The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, (33 U.S.C.S. § 901 et seq,. is a federal law that protects and provides benefits for those injured while working on “navigable waters” and those engaged in a “traditional maritime activity.”

During the past decade gluten-free has become a $2.6 billion dollar industry. The problem is that many of the products that are labeled gluten-free vary greatly with the amount of gluten actually present. The 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act mandated that the agency designate a federal standard for the term by 2008. […]

Illinois law already requires all front seat passengers and “children” under age 19 to wear seat belts. The new law requires any person, child or adult, riding in the backseat to buckle up.

To what extent is a railroad carrier liable under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) to an employee injured while at work? The Supreme Court of the United States considered this very issue in a recent case that arose in Illinois, CSX Transportation Inc. v. McBride, No. 10-235. McBride was a locomotive engineer for CSX […]

In a recent case, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, was asked to overturn a jury trial verdict in favor of a teenager who was severely injured when attempting to jump onto a freight train that was traveling 9-10 miles per hour. The train ran over his foot, injuring it so badly that it […]

A New Jersey appellate court recently considered a very interesting case where the husband of a woman who died of a pulmonary embolism while working from home for AT&T was seeking workers’ compensation benefits related to her death. He alleged that her pulmonary embolism was caused by her sedentary work lifestyle. As an employee of […]

In recent months, two new laws were passed in Illinois, both of which are intended to make Illinois roads safer. First, on June 27th, Governor Pat Quinn signed a a bill that requires everyone in a car to wear a seat belt. Previously, back-seat occupants over 18 years of age were exempt, but no more. […]

Can a locomotive engineer recover for injuries sustained while on a cab car that was not connected to an assembled train? That’s one issue considered by the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, in Balough v. Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, No. 1–09–3053 (2011). In Balough, the plaintiff was an employee of the defendant. […]

Ice that accumulates on commercial vehicles such as trucks can prevent a dangerous hazard to other motorists on the road. In fact, last year, an Illinois man suffered severe facial injuries when ice blew off of a passing truck and crashed into his windshield, shattering it into pieces. A similar situation occurred in Massachusetts earlier […]

In Zangara v. Advocate Christ Medical Center, 2011 WL 2342736, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, the plaintiffs contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureas (MRSA) while patients at Advocate. One person died and the other survived. The medical malpractice lawsuits filed on their behalves alleged that the defendant was negligent in its management of infection and […]