Missouri Supreme Court to Decide Fate of 2005 Workers' Compensation Law

By Sophia Brink

Published on November 30, 2007

The lawsuit was filed by the Missouri Alliance for Retired Americans and certain labor unions and contends that the new law decreases workers' rights and is skewed in favor of employers.

According to the suit, the 2005 workers' compensation law violates a number of constitutional and equal rights. Among other allegations, the plaintiffs claim that the law discriminates against older workers. The suit also alleges that the law both violates constitutional rights against unreasonable searches and the constitutional separation of powers.

The law in question was passed in July 2005 by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt with the intention that it would reduce the increasing number of frivolous claims.

The new law redefined compensable injuries and allowed benefits to be reduced by up to 50 percent if the injured worker did not follow proper safety protocols, regardless of whether the breach was willful or not.

The Missouri Supreme Court hearing comes after the case was originally dismissed by a lower court.

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