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Case Law Database

Access over workers' compensation decisions, including En Banc, Significant Panel Decisions, and writ-denied cases.

Case No. CV-23-2137

Regular Panel Decision

Mar 27, 2025

In the Matter of the Claim of Charles Davenport

This case involves an appeal from decisions of the Workers' Compensation Board concerning the timely filing of a claim. Claimant Charles Davenport, who had prior workers' compensation claims, sustained a low back injury in February 2020 while shoveling snow for his employer, Oxford Central School District. A physician's assistant (PA) filed a medical report detailing the injury and attributing it to the snow shoveling incident, which was filed in connection with an earlier 2008 claim. The employer contested the claim, arguing it was untimely under Workers' Compensation Law § 28 due to the claimant's failure to file a C-3 form. The Board found that the PA's medical report constituted a timely filing, providing sufficient notice of a claim. The Appellate Division affirmed the Board's decision, reiterating that a C-3 form is not the sole means of timely filing and that other documents, such as medical reports, can satisfy the notice requirement if they convey an intent to claim compensation, a determination supported by substantial evidence.

Workers' CompensationTimely FilingMedical ReportPhysician's AssistantExacerbationSnow Shoveling InjuryLumbar Degenerative Disc DiseaseC-3 formNotice of ClaimSubstantial Evidence

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Colarossi v. City of New York

The Supreme Court, New York County, initially granted the plaintiff's motion for leave to serve a late notice of claim. However, this decision was unanimously reversed on appeal, and the motion was subsequently denied. The appellate court determined that the plaintiff's reliance on law office failure did not constitute a reasonable excuse for the delay in serving the notice of claim. Additionally, the plaintiff failed to establish that the City had actual notice of the essential facts within the mandated 90-day period or a reasonable time thereafter, as a Workers’ Compensation Board C-3 form provided by the employer did not link the incident to any claim against the City. Furthermore, the court noted that the plaintiff did not demonstrate that the City remained unprejudiced by the significant delay, particularly given the transitory nature of the alleged defective condition.

Late Notice of ClaimLaw Office FailureActual NoticePrejudiceWorkers' Compensation Board FormC-3 FormMunicipal LiabilityAppellate ReviewDiscretionary RulingReversal

References

Case No. CLAIM NO. 78

Regular Panel Decision

In Re DDI Corp.

This case concerns the application of excusable neglect to a late class proof of claim filed by Raymond Ferrari and other representatives on behalf of a putative class against DDi Corp., a debtor in a pre-arranged chapter 11 case. The claim was filed approximately six weeks after the bar date. The debtors moved to expunge the claim due to untimeliness and procedural defects, while the representatives cross-moved for leave to file late, arguing lack of actual notice. The court denied the cross-motion, finding that the class was an unknown creditor at the time the bar date notice was mailed, and therefore, excusable neglect was not established. Consequently, the debtors' motion to expunge Claim No. 78 was granted.

excusable neglectlate claimclass actionproof of claimbar datebankruptcysecurities fraudchapter 11actual noticeunknown creditor

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Gavigan v. State

Claimant, an employee of Horizon Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc., sustained serious personal injuries in April 1989 while working on a State-owned property. He sought permission to file a late notice of claim against the State, alleging violations of Labor Law §§ 200, 240, and 241 due to an improperly constructed and maintained rampway. The Court of Claims initially denied two motions but subsequently granted a third, finding sufficient factors under Court of Claims Act § 10 (6) to support its decision, including the merit of the claim and timely notice to a State employee. The State appealed this decision, arguing an abuse of discretion. The appellate court affirmed the Court of Claims' order, concluding that the lower court did not abuse its broad discretion.

Late Notice of ClaimState LiabilityOwner LiabilityConstruction AccidentPersonal InjuryCourt of Claims ActLabor Law ViolationsRampway SafetyEmployee InjuryAppellate Review

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Oct 18, 1990

Skelton v. City of New York

The petitioner, a dietary aide employed by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) at North Central Bronx Hospital (NCB), sought leave to file a late notice of claim after an alleged slip and fall injury in the locker room. The Supreme Court, Bronx County, denied the petitioner's motion. The appellate court unanimously affirmed this denial, ruling that the City of New York, a named defendant, had no control over HHC, which is a separate and distinct statutory entity. Therefore, the City could not be deemed to have actual notice of the accident through workers' compensation claim forms supplied to HHC.

