Rite Aid not responsible for workplace incident

• Rite Aid is not liable for a mass shooting that killed three workers at a warehouse in Maryland, the state Appellate Court ruled.
• The ruling was not because it was protected by workers’ compensation immunity, but because the plaintiffs did not show the tragedy could have been foreseen or that inadequate security was provided.
• The appellate panel affirmed a decision by the Baltimore County Circuit Court to grant summary judgment in favor of Rite Aid in a lawsuit by contract workers who were injured during the rampage.
• The panel ruled the trial court erred by determining the claims were barred by workers’ compensation exclusive remedy.
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Court denies verdict for injured worker

• The Pennsylvania Superior Court recently denied a $5.59 million verdict to an injured worker.
• The man injured his back when he fell through a hole in the roof while doing repairs to Norwood Public Library, he sustained a catastrophic back injury.
• The victim had also filed a workers’ compensation claim against his firm, RRR Contractors and later resigned from the job.
• The man was awarded more than $5 million in damages, but it was later overturned because the company was immune from a lawsuit under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act.
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Nevada still struggling with workers comp cases

• Nevada’s labor commissioner has undertaken just 15 investigations into potential violations over the past three years, according to the Nevada Department of Business & Industry.
• This is an ongoing challenge despite  increased attention at the national and state level on the issue of employee misclassification
• Employee misclassification is defined as the practice of hiring workers as independent contractors when they should be considered employees.
• This allows businesses to avoid their share of employment and tax laws, such as workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and payroll taxes.
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Woman felt ‘punished’ by workers comp system

• A former high school teacher in Australia was awarded a six-figure payout after years of workers’ compensation for a mental health injury.
• However, she felt punished by the system and would have been happier to see the problem resolved so she could return to work.
• The woman talked about the issues after lawmakers conceded the current WorkCover model was “fundamentally broken.”
• More than $1 billion in taxpayers have been allocated to the system over the past two years.
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