Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Widow's Claim for Dependent's Benefits

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of a widow’s claim for benefits, finding her husband's occupational pneumoconiosis was not a contributing factor to his death. Case: Bailey v. Pine Ridge Coal Co. LLC, No. 24-645, 05/28/2025, published. Facts: Sherman Bailey worked for Pine Ridge Coal Co. LLC before he died on April 26, 2019. His death certificate listed his cause of death as influenza A with pneumonia and dysphagia, and it stated that conditions leading to the cause of death were pneumonia, dysphagia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Bailey had ...