Decision on Hanford Presumption Lawsuit Expected Soon

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 | 0

A judge said he expects to issue a decision in early June on the federal government’s challenge to the Washington state law creating a presumption that certain conditions are compensable for workers at a nuclear waste storage site, according to a report by exchangemonitor.com.

The federal government sued the state in December over the presumption created by House Bill 1723. The complaint alleges the presumption discriminates against the federal government by subjecting the Department of Energy to greater workers’ compensation liability than other employers.

The feds also argue that the law amounts to an impermissible effort by a state to regulate the federal government.

The federal government is asking the judge to overturn the state law on summary judgment.

After hearing oral arguments May 22, U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Bastian said he plans to issue a decision by the first week of June.