INTRODUCTION The doctrine of “idiopathic falls” can be a very fruitful defense in workers’ compensation cases. The doctrine arises from the general rule that, “the employment must be the source and cause of the accident in order to be compensable as a workers’ compensation injury.” Slimford Manuf. Co. v. Martin, 417 So. 2d 199 (Ala….
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John Webb recently obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a global coal mining company in a workers’ compensation hearing loss trial. The Plaintiff filed suit against his employer claiming permanent hearing impairment arising out of his employment. Defendant denied that any of the coal miner’s hearing loss was due to occupational hazards of his…
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On February 27, 2015, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals entered a decision in the case of Pollock v. Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama, Inc., 24 ALW 10-6 (2130538), 2/27/15. The issue in Pollock was whether an employee’s participation in a horseback riding event organized and planned by a co-employee was within the scope of the…
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In Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bush, the Alabama Civil Appeals Court held that the trial court erred in concluding that the employee was permanently and totally disabled under the Act, Ala. Code § 25-5-57(a)(4)(d), because it used the vocational disability of the employee as the basis for the compensation award without first deciding that an exception to…
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On April 4, 2014, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals issued an opinion on the effect of an employee’s preexisting condition and its impact on the issue of medical causation. See Madison Academy, Inc. v. Hanvey, 2014 WL 1328334 (Ala. Civ. App. 2014). In Madison Academy, “the employee suffered from Myasthenia gravis (“MG”) which is an idiopathic disease…
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In Dubose Construction v. Simmons, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals revisited an employee’s burden for obtaining compensation outside the schedule based on a seemingly routine knee injury. 2013 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 239 (Ala. Civ. App. Dec. 20, 2013). The employee, James Simmons, injured his knee in a workplace fall. Medical examinations revealed a torn…
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In Roblero v. Cox Pool of the Southeast, 2013 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 137 (Ala. Civ. App. June 21, 2013) the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals affirmed a trial court’s finding that an employer was entitled to subrogation of UIM/UM benefits paid to an injured worker. On its face, this decision appears to upset the longstanding…
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In Bates v. Riley, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals examined whether the unsafe use of a safety device was sufficient to support a co-employee liability claim based on the alleged willful or intentional removal of a safety device. 2013 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 32 (Ala. Civ. App. Feb. 1, 2013). Plaintiff Jack Bates and Defendant…
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When a trial court is asked to make a determination of whether an injured employee is permanently and totally disabled, the court should first turn to the definition of the term as set forth in Ala. Code (1975) § 25-5-27(a)(4)d: Any physical injury or mental impairment resulting from an accident, which injury…
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In McDuffie v. Medical Center Enterprise, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals recently declined an opportunity to expand an exception to the “coming and going” rule when it examined the case of a nursing student injured on hospital grounds after her regular shift was over. 2012 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 249 (Ala. Civ. App. Sept. 14,…
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