lung Claims

A federal appellate court rejected an employer’s challenge to the deadlines for submitting evidence to contest its liability for black lung benefits. Case: Hobet Mining Co. v. Workman, No. 23-1126, 08/02/2024, unpublished. Facts and procedural history: Leroy Workman filed a Black Lung Benefits Act claim in 2015. His last coal mine employment was in West Virginia, for Hobet Mining Co. Hobet was owned by and self-insured through Arch Resources. After Workman’s employment ended, Arch sold Hobet to Patriot Coal Co., and in 2015, Patriot went bankrupt. The Department of Labor issued...