Personal Injury Law

Texas Supreme Court Ruling Involving The Injured Worker

By Beth Janicek

BP families and Citgo blast survivors visited the Capitol to encourage lawmakers to undo the Texas Supreme Court's misguided decision in a high-profile workplace injury case, Entergy v. Summers.  The Texas Supreme Court decision last year ruled that an injured contract worker could not sue the company because he was covered under their workers' compensation policy.  These survivors and survivors' families live every day with this decision allowing corporations to escape accountability for their wrongdoings.  Lawmakers need to clarify their position and protect injured workers, not unsafe companies.

"If no one is held accountable, then nobody is safe," said Eva Rowe, who lost both parents in the blast at BP's Texas City refinery. "The people that this will affect are working people."

The BP explosion in March of 2005 killed 15 people.  If this ruling had been in place at that time, the injured and their families would not have been able to sue, therefore, holding no one accountable.  This ruling erroneously expanded liability protection for companies under the workers' compensation law.

Over 4,000 lawsuits were filed after the explosion at the BP refinery, a London-based company.  They have allotted $2.13 billion to settle lawsuits.  Most of the cases have been settled.

Full post as published by San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer on May 01, 2008 (boomark / email).