Policy
New Jersey Supreme Court Permits Plaintiff To Proceed With His LAD Law Suit Alleging He Was Wrongfully Terminated For Legal Use of Marijuana Under The Compassionate Use Act
Justin Wild, a licensed funeral director, was diagnosed in 2015 with cancer and was prescribed marijuana under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. In May 2016 Wild was working a funeral when his vehicle was struck by another vehicle that ran a stop sign. Wild advised a treating doctor at the hospital that […]
NJSEA Teamster Truck Driver Found Not To Be Special Employee Of Exhibitors At Izod Center
A cardinal rule in workers’ compensation is that an employee cannot sue his or her employer in civil court for a work injury except for rare circumstances involving intentional harm. But what if the employee has two employers? Does that rule apply to both employers? The answer is yes, the rule applies to both employers, […]
Medicaid And New Jersey Family Care Liens: State Funded Medical Benefit Programs Cover Increasing Numbers of New Jersey Citizens
By: Alfred Vitarelli, Esq., Shareholder, Stark & Stark Ask any practitioner about the nature of Medicare and his or her response will usually be that it is a source of medical coverage for the very poor, such as those receiving SSI (Supplemental Security Income.) Alas, such an answer is no longer correct, nor is it […]
Employee’s Failure to Pursue Rights in Workers’ Compensation Court Precludes a Civil Suit for Failure to Accommodate under the ADA and LAD
As practitioners well know, many ADA law suits begin with a workers’ compensation injury. But where is the line between an issue that must be handled in workers’ compensation and one that can be brought in civil court? That was the issue that the New Jersey Supreme Court decided on March 25, 2019 in Caraballo […]
The ERISA Lien – – A Federal “Partner” In State Workers’ Compensation Litigation
By: Alfred Vitarelli, Esq., Shareholder, Stark & Stark If the workers’ compensation practitioner reading this otherwise dry blog finds his/her mind wandering to more exciting topics, let your mind focus on that ominous line from the 1987 classic “Fatal Attraction:” I will NOT be IGNORED!” No, I am not comparing the great acting of Glenn Close […]
The Very Sensible Premises Rule In New Jersey Workers’ Compensation
Until 1979 New Jersey had a doctrine known as the “going and coming rule,” and that rule basically said that employees were not covered for workers’ compensation when they were going to work or coming from work. Scores of exceptions emerged over the years, creating a patchwork of inconsistency, thus prompting the New Jersey Legislature […]
Employer May Have Violated Both The ADA and FMLA Regarding Plaintiff’s Knee Injury Arising Out Of His Employment
Skilled practitioners know they must keep an eye on potential employment litigation stemming from workers’ compensation claims. The case of Dallefeld v. The Clubs at River City, Inc., 2017 AD Cases 244151 (D. Illinois 2017) provides a good illustration. Jason Dallefeld was the Director of Membership Sales, providing tours, selling memberships, and making sure other […]
All Dependents Including Minors Are Bound by the Two-Year Statute in Workers’ Compensation
Scott Jeannette was an employee of General Mills Progresso. He went into cardiac arrest at work on June 7, 2011 and died nine days later from complications. He left a wife, Nacole, and a four-year-old son, Chase. Nacole filed a dependency claim petition over six months past the two-year statutory filing deadline. General Mills Progresso […]
Pre-Settlement Companies Should Have No Place at the New Jersey Comp Table
In the past few years there has been a rise in the number of cases where injured workers have been loaned money in advance of their workers’ compensation settlements by private pre-settlement companies. This practice is more common in other states like Pennsylvania, but it is now creeping into New Jersey. Companies which make private […]
The Critical Importance of a Thorough Supervisor’s Report Form in Workers’ Compensation
In every state, two investigative forms have an enormous impact on helping employers save money and win cases in workers’ compensation: first, a detailed Employee Accident Form filled out entirely by the injured employee and signed by the employee, and second, a detailed Supervisor’s Report Form. This practitioner has tailored both forms for the use […]
When Is A Commute To A Job Site Covered For Workers’ Comp Purposes?
Don Drysdale, a skilled carpenter, works for Craftsmen Trades and seldom goes to the company office in Mt. Laurel, N.J. He generally spends weeks or even months working at major job sites. On May 1, 2017 he drives his personal vehicle from his home in Cherry Hill, N.J. to a job site in Woodbridge, N.J. […]
What Impact Will New Jersey’s New Opioid Prescription Bill Have on Workers’ Comp?
On February 15, 2017 Governor Chris Christie signed a new law requiring health insurance coverage for treatment of substance abuse disorders and certain restrictions on the prescription of opioids and other Schedule II drugs. The bill is touted as one of the most aggressive in the nation, and compensation practitioners are asking what will be […]
Director Wojtenko Issues Memo to All Attorneys on Strict Compliance with the Rules on Motions for Medical and Temporary Disability Benefits
The Honorable Russell Wojtenko, Jr., Director and Chief Judge, issued a Memo effective October 21, 2016 to all workers’ compensation attorneys advising that the administrative rules on motions for medical and temporary disability benefits will be strictly enforced. What this means to employers, carriers, third party administrators and practitioners is that motions for medical and […]
OSHA Attacks Employer Post-Accident Drug Testing Policies
Many employers have a policy of mandatory post-injury drug testing. Those policies must now be reconsidered and largely jettisoned. The underpinning of the new OSHA policy on drug testing is the belief that blanket post-injury drug testing policies deter proper reporting of injuries. On May 12, 2016 OSHA published new final rules against discrimination and […]
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