Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Benefits to Coal Miner's Widow

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of benefits to a coal miner’s widow, finding that occupational pneumoconiosis was not a material contributing factor in his death. Case: Adams v. Greyhead Mining Co. Inc., No. 25-573, 01/13/2026, published. Facts: Kenneth Adams worked for 16 years as a coal miner, and his last employer was Greyhead Mining Co. Inc. He died in 2019. His death certificate listed his immediate cause of death as heart failure and noted interstitial lung disease as a condition that led to the cause of death. The Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board release...