9th Circuit Upholds Presumption of Compensability for Workers at Former Nuclear Production Site

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Washington state law providing a presumption of compensability for illnesses developed by workers at a decommissioned federal nuclear production site. Case: U.S. v. State of Washington, No. 19-35673, 08/19/2020, published. Facts: The Hanford Site is a decommissioned federal nuclear production facility near Richland, Washington. Between 1944 and 1989, Hanford produced most of the nation’s weapons-grade plutonium for the United States' nuclear program during World War II and the Cold War. The site generated massive amounts of ...