In an October 2025 ruling, the Kentucky Supreme Court handed down a ruling favoring workers in some workers’ comp cases. The ruling on jurisdiction clarified that insurance companies can be held liable for injured workers’ claims even when the employees moved on to other states.
The case in question, Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance v. Clas Coal Co., Inc., et al., dealt with the liability for employees’ hearing losses when their careers take them to various states.
What happened?
The employee spent 16+ years toiling in Kentucky for a company that routinely exposed him to high levels of ear-damaging noise. When the mine here closed, the miner went south to Alabama and worked another nine months in another mine owned by the same company and then retired. When his hearing loss started to affect him, he rightly blamed the years he worked in Kentucky for the damage. The company disagreed; lawsuits were filed. Ultimately, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that his short stint in Alabama did not negate the damage to his hearing done in Kentucky.
Why this matters
The ruling could affect pending cases involving multiple jurisdictions. Instead of approaching cases from the last location worked by the claimant, liability attaches instead according to the duration and location where the damage occurred.
Not all workers’ comp cases are simple
Anyone can file a workers’ compensation claim. But not every claimant is successful in getting their claim approved and paid. When it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim, few workers can wade through the jurisdictional jargon involved in a denial. That’s why learning all you can about the laws that may affect the outcome of your claim is so important.