Central Laborers' Pension Welfare and Annuity Funds v. Soldier Concrete Construction, LLC

**Court Orders Company to Pay Black Lung Benefits to Coal Worker** This case involved a coal worker named Danny Templeton who was fighting to get black lung benefits that had already been awarded to him under federal law. Templeton had previously won his case for black lung benefits, but his former employer, Debra Lynn Coals, Inc. (DLC), along with company officers and their insurance company, refused to pay what they owed him. The court ruled in favor of Templeton, ordering DLC and the other defendants to pay over $68,000 in benefits, penalties, interest, and attorney fees. The judge found that the defendants had no valid excuse for refusing to pay the benefits that Templeton was legally entitled to receive. However, the court determined that one individual defendant, Gary Asher, was not personally responsible for the payments. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling reinforces that employers and their insurers cannot simply ignore legal orders to pay workers' compensation benefits, including black lung benefits for coal workers. When companies refuse to pay court-ordered benefits, workers can take legal action to force compliance and may be entitled to additional penalties and attorney fees on top of their original benefits.