Maryland workers’ comp case could have national impact

• The Appellate Court of Maryland held, for the first time, that workers comp exclusive remedy bars a wrongful death lawsuit brought by an employee’s nondependent child.
• In this case, an employee suffered fatal injuries while in the course and scope of employment. The employee’s adult and non-dependent child brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the employer.
• The employer moved to dismiss, arguing that the lawsuit was barred by exclusive remedy, but the plaintiff countered that exclusive remedy did not apply because as a nondependent child she was not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
• The court analyzed the exclusive remedy provision together with prior court decisions and concluded that the employer’s liability for the employee’s death was exclusively within workers’ comp, regardless of whether the wrongful death nondependent plaintiff was entitled to the benefits.
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New workers’ comp law ready to take effect in Washington

• Workers can expect other changes as well, such as a 4.9% increase in average workers’ compensation premiums for 2024.
• Employees will pay an additional $65 per year for each full-time employee.
• “Helping prevent workplace injuries and illness is our number one goal, yet we have to make sure that we have a healthy workers’ compensation system,” said Joel Sacks, the director for the Department of Labor and Industries, in a news release..
• The increase is expected to provide workers with additional healthcare when needed.
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New Jersey AG files lawsuit against truckers

• The lawsuit has been filed in Essex (N.J.) County Superior Court against the truckers’ current employers, STG Logistics Inc. and STG Drayage LLC, claiming more than 300 truck drivers were cheated by their wealthy employers.
• The lawsuit alleges that the companies have been misclassifying regular employees as independent contractors at a facility in Newark – an illegal bookkeeping practice that carries some stiff penalties, according to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
• The companies are also accused of failing to make sick time available under the Earned Sick Leave Law, failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance under the Workers’ Compensation Law, and not making the required unemployment and disability contributions to the state.
• Prosecutors are also alleging that truck drivers saw a wide range of “illegal deductions” taken out of their wages – including fees for fuel, tolls, parking, liability insurance and vehicle repairs .
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Panda Express employee injured after attack

• A Missouri man allegedly stabbed a Panda Express employee and punched another worker over the quality of his food.
• Phillip Person, 33, reportedly was unhappy with his food and wanted a refund, then allegedly attacked two employees by stabbing one in the lower back and punching a second in the head, according to KSDK.
• The suspect left the restaurant in a work truck prior to police finding and arresting him.
• Police said they found the knife Person allegedly used when they arrested him.
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