Pabst Brews a Legal Storm

On April 15, 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling that will reverberate through asbestos litigation, workers’ compensation law, and premises liability for years to come. In Estate of Carol Lorbiecki v. Pabst Brewing Co., 2026 WI 12, the court held that a brewery owner could be found liable under Wisconsin’s Safe Place Statute for a steamfitter’s fatal mesothelioma, even though the worker was employed by an independent contractor, not by Pabst. The decision affirms a $6.9 million judgment, including punitive damages, and clarifies important principles governing the rights of workers exposed to occupational hazards on third-party premises.

Flames That Forged Justice

 The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the Birth of American Labor Rights

Dying at Work — Who's Counting?

Workplace fatality data, political interference, and the workers left behind.

Magnet Dangers Persist Despite Rules

Despite federal safety regulations taking effect in October 2022, high-powered magnet ingestion remains a critical and growing threat to children's safety, with devastating consequences for families and significant implications for workplace safety and product liability.

Deadly Rollback: Asbestos Unprotected

FDA withdraws talc testing rule amid growing health concerns.

Workers' Compensation Breakdown

Professor Michael C. Duff's law review article "Reverberations of Magna Carta – Work Injuries, Inkblots, and Restitution" presents a scathing indictment of America's workers' compensation system. His central argument: workers have been "unconstitutionally undercompensated" for over a century, creating what amounts to a constitutional crisis hiding in plain sight.

Medicare Set-Aside Shake Up Ahead?

Awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers' Research is poised to potentially redefine federal administrative agencies' authority scope. This shift could flow into various regulatory processes, including the Workers' Compensation Medicare Set Aside Agreements (WCMSAs) adjudication. 

FTC Report Strikes at the High Cost of Drugs

The US Federal Trade Commission [FTC] report "Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The Powerful Middlemen Inflating Drug Costs and Squeezing Main Street Pharmacies" examines the influence of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in the pharmaceutical industry.

Federal judge affirms 2022 citation, penalties against United Airlines for failing to protect employee seriously injured when 737 crushes foot

A federal administrative law judge has affirmed safety violations against United Airlines related to a 2021 incident at Newark Liberty International Airport in which a 737's tire crushed a technician's foot as they worked with one of the company's towing crews.

Paterson Contractors Settle with OSHA for $215,000 for Safety Violations

Two related North Jersey construction contractor companies – Primetime Construction LLC and its subsidiary Primetime Contractors LLC of Paterson – have agreed to pay $215,000 in penalties and undertake several significant safety measures to resolve numerous safety violations found at five Paterson construction worksites in 2021, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor.

OSHA Fines Paterson NJ Contractor $1Million for Fall Violations

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a New Jersey contractor for again exposing workers to fall hazards, this time while working at a construction site in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

OSHA Fines NJ Container Company $437,860 for Safety and Health Violation

A transportation company faces $437,860 in federal penalties after the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated its Paulsboro, NJ, location and found workplace safety and health hazards.

OSHA Cites Oakland NJ Company with $257,931 in Penalties

A U.S. Department of Labor inspection in June 2023 at an Oakland, NJ manufacturing company — that followed reports of two workers being injured — found employees exposed to dozens of serious safety and health hazards.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Occupational Exposure to Cellphone Radiation

Last week, the French government requested that Apple stop selling the iPhone 12 model because of excessive radiation detected during recent tests. The Agence National des Fréquences [ANFR] stated that “…Apple must immediately take all measures to prevent the availability on the market of the phones concerned present in the supply chain. Regarding phones already sold, Apple must take corrective measures as soon as possible to make the phones concerned compliant. Otherwise, it will be up to Apple to recall them.”

Amazon Cited by OSHA for NJ Warehouse Safety Violations

A federal workplace safety investigation has again found workers at an Amazon fulfillment center exposed to ergonomic hazards, this time at a Logan Township facility. 

OSHA Cites Main Line Contractor Corp. of Newark NJ for 21 Violations and $333,052 in Penalties

A series of inspections by the U.S. Department of Labor has found a Newark-based construction contractor defying federal safety regulations by exposing employees to more than 20 violations, including potentially deadly falls, at six southern and central New Jersey work sites in early 2023.

United Hospital Supply Corp. faces $498K in penalties after amputation incident

An employee's first day of work at a southern New Jersey manufacturing facility ended tragically when he suffered the amputation of three fingers while operating a press brake without required safety guards, similar to violations cited by federal safety investigators at the facility in 2010 and 2015.

Insurance Agent's Conduct Determines Liability for Failure to Inform an Employer of Workers' Compensation Coverage Options

The NJ Supreme court held that the insurance agent's conduct must be a willful, wanton, or grossly negligent act of commission or omission for failure to advise an employer about workers' compensation coverage for a Limited Liability Corporation.

OSHA: America Airlines Fined for Retaliating Against Worker Who Reported Hazardous Fumes in Cabin

Federal safety and health investigators have determined that one of the nation's largest airlines retaliated against flight attendants who reported worker illnesses caused by toxic fumes entering aircraft cabins.

FTC Proposes Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses

The Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule that would ban employers from imposing noncompetes on their workers, a widespread and often exploitative practice that suppresses wages, hampers innovation, and blocks entrepreneurs from starting new businesses. By stopping this practice, the agency estimates that the new proposed rule could increase wages by nearly $300 billion per year and expand career opportunities for about 30 million Americans.