No Duty to Defend Intentional Tort Claim

In a per curiam opinion, the NJ Appellate Division affirmed that a workers’ compensation insurance company is not required to defend an intentional tort claim following a Section 20 resolution.

Intentional Tort v Negligence

A New Jersey appellate court found that an employee could not proceed with an intentional tort claim against an employer because the evidence needed to meet the two-prong standard was lacking.

Navigating the Complexities of Workers' Compensation Exclusivity in New Jersey

The recent decision in Lopez v. Corozal Auto Repair Inc., a case heard in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, provides valuable insights into the intricate legal landscape of workers' compensation law. Specifically, the court delved into the critical issue of the exclusivity rule and its narrow exceptions, particularly focusing on intentional wrong claims under NJSA 34:15-8.

NJ Supreme Court Limits Employer Insurance Coverage for Worker Injuries

In a recent decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court clarified the scope of insurance coverage for employers facing lawsuits from injured workers. The case Dionicio Rodriguez v. Shelbourne Spring LLA addresses whether an employer's liability insurance policy covers claims of gross negligence, recklessness, and intentional misconduct brought by an employee who has already received workers' compensation benefits.

Trench Injury Not an Intentional Wrong

A Federal Court held that injuries sustained while cleaning a trench conveyor trim removal system at a paper manufacturing facility did not meet the threshold test for an intentional tort.

Workers' Compensation Bar Prevails

The New Jersey Appellate Division affirms the exclusivity of workers' compensation in a workplace-fall case.

Horseplay Is Not an Intentional Tort

Pranks at work may be considered “arising out of the course of employment” and compensable events. Those same injuries are not considered intentional events and would not give rise to cause a civil action against an employer for damages for pain and suffering. 

Not A Violation of Public Policy

In rejecting an employee’s attempt to go forward with a lawsuit directly against an employer, the NJ Appellate Division ruled, in an unreported case*, that an employee, in a novel argument,  may assert the “violation of public policy” as an allegation.

Intentional Tort Claim Barred by the Exclusivity Rule

The New Jersey Workers Compensation Act (WCA), N.J.S.A. 34:15-1 to -146, generally prohibits employees from suing their employers for injuries sustained in workplace accidents. In a recent case the Court probed the boundaries of the "intentional wrong" exception to that general rule.

Dual Employment Status Bars Double Recovery

An employee may have dual employers but ultimately can only receive a single recovery from only one employer for work-related injuries. The “exclusivity doctrine,” permitting a complete recovery of damages against an employer, limits an injured worker’s benefit recovery to the compensation system, barring an intentional tort.

OSHA Violations: Workers’ Compensation Impact

A willful OSHA violation is serious, but in New Jersey, it is not a magic key that unlocks the door to civil litigation against an employer. Over a decade after the New Jersey Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Van Dunk v. Reckson Associates Realty Corp., 210 N.J. 449 (2012), that foundational principle remains firmly in place and continues to shape how injured workers, employers, and practitioners navigate the intersection of OSHA enforcement and the workers’ compensation system.

Workers' Compensation News - July 10, 2007, Vol. 5 Issue 107

Workers' Compensation News - July 10, 2007, Vol. 5 Issue 107

FLORIDA EXPANDS INTENTIONAL TORT EXCEPTION Employee's injury was substantial certainty from employer's failure to respond to requests for new ladder did not require proof that employer concealed danger. "Even though case law on the intentional tort exception to workers' compensation immunity is devoid of any defined test that will establish substantial certainty as a matter of law, it is evident that concealment of the dangerous condition is only one of several factors in a nonexclusive list. " Bakerman v The Bombay Company, ___So. 2d____, 2007 WL 1774420 (Fla.), decided June 21, 1007

