In 1999 I won lifetime benefits for a dye and ink mixer named Jimmy Blackwell (not his real name) who had hurt his back in 1993. In 2017, Jimmy’s wife visited me to report that he had died of pulmonary fibrosis. Jimmy hadn’t worked in many decades, so I advised his wife that it would be a long-shot, at best, to relate his pulmonary fibrosis to his occupational exposure as an ink mixer decades earlier for the purpose of winning benefits for her. Nevertheless, I took on the case, warning Mrs. Blackwell that it would take years for a decision.
I then began to look for expert witnesses in the ink trade, and medical experts. I’m thrilled to report that merely a year later, Mrs. Blackwell has won her case and will be entitled to weekly workers’ compensation widow’s benefits.