A dental patient claims she suffered permanent disfigurement after developing an abscess from a double tooth extraction. Paige Osborne filed the complaint on June 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against the U.S. According to the complaint, Osborne claims that on July 28, 2017, she visited the Maple Street Clinic in Gillespie, which is…
Legislative changes allowing workers compensation coverage due to COVID-19 will result in an increase in loss estimates and a potential earnings hit for the insurance companies, according an analysis released Thursday by A.M. Best. A number of U.S. states have begun the process of enacting legislation or have issued executive orders on workers compensation coverage for essential employees, an expansion…
A train conductor’s negligence claims against his employer were unanimously dismissed Wednesday by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. In LeDure v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the circuit affirmed a district court’s holding that the conductor’s slip and fall was not reasonably foreseeable. Bradley LeDure was a conductor for Union Pacific Railroad Co. On Aug. 10, 2016,…
As businesses reopen across the U.S. after coronavirus shutdowns, many are requiring customers and workers to sign forms saying they won’t sue if they catch COVID-19. Businesses fear they could be the target of litigation even if they adhere to safety precautions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health officials. But workers’ rights groups say the…
A meals on Wheels volunteer is suing a church after she claims to have slipped and fallen outside the premises. Mary Rottmann filed suit June 4 in Madison County Circuit Court against The First Baptist Church of HIghland. Rottmann states she was at the church on March 12, 2019, and was leaving when she tripped and fell outside the entrance…
A railway worker alleges he was injured when a truck turned over due to his employer’s negligence. Anthony Koenig filed suit June 2 in Madison County Circuit Court against Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. His suit was filed under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. Koenig, a track man for the company, claims he was injured while dumping rock at…
A man rendered a quadriplegic after a serious car wreck was unable to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Wednesday that his amended complaint was wrongly dismissed. The decision leaves in limbo collection of a $21 million jury award in favor of the injured man. Several lawsuits have stemmed from a single-vehicle accident involving former co-workers Gregory Smith and…
Legislation signed into law in Illinois on Friday will provide worker compensation benefits for front-line and essential workers who contract COVID-19 on the job under certain conditions. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed H.B. 2455, which will provide death benefits for first responders who were presumably infected with COVID-19 on duty and also revises state code to expand unemployment benefits and enhance…
A passenger who was allegedly thrown from a vehicle driven by an intoxicated man is suing an Alton bar for serving the driver alcoholic beverages. Elizabeth McCollum filed the complaint in Madison County Circuit Court May 27 against D&T Wedge Inc., doing business as D&T Wedge and Donald Wallace, alleging negligence. McCollum alleges in her complaint that on Aug. 8,…
It’s now up to Gov. J.B. Pritzker to approve a measure lawmakers passed last month that differs slightly from an emergency rule he tried to unilaterally issue in April regarding who covers the costs when a worker gets COVID-19. House Bill 2455 passed during last month’s pandemic special session at the statehouse. One aspect of the bill deals with who…
