Successfully Defended Claim Petition for Philadelphia-based University
We successfully defended a claim petition on behalf of a Philadelphia-based university. While working for the university as a janitor, the claimant slipped and fell down a flight of concrete stairs. He alleged multiple body part injuries, from head to toe. The employer’s panel doctor did find work injuries limited to the claimant’s extremities. The claimant was referred by his attorney to a pain specialist, who opined significant injuries to multiple body parts. However, during the expert’s trial deposition, he was forced to admit that he has been practicing medicine for less than two years and only offered opinions about neck and back injuries—nothing else. The claimant alleged serious disc herniation injuries in the neck and back, and pursued other body part injuries in the litigation, with no additional expert evidence. The employer presented an orthopedic surgeon who found no injuries on the date of his evaluation and opined that the claimant fully healed from any injuries he may have sustained. The court found only minor strains to the neck and back with a full and complete recovery (and no further benefits due).