When you choose a law firm to handle your workers' compensation case, you are probably looking for one thing above all else: results. Swift and ample compensation is paramount if an injured worker is to pay medical bills and other expenses on time. The Philip J. Fulton Law Office in Columbus, Ohio specializes in workers' comp awards. Our attorneys understand your priorities and Ohio workers' compensation laws, and we have an established record of success in workers' comp cases.
Case Study: Cold War Widows
Philip J. Fulton Law Office is known for handling the difficult and unusual case. One such case involve the cold war widows. During the Cold War, employees of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio were involved in work on nuclear weapons. These workers were unknowingly exposed to dangerous levels of radiation during the course of their work, and many subsequently died of cancer. Thirty-eight widows of the deceased workers sought workers' comp settlements through Ohio's workers' compensation system, but were barred from doing so by a two-year statute of limitations on all such claims.
The widows, who felt that their case was dismissed unjustly, turned to the Philip J. Fulton Law Office in Columbus, Ohio to seek their workers' comp settlements. Mr. Fulton appealed on the grounds that it was only in 2000, well after the statute of limitations for wrongful-death workers' comp settlements had expired, that the government publicly acknowledged that it put workers at risk of nuclear contamination without their knowledge.
The government had previously denied liability in these cases, also withholding crucial information on the nature and extent of the exposures. This made it difficult or impossible to seek compensation within the statute of limitations; thus, applying the two-year statute of limitations was an unjust decision on the part of the Ohio Workers' Compensation Bureau. As of June 9, 2009, the appeal has been filed with the Ohio Common Pleas Court and is awaiting a response.
Important Workers' Comp Decisions
Because Philip J. Fulton is the author of Ohio Workers’ Compensation Law, published by LexisNexis, and teaches workers’ compensation law to law students at Capital University Law School, he is always up-to-date on the workers’ compensation law. One way he uses this knowledge is in court with the Ohio Supreme Court by writing amicus briefs for the Ohio Association For Justice. An amicus brief also known as a friend of the court brief, is where Mr. Fulton helps the Supreme Court understand the law better. Examples of these amicus briefs include State ex rel. Ohio AFL-CIO v. BWC, 97 Ohio St.3d 504, 2002-Ohio-6717, where the court accepted Mr. Fulton’s argument that the warrantless drug and alcohol testing of injured workers without any individualized suspicion violated the 4th Amendment of the Constitution, and in State ex rel. Gross v. Indus. Comm., 112 Ohio St.3d 65, 2006-Ohio-6500, where the court accepted Mr. Fulton’s argument that the voluntary abandonment theory should not apply to an injured worker’s pre-existing or contemporaneous conduct with the injury
The First Step Toward Successful Workers' Comp Settlements: Contact Us in Columbus, Ohio
The stakes are high for individuals and families seeking workers' comp settlements. Our firm, located in Columbus, Ohio, will work to make sure that you are able to obtain the full measure of compensation to which you are entitled under the law. Please do not hesitate to contact the Philip J. Fulton Law Office today to begin preparing your claim.
