Category: 2015

By Jeffrey D. Snyder, Esquire In Jacqueline Fields v. WCAB (City of Philadelphia), decided by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on November 14, 2014, the Court addressed the issue of whether benefits payable for an injured employee sustaining multiple specific losses, arising from the same injury, should be paid consecutively, as opposed to being paid concurrently… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire Under the 1996 amendments to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, Impairment Rating Evaluations, subject to certain prerequisites, allow an Employer/Insurer to modify a Claimant’s compensation benefits, following the acceptance of a work-related injury and payment of temporary total disability benefits, to temporary partial disability benefits, which statutorily limits the injured… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire A recent Order Entered in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas by a Trial Judge, the Honorable Shreeves-Johns, highlights the procedural necessity of qualifying an Expert Witness as, just that, an Expert Witness. The case was Yeung Woo Lee and Ok H. Lee v. John Bernard and Comcast, with… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire A recent Decision by the Pennsylvania Superior Court denied a Plaintiff’s procedural challenge to an Arbitrator appointed by State Farm, the insurer for the Tortfeasor sued by the Plaintiff in a negligence action, with the Arbitrator having been selected by State Farm as one of three Members of an Arbitration… Read more »

Under the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law (“PMVFRL”), 75 Pa. C.S. § 1701-1799.7, “stacking” permits a person, or persons, fitting the definition of “insured” under uninsured or underinsured coverages to add coverages from either other vehicles and/or other insurance policies, to provide a greater aggregate of available benefits to an “insured” seeking coverage as… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire Well, the wheel turns again. Mental/mental injuries have always been, well, pretty mental under Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Law. Duh, mental/mental claims are always difficult to prove and defend, in the absence of an objective physical injury. This conundrum formed the spine for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s landmark Decision in Martin… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire As is well known, the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Act, requires a limited tort Plaintiff, having limited tort coverage under their personal automobile insurance policy, to prove a “serious injury”, requiring medical evidence of permanency and/or impairment of bodily function, to have waived the right, in an automobile negligence lawsuit, to… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire November 19, 2014 was a very busy day for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, as two very important decisions were issued that day. The Decisions were Tincher v. Omega Flex, Inc., dealing with product liability cases, and Zauflik v. Pennsbury School District, dealing with governmental immunity. The case citation for Zauflik… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire To jump start 2015, Connors Law, LLP proudly announces its name change to ConnorsO’Dell, LLP, effective as of January 1, 2015, in honor of Kate O’Dell’s service to firm and clients, as we wish Kate CONGRATULATIONS! Having had the honor and privilege of being Kate’s Partner since 2000, this announcement… Read more »

By Kevin L. Connors, Esquire Effective as of January 1, 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has raised the maximum compensation benefit payable rate for workers’ compensation indemnity payments to $951.00 per week, yielding maximum yearly workers’ compensation benefits of $49,452.00. If the average weekly wage is between $1,426.50 and $713.26, the compensation… Read more »