Claims
Second Hand Smoke Cancer Claim Is Barred For Late Filing
In Pulejo v. Middlesex County Consumer Affairs, A-3133-14T4 (App. Div. July 14, 2016), the petitioner, an investigator for the County, alleged that he worked along side a chain smoker four to five hours per day, five days per week, from 1976 to 1997. Mr. Pulejo was diagnosed in 2000 with lung cancer and underwent a bilobectomy. Mr. […]
Court Finds That Severe Neck Pathology Was Not Due To Occupational Activities But Rather To The Natural Aging Process
Lois Scafuri filed three workers’ compensation claims alleging occupational exposures as a sales assistant caused her severe neck pathology. She worked at the Short Hills Mall for two employers: Sisley Cosmetics and Neiman Marcus Group. She later worked for Bloomingdale’s/Macy’s in the same capacity. All three employers denied her claims asserting that her neck pathology […]
Court Rejects Respiratory Reopener Claim of Detective Investigator Who Alleged Her COPD Condition Worsened Due to Work Exposures
One of the hallmarks of the New Jersey workers’ compensation system is that awards of partial permanent disability can be reopened for more medical, temporary or permanent disability benefits. In this case, Rebecca Weston, a detective investigator for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, received an award of 55% of partial total, 31% of which was […]
Strategies in Winning Occupational Disease Claims
In part one we examined the law surrounding New Jersey occupational disease claims and trends in our state (see last week’s blog). In this segment, we will explore strategies and tactics employers can take to win occupational disease claims. Winning workers’ compensation claims depends more than any other factor on obtaining past medical history. Experience […]
Defending Occupational Disease Claims in New Jersey
This is a two part analysis of the defense of occupational disease claims in New Jersey workers’ compensation. The first segment will focus on the proofs in occupational disease cases and why this practitioner believes that these kinds of claims will be filed increasingly in coming years. The second segment will focus on how employers […]
Pulmonary Award Is Reversed for Failure of Judge to Explain Why She Credited the Testimony of Petitioner’s Expert Over Respondent’s Expert
Frank Ascione worked for U.S. Airways at Newark Liberty International Airport as a fleet service agent since 1981. He handled baggage and drove equipment to push back planes. He would work in the “bag room,” transporting baggage to and from the plane. He assisted in de-icing of planes about 20 times in his career and […]
Appellate Division Reverses Award to Petitioner in Occupational Pulmonary Case
Anthony DiFabrizio worked for US Airways since 1985 at both Newark Airport and LaGuardia Airport. At Newark Airport he loaded and unloaded baggage from planes, trucks and conveyor belts, as well as driving equipment to push back planes from ramp areas. At LaGuardia he worked from 1995 to 2008 doing similar work. He also worked […]
Appellate Division Affirms Decision of Judge of Compensation on Making an Adverse Inference From Failure of Petitioner to Produce Treating Cardiologist in Case
Of what significance is it when a claimant who has been treating with a cardiologist for decades files a pulmonary claim but never produces the cardiologist to testify? That was the key issue in Donato v. Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority, A-5984-11T4 (App. Div. August 21, 2013). John Donato worked for the JCMUA from 1961 […]
Court Rejects Occupational Stress Claim
Employee could not prove objectively verified stressful conditions New Jersey has a sensible occupational stress standard, namely that the person claiming work stress as a cause for psychiatric illness must prove objectively that the work conditions were stressful. Since all employees experience some degree of stress, this standard is not very easily met. In Knight […]
Court Affirms Award For Stroke Related To Unusually Stressful Work Conditions
Euliet Smith worked for Home Instead Senior Care as a caregiver for an elderly woman. Smith said she cooked, cleaned, bathed and dressed the woman and was on duty 24 hours per day, seven days a week with every other weekend off. She said it was the most stressful job she ever had. Petitioner also […]
Pulmonary/Respiratory – Laffey v. City of Jersey City
In one of the most important decisions since the 1979 amendments, the Appellate Division reversed in Laffey v. City of Jersey City, 289 N.J. Super. 292 (App. Div.), certif. denied, 146 N.J. 500 (1996) an award of 35% permanent partial disability for a Jersey City police officer who testified that his breathing was worsened by constant exposure to dusts, fumes, […]
Occupational Stress – Stroka v. United Airlines
When an employee’s worrying is not based on events which actually took place involving the employee but only on what might have happened to the employee, that kind of worrying has been found not compensable. An example is the case of Stroka v. United Airlines, 364 N.J. Super. 333 (App. Div. 2003), certif. denied, 179 […]
Occupational Stress – Goyden v. State Judiciary
The most important occupational stress psychiatric opinion is Goyden v. State Judiciary, 256 N.J. Super. 438 (App. Div. 1991), aff’d, 128 N.J. 54 (1992). Goyden was the first significant post-1980 case construing Section 31. It involved a claim by the supervisor of records in the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court, who was adjudged […]
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