High Court Upholds Total Disability Award, Vacates Lower Court's Analysis of Competent Evidence

The Michigan Supreme Court upheld a finding that an injured worker was entitled to total disability benefits, but it vacated the underlying judgment to the extent it discussed whether the opinions of the worker’s medical experts alone had been enough to support the award. Ahmed Omer injured his back while working for Steel Technologies Inc. in January 2011. He aggravated the injury two months later and was off work from April 2011 until January 2012. A magistrate judge found Omer was totally disabled and entitled to weekly wage benefits from April 2011 until December 2011. The magistr...