CompFox Logo
AboutWorkflowFeaturesPricingCase LawInsights

Updated Daily

Case Law Database

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

Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Bullard v. St. Mary's Hospital

Claimant, a secretary at St. Mary's Hospital, developed rheumatoid arthritis, resulting in a permanent partial disability. The Workers' Compensation Board ruled it an occupational disease and awarded compensation. Liability was apportioned among three employers: Rochester Savings Bank, Woodward Health Center, and St. Mary's Hospital. The Special Disability Fund (SDF) was deemed liable for benefits after the initial 104-week disability period. SDF appealed, contending its reimbursement should be limited to St. Mary's Hospital's one-third share. The court affirmed the Board's decision, holding that Workers' Compensation Law § 44 makes the last employer (St. Mary's) responsible for total compensation, and Workers' Compensation Law § 15 (8) (d) requires SDF to fully reimburse the employer's carrier, Sedgwick James, for benefits paid after 104 weeks.

Occupational DiseaseRheumatoid ArthritisPermanent Partial DisabilityApportionmentSpecial Disability FundReimbursementWorkers' Compensation LawLast Employer LiabilityInsurance CarrierWorkers' Compensation Board
References
0
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Claim of Kowalchyk v. Wade Lupe Construction Co.

The claimant, a carpenter over 60 with an 11th-grade education, fractured his back and wrist in August 1985 while on a construction jobsite. Initially, his physician, Dr. James Slavin, considered him totally disabled, and he received total disability benefits from his employer's carrier. However, in December 1985, the employer reduced benefits to a partial disability rate, relying on a report from their consultant, Dr. Edward Pasquarella. The claimant subsequently filed for compensation, leading to a determination by the Workers’ Compensation Law Judge and ultimately the Workers’ Compensation Board that he had a total industrial disability. The employer appealed this decision, arguing it lacked substantial evidence. The court affirmed the Board's decision, considering the claimant’s physical limitations, age, work experience, and limited education, concluding he had no marketable skills outside carpentry.

Workers' CompensationTotal Industrial DisabilityPartial DisabilityMedical Testimony ConflictEarning Capacity AssessmentAppellate ReviewVocational RehabilitationAge & Education FactorsCarpenter InjuryScaffold Accident
References
3
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Claim of Hare v. Champion International

Claimant suffered head, neck, and back injuries in 1991 while working as a millwright for Champion International. His workers' compensation case was closed in 1993, with a finding of no compensable lost time after November 1991. In 1997, claimant's pain worsened, and he sought authorization for Viagra for work-related sexual dysfunction, which Champion's carrier denied. In 1999, Champion sold its mill, and the new owner did not rehire the claimant. He then sought compensation for lost time, alleging the non-rehire was due to his disability from the 1991 accident. The Workers’ Compensation Law Judge and subsequently the Workers’ Compensation Board found his unemployment was due to economic conditions and denied a causal link for sexual dysfunction. The appellate court affirmed the Board's decision, concluding that the claimant failed to prove his inability to obtain employment was due to his accident-related disabilities, and that the Board properly resolved conflicting medical evidence.

Workers' CompensationSexual DysfunctionLost WagesEconomic ConditionsRehireDisability ClaimMedical EvidenceCausationAppellate ReviewBurden of Proof
References
5
Case No. 532577
Regular Panel Decision
Feb 10, 2022

In the Matter of the Claim of Steven Coll

Claimant Steven Coll sustained neck and left shoulder injuries in a 2016 work accident and received temporary partial disability benefits. He subsequently took a light-duty job as a school security officer but was laid off on June 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Workers' Compensation Law Judge and the Workers' Compensation Board ruled that Coll was not entitled to reduced earnings awards after this date because his job loss was unrelated to his work-related disability. The Appellate Division affirmed, finding substantial evidence supported the Board's determination that Coll's unemployment was voluntary for workers' compensation purposes, as his disability did not cause or contribute to his separation from employment. The Court noted that his remedy would be unemployment insurance benefits.

Reduced Earnings AwardsVoluntary UnemploymentLabor Market WithdrawalCOVID-19 Impact on EmploymentWork-Related DisabilityCausation of UnemploymentWorkers' Compensation Board DecisionAppellate Division ReviewSubstantial Evidence StandardLight-Duty Employment
References
7
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Jul 11, 1996

Claim of Saunders v. Pepsi Cola

On December 28, 1989, the claimant sustained a lower back injury while working, leading to two surgeries and workers' compensation benefits. X-rays revealed a pre-existing condition of spondylolisthesis. The employer's workers' compensation carrier sought to impose liability on the Special Disability Fund under Workers' Compensation Law § 15 (8) (d). The Workers' Compensation Board concluded that the claimant's disability was solely caused by the 1989 accident and discharged the Special Disability Fund. The Appellate Division affirmed this decision, finding substantial evidence that the spondylolisthesis was asymptomatic and did not contribute to the subsequent disability.

Workers' CompensationSpecial Disability FundSpondylolisthesisPre-existing ConditionPermanent Partial DisabilityAsymptomaticApportionmentMedical EvidenceLiabilityWorkers' Compensation Board
References
3
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Matter of Alamin v. Down Town Taxi, Inc.

