In Evans v. Hendrick Automotive Group, we have filed this brief with the North Carolina Court of Appeals in this workers’ compensation case. Ms. Evans was an office manager for a Hendrick dealership in Texas. She was injured during a business trip to Charlotte, while she was walking back from an employer-sponsored dinner to her hotel. The […]
Workers' Compensation
NC Court of Appeals cases on REDA and appellate procedure
Two opinions of note were issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals yesterday. The first, Beard v. Cumberland County Hospital System, concerns North Carolina’s Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act (REDA). REDA prohibits discrimination or retaliation against an employee for, among other things, filing a workers’ compensation claim. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 95-241(a)(1). The discrimination or retaliation can be […]
Valerie presents at workers’ compensation CLE on contempt proceedings
Valerie Johnson spoke today at the NC Advocates for Justice CLE on “Navigating Claims Through the Industrial Commission.” Valerie’s presentation was entitled “In Contempt? — Contempt Proceedings at the Industrial Commission.” She covered the current state of the law regarding contempt and other means by which parties are forced to comply with the orders and rulings of […]
NC Court of Appeals concludes unexpected injury not covered by workers’ compensation
The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently issued an interesting opinion in Gray v. RDU Airport Authority. In the case, the plaintiff — a traffic control officer — was directing traffic in front of the airport terminals when he stepped backward onto a sloping part of a crosswalk and felt a sharp “pop,” later revealed to […]
Articles on workers’ compensation for NFL players
The New York Times has a series of interesting articles on how California’s workers’ compensation system handles the cases of former NFL players. Check it out here, here, here, and here.
NC Supreme Court approves Industrial Commission’s transition process
On Friday, in Baxter v. Danny Nicholson, Inc., the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld an Industrial Commission decision that defendants had attacked on the grounds that one of the Commissioners was not authorized to exercise his powers on the day of the decision. The case arose out of the transition when one of the Commissioners was […]
NC Court of Appeals’ latest decisions on workers’ compensation and medical malpractice
Earlier this month, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued several notable decisions. In Soder v. Corvel Corp., the Court effectively reminded workers’ compensation litigants to timely file their appeals to the Industrial Commission. In this case, after noticing his appeal of the Deputy Commissioner’s decision to the Full Commission, the plaintiff missed his deadline for […]
Brief filed for police officer in workers’ compensation appeal
In Taylor v. Town of Garner, a workers’ compensation case, we have filed a brief with the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Officer Taylor is a veteran of the Garner police force who was injured while providing official inter-agency assistance at an N.C. State football game. The primary issue is whether the Town of Garner is solely liable […]
NC Court of Appeals’ latest decisions on workers’ compensation and personal injuries
Last week, the North Carolina Court of Appeals published four opinions in workers’ compensation and personal injury cases. In Berardi v. Craven County Schools, the Court considered and described the Industrial Commission’s new process for expedited medical motions, which speed up resolution of medical treatment disputes in workers’ compensation cases. At issue was whether the employer […]
Recent NC COA workers’ compensation decisions
The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently issued several workers’ compensation opinions, though they were all unpublished and did not break any new ground. In Pope v. Johns Manville, the Court upheld the Industrial Commission’s decision that the plaintiff had developed asbestosis from asbestos exposure during the 50’s and 60’s, that the testimony of plaintiff’s rebuttal […]