Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., our Feature National Columnist, is a leading commentator and expert on the law of workers' compensation.
Federal: Court Dismisses Travelers Indemnity's Fraud and Unjust Enrichment Case Against Cephalon Regarding Addictive Pain Meds. A federal district court judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed a civil action filed by Travelers Indemnity seeking some $22 million in damages from Cephalon, Inc. over the "off-label" use of two cancer pain medications...read more.
Georgia: Claimant Awarded Nurse Case Management Services for 1973 Catastrophic Injury. A claimant, who sustained catastrophic injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, from a 40-foot fall in 1973, is entitled to nurse management services in spite of...read more.
Iowa: "Lower Extremity" Not the Same Thing as "Leg"; Award Made for Injury to the Body as a Whole. An injured employee's deep vein thrombosis constituted an injury to the body as a whole and the employee was entitled to an award of 60 percent industrial disability...read more.
Pennsylvania: Worker's Death Was Suicide, Not Unexplained Accident. In an unpublished opinion, a court affirmed a finding that a worker's death did not arise out of and in the course of the employment where shortly before decedent's body was found in a water tank...read more.
Opioid Guideline for Safety-Sensitive Jobs
Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group
Much has been written lately on the increased use-both licit and illicit-of opioids. Against this backdrop, concern is mounting over the impact this usage may have in the workplace, specifically the ability of workers to safely perform their jobs. Opinions and data have varied, resulting in confusion in the field as to whether it was chronic pain or chronic opioid use that resulted in apparent cognitive impairment, and also whether such opioid usage elevated the risk of safety-related injuries. The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), which focuses on issues relating to employee health, recently decided to update its guidelines regarding the use of opioids...