Late Notice of ClaimGeneral Municipal LawNew York City Health and Hospitals CorporationGovernmental ImmunitySeparate Legal EntityWorkers' Compensation ClaimSlip and FallBronx County Supreme CourtAppellate DivisionActual Notice

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Angulo v. City of New York

In a personal injury action, the defendant City of New York appealed an order from the Supreme Court, Queens County. The original order denied the City's motion to dismiss the complaint for failure to timely serve a notice of claim and granted the plaintiff's cross-motion to deem his notice of claim timely served nunc pro tunc. The plaintiff, injured in May 2005, served his notice of claim in August 2005, which the City rejected as untimely. The Appellate Division reversed the lower court's order, granting the City's motion to dismiss the complaint and denying the plaintiff's cross-motion. The court held that timely service of a notice of claim is a condition precedent to suing the City and that the plaintiff failed to make a timely application for leave to serve a late notice of claim. Furthermore, the court ruled that the plaintiff could not rely on the workers' compensation carrier's notice of claim.

Personal InjuryNotice of ClaimTimelinessCondition PrecedentCPLR 3211(a)(7)General Municipal Law § 50-eDismissal of ComplaintLate Notice of ClaimNunc Pro TuncWorkers' Compensation Carrier

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Acevedo v. City of New York

Petitioners, 110 New York City firefighters involved in World Trade Center rescue efforts after 9/11, sought permission to file late notices of claim under General Municipal Law § 50-e due to toxin exposure and subsequent respiratory illnesses. The City of New York objected, citing improper joinder of claims and lack of reasonable excuse or actual notice. The court found that common questions of law and fact allowed for joinder of the claims. Furthermore, the court determined that the City had actual knowledge of the essential facts surrounding the claims due to public awareness, extensive investigations, and internal Fire Department medical examinations, thus suffering no prejudice from the delayed filing. Consequently, the petition was granted, allowing the firefighters to serve and file their late notices of claim.

World Trade Center9/11FirefightersLate Notice of ClaimGeneral Municipal LawRespiratory IllnessToxic ExposureJoinder of ClaimsActual NoticePrejudice

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Matter of Corwin v. City of New York

Ronald Corwin was injured in a Citi Bike accident due to an unpainted concrete wheel stop. He initially filed a notice of claim alleging the City's negligence in installing and maintaining the wheel stop. Later, he sought to amend his claim to include a 'design claim' (negligent infrastructure design) and a 'helmet claim' (negligent failure to provide helmets system-wide). The motion court denied the amendment. On appeal, the majority of the court denied the motion to amend but granted leave to file a late notice for both the design and helmet claims. Judge Andrias dissents in part, agreeing with the denial of the amendment and the granting of the design claim, but arguing that the helmet claim should not be granted due to lack of reasonable excuse for delay and the City's lack of actual prior notice.

Notice of ClaimGeneral Municipal LawLate Notice of ClaimAmendment of ClaimNegligenceDesign ClaimHelmet ClaimPersonal InjuryBicycle AccidentActual Notice

References

Case No. claim No. 1, claim No. 2

Regular Panel Decision

Colley v. Endicott Johnson Corp.

The case involves an appeal from a Workers' Compensation Board decision concerning two claims. The claimant suffered a back injury in 1985, and that claim was closed in 1986. In 2004, while working in Ohio for MCS Carriers, the claimant sustained another back injury. The Workers' Compensation Law Judge ruled that the 1985 claim was barred from reopening by Workers’ Compensation Law § 123 and that New York lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the 2004 claim. The Workers' Compensation Board affirmed these rulings, leading to this appeal. The appellate court affirmed the Board's decision, confirming the applicability of § 123 to the 1985 claim due to lapsed statutory limits and concluding that insufficient significant contacts existed to confer New York jurisdiction over the 2004 out-of-state injury.