Claimant, a taxi driver, sustained neck and back injuries in a February 2008 work-related motor vehicle accident. His workers' compensation claim was established. A Workers’ Compensation Law Judge initially awarded benefits from February 2008 to October 2009, finding a moderate causally related disability after November 2008. However, the Workers’ Compensation Board later rescinded awards after November 20, 2008, ruling that no further causally related disability existed from that date. Claimant's subsequent request for reconsideration and/or full Board review was denied. The current court dismissed the appeals from the WCLJ's January 2013 decision and the Board's January 2014 decision due to procedural irregularities (direct appeal from WCLJ and untimely filing of notice of appeal). The court affirmed the Board’s March 2014 decision denying reconsideration, concluding that the Board did not abuse its discretion or act arbitrarily, as the claimant failed to present new evidence or demonstrate a material change in condition.

Workers' CompensationAppellate ProcedureDismissal of AppealReconsideration DenialCausally Related DisabilityMotor Vehicle AccidentIndependent Medical ExaminationProcedural BarAbuse of DiscretionTimeliness of Appeal
References
6
Case No. 2023 NY Slip Op 02156 [215 AD3d 1201]
Regular Panel Decision
Apr 27, 2023

Matter of Holder v. Office for People with Dev. Disabilities

Claimant's husband, a house manager for the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, contracted COVID-19 and passed away in March 2020. Claimant filed for workers' compensation death benefits, alleging his death was causally related to his employment. Initially, a Workers' Compensation Law Judge established the death benefits claim. However, the Workers' Compensation Board reversed this decision, concluding there was insufficient evidence to prove COVID-19 was prevalent in the decedent's work environment prior to his symptoms. The Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed the Board's decision, finding that the claimant failed to meet her burden of establishing that the decedent contracted COVID-19 in the course of his employment.

COVID-19 DeathWorkers' Compensation BenefitsCausal RelationEmployment ExposureHouse ManagerGroup HomeBurden of ProofSubstantial EvidenceAppellate ReviewAdministrative Review
References
13
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Claim of Lloyd v. New Era Cap Co.

The claimant, a sewing machine operator, suffered a permanent low back injury in a 2003 workplace fall, leading to an award of workers' compensation benefits. The self-insured employer sought reimbursement from the Special Disability Fund, arguing for apportionment of the disability with a preexisting 1975 gunshot wound. However, the Workers’ Compensation Law Judge and the Board denied this request, finding the claimant to have a permanent total disability solely due to the 2003 accident, thus precluding reimbursement under Workers’ Compensation Law § 15 (8) (d). The appellate court affirmed the Board's decision, emphasizing the Board's authority to reclassify disabilities and its non-binding nature of party stipulations that are not properly approved. The court found substantial evidence supported the Board's determination that the 2003 accident alone caused the permanent total disability.

Workers' CompensationSpecial Disability FundReimbursementPermanent Total DisabilityPreexisting ImpairmentApportionmentMedical EvidenceBoard AuthorityStipulationAppellate Review
References
17
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Sep 17, 1980

Bass v. Westchester Concrete, Inc.

This case involves an appeal from a Workers’ Compensation Board decision, which was initially filed on March 14, 1980, and later amended on September 17, 1980. The employer's insurance carrier sought reimbursement from the Special Disability Fund under Workers’ Compensation Law § 15(8), claiming a known prior physical impairment of bilateral deafness in the claimant. The record established that the claimant's total disability stemmed from a severe psychoneurotic disorder, with a pre-existing psychiatric condition materially and substantially exacerbating the present disability due to a compensable accident. However, the appeal found no substantial evidence that the employer had prior knowledge of this psychiatric condition; only the bilateral deafness was known, which was deemed incidental to the current disability. Consequently, the Board's decision, which presumably denied reimbursement, was affirmed, with costs awarded to the Special Disability Fund.

Workers' CompensationSpecial Disability FundReimbursement ClaimPrior Physical ImpairmentBilateral DeafnessPsychoneurotic DisorderPre-existing ConditionEmployer KnowledgeTotal DisabilityCompensable Accident
References
0
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Aug 02, 2012

Keefe v. Aramatic Refreshment Services Inc.

The claimant had two established workers' compensation claims for back injuries from 2004 and 2009, with benefits equally apportioned. The dispute arose regarding the calculation of benefits for the 2009 claim, specifically whether to use the claimant's 2009 wages or the higher 2004 wages. The Workers’ Compensation Board ruled that the 2009 wages should be used for the 2009 claim, aligning with Workers’ Compensation Law § 15 (5) and § 15 (7). The Appellate Division affirmed this aspect of the Board's decision. However, the Board's unexplained reduction of a temporary total disability award to a marked temporary partial disability was found to be an error, leading to a remittal of the matter to the Board for further proceedings to address this inconsistency.

Workers' CompensationBack InjuriesDisability BenefitsWage CalculationTemporary Partial DisabilityTemporary Total DisabilityStatutory InterpretationRemittalApportionmentJudicial Review
References
3
Showing 1-10 of 23,290 results

Ready to streamline your practice?

Apply these legal strategies instantly. CompFox helps you find decisions, analyze reports, and draft pleadings in minutes.

CompFox Logo

The AI standard for workers' compensation professionals. Faster research, deeper analysis, better outcomes.

Product

  • Platform
  • Workflow
  • Features
  • Pricing

Solutions

  • Defense Firms
  • Applicants' Attorneys
  • Insurance carriers
  • Medical Providers

Company

  • About
  • Insights
  • Case Law

Legal

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Trust
  • Cookies
  • Subscription

© 2026 CompFox Inc. All rights reserved.

Systems Operational