New Jersey lawyer and nationally recognized workers’ compensation guru, John Geaney recently
posted a COVID-19 Q&A on his award winning Blog site. 
The questions are certainly relevant nationally and so the following are Alabama specific answers.
 
Question 1: What happens when an employer sends its employees home for several weeks out of a…

 
On March 18, 2020, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Tom Parker, issued an Order setting forth temporary rules regarding workers’ compensation settlements. 
Per the Order, the following rules will be in effect through April 16, 2020:
 

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On March 18, 2020, the Director of the Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) Workers’ Compensation Division, Steve Garrett, released a Memorandum concerning
the Ombudsman Program.  ADOL  Ombudsmen travel the state and assist with finalizing settlements and also act as mediators at no cost to the
parties.  Per the Memorandum, the ADOL is constantly monitoring…

 
In Alabama, an occupational disease is defined as “a disease arising out of and in the course of employment… which is due to hazards in excess of
those ordinarily incident to employment in general and is peculiar to the occupation in which the employee is engaged
but without regard to negligence or fault, if any,…

 
Alabama Court Appearances Temporarily Suspended
 
On March 13, 2020, the Alabama Supreme Court issued an administrative order which suspended all court appearances for 30 days.  On March 15, 2020, the Court issued a second order which clarified that the first order only applied to in-person court proceedings.   
 
Alabama Department of Labor…