Older worker wins case against Safeway

• A Colorado court rejected Safeway’s attempt to deny workers’ comp benefits to an 82-year-old employee who injured herself while trying to stop a shoplifter.
• Janice Sewald observed a customer leaving without paying and she reached for his cart when she was pulled to the floor and eventually needed hip surgery.
• Safeway challenged her application for workers’ comp benefits, contending its policies prohibited employees from interacting with shoplifters.
• An administrative law judge disagreed, noting Safeway’s policies simply regulated employees’ conduct in dealing with shoplifters, and did not cease the employer-employee relationship altogether.
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Texas county sues Dillards

• Harris County in Texas is suing Dillard’s over an incident that took place at the Willowbrook Mall location, alleging that an off-duty deputy was injured while working an extra job at the store.
• The deputy was injured by a shoplifter, and the county had to pay for her workers’ comp as a result of her injuries.
• The county is now suing Dillard’s to recover that money.
• Harris County also sued a local bar and lounge following a 2021 shooting that left three deputies shot.
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State Supreme Courts make workers’ comp rulings 

• The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in favor of a laborer who was denied permanent total disability workers compensation benefits under the state’s ‘odd lot doctrine’ after a workplace accident.
• The court’s decision ensures that a certification isn’t required when a claimant petitions for benefits through the odd lot doctrine.
• The ruling makes it easier for injured workers to obtain permanent total disability benefits.
• In a separate case, the Iowa Supreme Court reinstated a $6.2 million jury award to a railroad worker, Scott Olson, who sued BNSF for negligence after a serious workplace incident in 2017.
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Workers who witnessed murder have trouble getting workers’ comp

• Hawaii State Hospital workers who witnessed a patient kill their colleague are having trouble getting access to psychological care because of the grief and trauma of the attack.
• The state Department of Human Resources Development did not allow workers comp claims for at least three hospital employees.
• Officials said they needed more time to determine whether the state should be responsible for paying for their treatment.
• The doctor who submitted the workers comp claims on behalf of the employees described the state’s actions as “unconscionable,” and something that will only exacerbate the hurt and suffering of the employees.
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