OSHA ORDERED TO RELEASE TOXIC EXPOSURE DATABASE — More than 25 Years of Workplace Sampling Yields Public Health Research Bonanza Washington, DC — The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has wrongfully withheld data documenting years of toxic exposures to workers and its own inspectors, according to a federal court ruling posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, the world’s largest compendium of measurements of occupational exposures to toxic substances - more than 2 million analyses conducted during some 75,000 OSHA workplace inspections since 1979 - should now be available to researchers and policymakers. Each year, an estimated 40,000 U.S. workers die prematurely because of exposures to toxic substances on the job. Press Release: http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=882 Decision: http://www.peer.org/docs/dol/07_02_07_finkel_foia_ruling.pdf


ASBESTOS: Travelers Settles AC&S Claims The Travelers Cos. Inc. said today it has settled litigation with ACandS Inc., a former distributor and installer of asbestos products, for $449 million.http://www.courant.com/business/hc-trav-litig,0,1651056.story

ASBESTOS: NO SAFE LEVEL OF EXPOSURE Cong. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) held a hearing on June 25 on the federal government’s response to the hazardous air contaminants that polluted lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks. The featured witness was former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman, who was in the hot seat for her claims that the air in NYC was safe to breathe. Much less attention was paid to former OSHA assistant secretary John Henshaw, who sat next to Whitman, but was left largely unscathed by the questioning. At least one Henshaw exchange deserves attention. The former OSHA chief insisted there are “safe levels of exposure to asbestos.” FYI: The WHO’s policy statement on the elimination of asbestos-related disease is here and the Institute of Medicine’s report on Asbestos: Selected Cancers (2007) is here. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/07/06/safe-levels-of-asbestos-by-john-henshaw/

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Heath Concerns About the Misuse of Pesticides for Bed Bug Control

Hotel workers as well as consumes are being cautioned cautioned about exposure to pesticides to control bed bugs.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are alerting the public to an emerging national concern regarding misuse of pesticides to treat infestations of bed bugs and other insects indoors. Some pesticides are being applied indoors even though they are approved only for outdoor use. Even pesticides that are approved for indoor use can cause harm if over applied or not used as instructed on the product label.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of bed bug-related inquiries received by the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) over the past several years, with many involving incidents of pesticide exposure, spills, or misapplications. From January 2006-December 2010, NPIC reported 169 calls to their hotline where residents, homeowners, or pesticide applicators sprayed pesticides indoors to treat bedbugs. These cases involved pesticides that were misapplied, not intended for indoor use, or legally banned from use. Of those, 129 resulted in mild or serious health effects (including one death) for persons living in affected residences.
ATSDR warns that outdoor pesticides should not be used indoors under any circumstances. Homeowners and applicators should always carefully read the product label to make sure that:
it has an EPA registration number

• it is intended for indoor use
• it is effective against bed bugs (the label should say it is meant to be used to treat your home for bed bugs) and
• you know how to properly mix the product (if a concentrate) and where and how to apply it safely within the home.
• ....
  Jon L.Gelman of Wayne NJ, is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson).  

More About Pesticides

Workers' Compensation: Aerial spraying pesticides to fight ...

Aug 22, 2012

Based on reports from the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) arial spraying of pesticides has been mandated in Texas because of the number of reported cases of West Nile Flu. Questions are now being raised ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Workers' Compensation: Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in ...

Feb 14, 2012

Consistent with an enforcement trend by the EU to reduce agricultural pesticides used by 50% between 2008-2018, a French court on Monday declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning of a French ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Intentional Tort Claim Against Employer Proceeds for Pesticide

Aug 11, 2010

A US District Court in NJ is allowing a claim of injured agricultural worker to proceed against an employer directly for an intentional tort flowing from a pesticide spraying. The workers, residents of Puerto Rico, were employed ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Mother's Occupational Exposure to Pesticide Increases Child's Risk

Jul 02, 2009

A recent study by the McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment of the University of Ottawa finds that an increased risk of childhood leukemia is associated with the mother's exposure at work to pesticides.

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Intentional Tort Claim Against Employer Proceeds for Pesticide Spraying

A US District Court in NJ is allowing a claim of injured agricultural worker to proceed against an employer directly for an intentional tort  flowing from a pesticide spraying. 


