Claim for Benefits Denied in Federal Black Lung Case

Obtained a favorable decision and order denying benefits in a Federal Black Lung claim that had been pending since 2003. ​This matter was most recently before an Administrative Law Judge on a remand from the Benefits Review Board on the sole issue of whether the miner's medical expert's testimony was sufficient to establish that the miner was suffering from coal workers' pneumoconiosis. The defense persuasively argued to the judge that the claimant's medical expert failed to offer a well-reasoned or well-documented opinion that the miner had developed coal workers' pneumoconiosis as the result of his 37 years of working in the coal mines. The judge denied the claim for benefits, which could have potentially been retroactive.