Court Upholds Denial of Worker's Second Shoulder Injury Claim

A Nebraska appeals court on Tuesday upheld the denial of workers' compensation benefits for a Smithfield Foods Inc. employee who claimed she injured her left shoulder by relying on that arm to compensate for limitations caused by a work-related right shoulder injury. Thuraiya Alhatel worked as a bacon arranger at Smithfield’s food processing plant in Crete, Nebraska. She sustained a compensable right shoulder injury in 2020 and underwent surgery in January 2021 before returning to modified duties, according to Thuraiya Alhatel v. Smithfield Foods Inc., an unpublished decision f...