Oregon contractor sued for $19M in roofer’s death
The family of a Bend, Oregon roofer who died last summer in a fall from a high school gymnasium roof has brought a $19 million wrongful death lawsuit against the general contractor on the construction project, alleging it allowed employees to move materials on a sloped roof in an unsafe manner and failed to require proper safety harnesses. The 38-year-old man was employed by a subcontractor at the time of the August incident, which occurred when a heavy wheeled cart loaded with more than 900 pounds of material began to roll toward the edge of the roof, causing the employee to fall over the edge of the roof as he attempted to stop it. Bend Bulletin
Former employee sues drugstore chain for disability discrimination
A former pharmacy technician at a Bridgeton, New Jersey Walgreens alleges in a civil suit the company discriminated against her because of a disability related to her asthma. Press of Atlantic City
Years, later, Mississippi officer’s harassment, workers’ comp claims unresolved
A former Verona, Mississippi police officer has been waiting four years for her sexual harassment lawsuit and a separate workers’ compensation claim to be resolved. She was attacked by a suspect in 2017, leaving her with more than $200,000 in medical bills, and says the city has paid only around $13,000. Daily Journal (Tupelo, Miss.)
Who pays when company outings lead to injury?
Alan Pierce, the former chairperson of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law, and Judson L. Pierce, who represents employees before the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, address the workers’ comp doctrine of recreational injuries, varying standards of proof, possible defenses, and work-related factors including how voluntary the activity is and the benefit the employer gets from hosting or sponsoring the off-premises activity. Legal Talk Network [with audio]
Texas meatpacker wins a COVID-19 workers’ comp claim: Is Minnesota next?
In Minnesota, over 900 meat processing employees claimed they got COVID-19 on the job and sought workers’ compensation. All have been denied, but could that be changing? Twin Cities Business