The workers, residents of Puerto Rico, were employed on  a NJ farm harvesting produce. hey were employed to work in fields that the employer recently applied pesticides or was actually spraying the pesticides. Is was alleged that the employer failed to provide medical assistance after the workers became ill and did not provide the employee's physicians with complete with complete information on the [potential pesticide exposure that would have allowed better treatment.


The Court denied the defendant's motion for summary judgement and is allowing the case to be heard.


Montalvo v. Larchmont Farmes, Inc., Civil Action No. 06-2704 (RBK/AMD) 2010 WL 3025045 (D.N.J.) decided July 29, 2010,


Click here to read more about pesticide exposures and workers compensation.


For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational exposures,

EPA Takes Action to Protect Public from an Illegal Nano Silver Pesticide in Food Containers; Cites NJ Company for Selling Food Containers with an Unregistered Pesticide Warns Large Retailers Not to...

Today's post was shared by US EPA News and comes from yosemite.epa.gov

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an order to the Pathway Investment Corp. of Englewood, New Jersey to stop the sale of plastic food storage containers that have not been tested or registered with the EPA, in violation of federal pesticides law. The company’s Kinetic Go Green Premium Food Storage Containers and Kinetic Smartwist Series Containers both contain nano silver as an active ingredient, and the company markets other products as containing nano silver, which the company claims helps reduce the growth of mold, fungus and bacteria. Such claims can only be made on products that have been properly tested and are registered with the EPA.

“Claims that mold, fungus or bacteria are controlled or destroyed by a particular product must be backed up with testing so that consumers know that the products do what the labels say,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Unless these products are registered with the EPA, consumers have no information about whether the claims are accurate. The EPA will continue to take action against companies making unverified public health claims.”

Some pesticides have been linked to various forms of illnesses in people, ranging from skin and eye irritation to cancer. Some pesticides may also affect the hormone or endocrine systems. In many situations, there are non-chemical methods that will effectively control pests.

Under federal pesticide...

[Click here to see the rest of this post]

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Related:
New York City workers have high pesticide exposure
Oct 04, 2013
The findings “underscore the importance of considering pest and pesticide burdens in cities when formulating pesticide use regulations,” the researchers from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene wrote in the ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Intentional Tort Claim Against Employer Proceeds for Pesticide
Aug 11, 2010
A US District Court in NJ is allowing a claim of injured agricultural worker to proceed against an employer directly for an intentional tort flowing from a pesticide spraying. The workers, residents of Puerto Rico, were employed ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Workers' Compensation: Highly hazardous pesticides should be ...
Aug 11, 2013
The tragic incident in Bihar, India, where 23 school children died after eating a school meal contaminated with monocrotophos, is an important reminder to speed up the withdrawal of highly hazardous pesticides from markets ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

NJ Permits Intentional Tort Claim Against Former Employer- PVC Exposure

While denying class action certification for a medical monitoringclass and a punitive damage class, the NJ App Div permitted an INTENTIONAL TORT action against the employer to go forward in a common law civil claim.

This case involved exposure to poly vinyl chloride at a Pantasote, a Paterson NJ plant, causing disease to former workers which is characteristic of Raynaud's phenomenon ( fingers blanch and numbnessand discomfort are experienced upon exposure to the cold), changes inthe bones at the bones at the end of the fingers [Known asacro-osteolysis (AOL)], joint and muscle pain, and scleroderma-likeskin changes (thickening of the skin, deceased elasticity and slightedema).

Inhaled vinyl chloride has been shown to increase the risk of a rareform of liver cancer (angiosarcoma of the liver) in humans. It is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Group A, human carcinogen.

