As heat exposure becomes a more visible workplace risk, workers compensation claims professionals say disputes are not always about whether a worker suffered a classic heat illness, but whether heat contributed to another medical event or injury. That question is complicating causation reviews in claims involving fainting, falls, cardiac symptoms, dehydration or other events that may not initially be coded…
An Illinois man who suffered severe injuries to his hand and fingers in a dog attack received a $300,000 settlement, the law firm John J. Malm & Associates said. The man attacked by two pit bulls while taking his German Shepard for a walk in the town of Elgin. The incident occurred when he tried to separate the pit bulls…
The Seventh Circuit declined to revive a former Department of Homeland Security employee’s lawsuit challenging his termination and alleging disability discrimination, ruling that he failed to timely follow administrative requirements before filing a complaint in court. Dored Shiba, who worked as an immigration officer for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, didn’t initiate an internal equal employment opportunity complaint within 45…
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a man to sue a major logistics company after he lost part of his leg in a semi tractor-trailer crash, a decision that could have big ripple effects across the trucking industry. The justices ruled unanimously in favor of Shawn Montgomery, whose parked vehicle was hit by a speeding truck driver on an Illinois…
Heat-related worker injury claims can range from quickly resolved dehydration cases to catastrophic injuries requiring emergency care, organ damage and potential long-term disability, according to workers compensation experts. That makes early recognition and rapid response critical, particularly as employers face increased scrutiny over heat exposure and as claims teams prepare for more questions about how heat illnesses are reported, treated…
Heat-related illness claims are a small slice of the overall claims picture, but rising temperatures, expanding safety regulations and growing awareness of the exposure are prompting insurers and employers to look more closely at heat as a broader workplace injury risk. Research by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that workplace heat-related illnesses increase at least sevenfold on days when…
The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments next month in a case determining whether the city of South Bend is liable for failing to fill a pothole that caused a person to suffer significant injuries. John Murphy, the St. Joseph County auditor, sued the city of South Bend in 2024 after he stepped into a pothole and suffered…
A federal judge has potentially cleared the way for another trial against pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement maker Mead Johnson & Co. over claims their Enfamil-brand infant formula has harmed some babies. On May 8, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer denied Mead Johnson’s bid to bring a relatively quick end to a key lawsuit amid the thousands of others pending in…
Some members of the U.S. Supreme Court openly conceded their ruling will almost certainly result in Americans paying more for virtually everything shipped or bought in the U.S. But a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court said they still must clear the way for more lawsuits against freight brokers, as they said federal law cannot be used to shield the shipping middlemen…
Pharmaceutical makers Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie have renewed their push to pull the plug on efforts by trial lawyers to force the companies to pay for allegedly contributing to alleged toxic emissions of ethylene oxide plaintiffs claim have caused illness among people living in Lake County, saying their use of the chemicals were not only essential to health care, but…
