Appellate Court: Comp is Not Exclusive Remedy for Occ Diseases

By John P. Kamin, Legal EditorA ruling by a Missouri appellate court this week upheld an interpretation of Missouri's 2005 workers' compensation reform law that workers with occupational diseases are not bound by exclusive remedy and may file civil suits against their employers to recover damages.On Tuesday, Missouri's Western District Court of Appeals ruled in a 7-2 decision that the exclusivity of workers' compensation does not apply to occupational disease claims.In KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Co. v. The Honorable Jacqueline Cook, the appellate court analyzed wheth...