Workers' CompensationJurisdictionStatute of LimitationsReopening ClaimOut-of-state InjurySignificant ContactsAppellate ReviewBack InjuryTruck DriverNew York Law

References

Case No. 532851

Regular Panel Decision

Jul 07, 2022

In the Matter of the Claim of Maria Fierro-Switzer (William Switzer, Dec'd)

Claimant Maria Fierro-Switzer appealed a Workers' Compensation Board decision that disallowed her claim for death benefits. Her deceased spouse, William Switzer, a retired New York City firefighter, volunteered at Ground Zero after the September 2001 terrorist attacks and later died from metastatic kidney cancer. Claimant alleged that his death was caused by toxic exposure during his volunteer work. A Workers' Compensation Law Judge (WCLJ) and the Board disallowed the claim, finding that Article 8-A of the Workers' Compensation Law, which covers volunteers in World Trade Center rescue efforts, requires the participant to file a WTC-12 registration form during their lifetime. As the decedent did not file this form, the claim under Article 8-A was denied. The court affirmed the Board's decision, stating that despite the independence of a death benefits claim from the decedent's potential compensation claim, there must be a legal basis for the claim and an entity upon which liability may be imposed. Since the decedent was a volunteer at the time of exposure, no claim could lie under Workers' Compensation Law § 16, which requires injuries to arise out of and in the course of employment. The decedent's sole potential avenue for recovery would have been under Article 8-A, which was precluded by the failure to file the required WTC-12 form during his lifetime.

World Trade Center9/11 AttacksGround ZeroVolunteer BenefitsDeath Benefits ClaimWorkers' Compensation Law Article 8-AWTC-12 Registration FormToxic ExposureRenal Cell CarcinomaAppellate Division

References

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Updated Daily

Case Law Database

Access over workers' compensation decisions, including En Banc, Significant Panel Decisions, and writ-denied cases.

Case No. CV-23-2137

Regular Panel Decision

Mar 27, 2025

In the Matter of the Claim of Charles Davenport

Workers' CompensationTimely FilingMedical ReportPhysician's AssistantExacerbationSnow Shoveling InjuryLumbar Degenerative Disc DiseaseC-3 formNotice of ClaimSubstantial Evidence

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Colarossi v. City of New York

Late Notice of ClaimLaw Office FailureActual NoticePrejudiceWorkers' Compensation Board FormC-3 FormMunicipal LiabilityAppellate ReviewDiscretionary RulingReversal

References

Case No. CLAIM NO. 78

Regular Panel Decision

In Re DDI Corp.

excusable neglectlate claimclass actionproof of claimbar datebankruptcysecurities fraudchapter 11actual noticeunknown creditor

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Gavigan v. State

Late Notice of ClaimState LiabilityOwner LiabilityConstruction AccidentPersonal InjuryCourt of Claims ActLabor Law ViolationsRampway SafetyEmployee InjuryAppellate Review

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Oct 18, 1990

Skelton v. City of New York

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Angulo v. City of New York

Personal InjuryNotice of ClaimTimelinessCondition PrecedentCPLR 3211(a)(7)General Municipal Law § 50-eDismissal of ComplaintLate Notice of ClaimNunc Pro TuncWorkers' Compensation Carrier

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Acevedo v. City of New York

World Trade Center9/11FirefightersLate Notice of ClaimGeneral Municipal LawRespiratory IllnessToxic ExposureJoinder of ClaimsActual NoticePrejudice

References

Case No. MISSING

Regular Panel Decision

Matter of Corwin v. City of New York

Notice of ClaimGeneral Municipal LawLate Notice of ClaimAmendment of ClaimNegligenceDesign ClaimHelmet ClaimPersonal InjuryBicycle AccidentActual Notice

References

Case No. claim No. 1, claim No. 2

Regular Panel Decision

Colley v. Endicott Johnson Corp.

Workers' CompensationJurisdictionStatute of LimitationsReopening ClaimOut-of-state InjurySignificant ContactsAppellate ReviewBack InjuryTruck DriverNew York Law

References

Case No. 532851

Regular Panel Decision

Jul 07, 2022

In the Matter of the Claim of Maria Fierro-Switzer (William Switzer, Dec'd)

World Trade Center9/11 AttacksGround ZeroVolunteer BenefitsDeath Benefits ClaimWorkers' Compensation Law Article 8-AWTC-12 Registration FormToxic ExposureRenal Cell CarcinomaAppellate Division

References

Showing 1-10 of 27,083 results

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