H.A., by her guardians L.A. and S.A. v. Hochul

This case involved a firefighter who was denied workers' compensation benefits and had to fight to get them. The firefighter appealed the denial to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals and hired an attorney to help with the case. During the appeal process, the Department of Labor and Industries changed its mind and decided to approve the benefits, taking back control of the case before the Board could issue a final decision. The firefighter then asked for the employer to pay their attorney fees, but a lower court said no. The Court of Appeals disagreed and ruled in favor of the firefighter. The court said that under Washington state law, workers who successfully appeal denied workers' compensation claims are entitled to have their attorney fees paid by the employer, even if the case doesn't go all the way through the appeals process. What mattered was that the firefighter won - they got their benefits approved after appealing. This decision is important for workers because it means that if you have to hire a lawyer to fight a wrongly denied workers' compensation claim and you win, your employer must pay your legal costs, even if the case gets resolved partway through the appeals process.