Plaintiffs represented by: Jon Gelman (NJ), Ron Simon (DC), Herschel Hobson (TX) and Mark Cuker (PA)

Decision- Buynie v. Airco Co, NJ App Div 2007, Decided August 10, 2007

See related articles:
Misleading Statements Made By Vinyl Chloride Companies Held Valid Basis for Suit

Workplace Poison

Vinyl Chloride Conspiracy Documents: Part 4 (Jun 1974 - Dec 1974)

Vinyl Chloride Plants in New Jersey

Injury Caused by Defeated Machine Guard Results in OSHA Fine of $159,522

An employee working at Crystal Finishing Systems Inc.’s aluminum extrusion facility in Weston was hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a puller machine while trying to unjam a piece of aluminum.

Preventing Occupational Disease: NJ Governor Murphy Supports a Fracking Ban

The State of New Jersey now supports a ban on fracking. NJ Governor Pat Murphy recognized the health and environmental consequences of using this process to explore and mine for natural gas.

Exclusivity Rule Adopted in MDL Aviation Law Case

Continental Connection Bombarder Q400 operated by Colgan Air
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) case pending in New York, a Federal Court ruled that the New Jersey law governing exclusivity of claims barred an employee from proceeding with an intentional tort claim against the employer. Despite the fact that the fatal plane crash occurred in New York, the Court adopted New Jersey law since the the employer was based in New Jersey, the employee was based in New Jersey and workers' compensation benefits were being paid under New Jersey law by a New Jersey based and claims unit in New Jersey.


The Exclusivity Doctrine bars an employee from filing a claim against his or her employer outside of workers' compensation. There are some limited exceptions to that rule such as intentional actions by the employer such as concealment of medical information and gross negligence. The workers' compensation act in the overwhelming majority of claims supersedes common law actions in tort and is the exclusive remedy for an injured worker against an employer. Dudley v. Victor Lynn Lines, Inc., 32 N.J. 479, 161 A.2d 479 (1960).  Kristiansen v. Morgan et al., 153 N.J. 298, 708 A.2d 1173 (1998).




The Court reasoned that under a New York conflict-of-laws analysis, the State of New Jersey, rather than New York, had a greater interest in the case. since the plaintiff failed to meet the two prong NJ test to circumvent the NJ exclusivity rule, the case was dismissed. 


In re Air Crash Near Clarence Center New York on February 12, 2009 v. Colgan Air, Inc., et al., # 09-md-2085, 10CV-10078, 2012 WL 1029530 (W.D.N.Y.) March 26, 2012

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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

More on The Exclusivity Rule

Court Rules Site of Accident Invokes Exclusivity Rule

Jun 13, 2012

Court Rules Site of Accident Invokes Exclusivity Rule. English: Motor vehicle accident following a ve... A NJ appeals court ruled that a motor vehicle accident cause by a co-worker in the emplyers' parking lot, before work had...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Willful OSHA Violation Alone Not Enough Alone to Circumvent the

Jun 27, 2012

Willful OSHA Violation Alone Not Enough Alone to Circumvent the Exclusivity Doctrine. "New Jersey's Workers' Compensation Act (the Act), N.J.S.A. 34:15-1 to -128.5, provides a prompt and efficient remedy for an employee's ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Workers' Compensation: Exclusivity Doctrine Shields an Employer ...

Apr 09, 2010

A Federal Judge, who is managing the Multi-District Asbestos Litigation, has ruled that the exclusivity doctrine defeats the application of the dual capacity doctrine where the manufacturer's corporation was merged into the ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

NJ Supreme Court To Rule on Several Critical Issues

Apr 23, 2012

The Exclusivity Rule: Under the circumstances of this case, which include a finding by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the accident was the result of a “willful violation” of its regulations, did the ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

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Gelman on Workers' Compensation Law 2026 Update Now Available

Jon Gelman's newly revised and updated treatise on Workers' Compensation Law 2026 has been published by Thomson Reuters of Eagan, MN. This marks the 40th annual supplement to the New Jersey Practice Series on Workers' Compensation Law. The treatise is the most comprehensive, research-integrated work, on Workers' Compensation law, and is fully integrated with Westlaw.