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Government Seeks To Stop Coal Companies From Withholding Evidence In Black Lung Cases
The new rule, proposed by the Department of Labor, would make it easier for miners debilitated by black lung to get financial benefits.
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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Over Fake Facebook Page
The agency agrees to pay $134,000 to resolve claims it endangered a New York woman and violated her privacy. A DEA agent used the real name and photos of the woman to communicate with a wanted fugitive — without her knowledge.
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Years After Black Lung Claim Was Wrongly Denied, Coal Miner Gets His Due
They overcame now-discredited testimony by a prominent Johns Hopkins doctor and almost a decade of legal wrangling with a coal company. Now the family of deceased miner Steve Day gets what they were owed all along.
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Senator Leahy Blasts DEA For Impersonating Woman On Facebook
Citing a case revealed by BuzzFeed News, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said it’s “appalling” that a Drug Enforcement Administration agent created a fake Facebook page using a real woman’s name and photos — without her knowledge.
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Facebook Rebukes DEA For Impersonating Woman Online
After BuzzFeed News revealed that the Drug Enforcement Administration had created a phony Facebook page using a real woman’s name — without her knowledge — the company has told the agency it committed a “serious breach” of Facebook’s terms of service.
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How A Coal Miner’s Autopsy Proved A Top Doctor Wrong
When a coal miner’s lungs finally gave out, his autopsy proved a top doctor was wrong — giving hope to thousands of other miners. The story of Steve Day and his final vindication.
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Government Set Up A Fake Facebook Page In This Woman’s Name
A DEA agent commandeered a woman’s identity, created a phony Facebook account in her name, and posted racy photos he found on her seized cell phone. The government said he had the right to do that. Update: Facebook has removed the page and the Justice Department says it is reviewing the incident.
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Exclusive: New Bill Aims To Stop Coal Companies From Denying Benefits To Miners With Black Lung
Coal companies are supposed pay compensation to miners who contract the dreaded disease, but the companies have devised ways to get out of paying. The bill attempts to shut down those schemes. Update: This post now includes information from a conference call with one of the bill’s sponsors.
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Black Lung Disease Surges To New Highs, Research Shows
The likely reason the dreaded coal miners’ disease has come back: failure by mining companies to use tried and true methods to control dust.
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More Than 1,000 Miners Might Have Been Wrongly Denied Black Lung Benefits, Government Says
The Department of Labor has told coal miners that a Johns Hopkins doctor might have wrongly ruled out that they have the disease, effectively denying them benefits. The government is responding to a series of investigative stories published last year by the Center for Public Integrity in partnership with ABC News.
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Department Of Labor Announces Plan To Protect Coal Miners After Black Lung Investigation
The new rule is a direct response to disclosures that lawyers kept key evidence from sick miners, which caused some to lose benefits cases.
