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Tricoski v. Laboratory Corp. of America

E.D. Pa.August 20, 2002No. CIV.A. 01-5207Cited 2 times
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Case Details

Judge(s)
Waldman
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
summary judgment

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Outcome

The court granted defendant's motion for summary judgment, finding that Pennsylvania law does not recognize a duty of care owed by a drug testing facility to an employee tested on behalf of the employer, thus dismissing plaintiff's negligence claim.

What This Ruling Means

# Tricoski v. Laboratory Corp. of America **What Happened** An employee filed a lawsuit against Laboratory Corp. of America, a drug testing company, claiming the lab was negligent in conducting a drug test. The employee believed the lab failed to properly perform or handle the test, causing harm. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled in favor of the lab and dismissed the case. The judge found that Pennsylvania law does not require drug testing facilities to be responsible to employees when the employer ordered the test. In other words, the lab owed no legal duty of care directly to the person being tested. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling limits worker protections in drug testing situations. It means employees generally cannot sue a testing facility directly for negligent testing—even if they believe the test was conducted improperly. Workers must look elsewhere for remedies, such as challenging the test results through their employer or considering other legal claims. The decision highlights that when employers hire third-party labs to conduct tests, those labs have fewer legal obligations to the tested employees themselves.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

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