COVID News

California Labor Commissioner Fines Luxury Resort $4.4M for Worker Recall Violations

The Labor Commissioner’s Office fined the Maybourne Beverly Hills $4.4 million for violating California’s Worker Recall Law. The LCO issued the fine in response to the a luxury resort’s failure to rehire employees who were laid off during the COVID-19 …

Michigan Jury Awards $12M to Woman Fired for Refusing to Get COVID Vaccine

DETROIT (AP) — A jury awarded more than $12 million Friday to a woman who lost her job at a Michigan insurance company after declining to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Much of the award — $10 million — is for …

Anaheim Marriott Cited $12.5M for Violating California Worker Recall Law

A state investigation found that Anaheim Marriott hotel violated California’s worker recall law, resulting in estimated damages for the violations of $12.5 million. The damages will go to 28 workers who were laid off during the pandemic and were reportedly …

Long COVID Claims Still Impact California’s Workers Comp System, Report Shows

The impact and surge of long-term COVID on the California workers’ compensation system since 2020 has been prevalent, including long-term impacts on disability and long-term patterns of medical cost and treatment on long COVID claims. That’s from a report by …

New Jersey Supreme Court Rules Against Casino in COVID Business Interruption Case

New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that an Atlantic City casino is not entitled to payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak, determining that the presence of the virus did not constitute the kind of “direct …

WCRI: 6% of COVID Claimants Treated for Long COVID

A national study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute found that 6% of workers who filed claims for COVID-19 suffered long COVID, meaning they sought additional treatment more than a month after the initial infection. WCRI’s estimate is the lowest …

Illinois Governor Signs Law Giving Benefits to Chicago First Responders Disabled by COVID

Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week signed a law providing full disability benefits to Chicago police officers and firefighters struck by COVID-19 before vaccines were available, presiding over an emotional statehouse ceremony which marked the end of a financial struggle for …

University Faces Class-Action by Students Over COVID Campus Lockdown

A lawsuit against the University of Delaware over its campus shutdown and halting of in-person classes because of coronavirus can proceed as a class action on behalf of thousands of students who were enrolled and paid tuition in spring 2020, …

Texas Department of Insurance Updates COVID Data Call Results

The Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) updated COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims data, with insurance carriers reporting 98,000 COVID-19 claims and 468 fatalities through February 2023. DWC put out a data call with 74 selected insurance carriers …

Texas Luxury Auto Dealership Fined $15K for Firing Employee Who Raised COVID Concerns

When an employee of a luxury auto dealership in Austin learned a co-worker had tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020, they alerted the company’s management and requested they notify other employees immediately of their exposure risk. After the dealership …