BACKGROUND
In 2007 the Colorado Legislature enacted a firefighter cancer presumption statute at Section 8-41-209, C.R.S. The statute created a presumption that certain cancers were caused by work as a firefighter if the individual diagnosed with the cancer worked in the capacity for at least five years. For the cancer to be deemed a compensable occupational disease, the firefighter would have had to undergo physical examination upon becoming a firefighter that failed to reveal the cancer at that time. The presumption could be rebutted if the firefighter’s employer or insurer could show by a preponderance of medical evidence that the condition did not occur on the job.
This statute is similar to other presumption statutes that sprung up across the country in the wake of firefighters’ and other first responders’ actions during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The general premise behind the presumption is that firefighters are exposed to known carcinogens to a greater extent than other occupations and that development of cancer is a known effect caused by exposures to these carcinogens.
A series of cases had been litigated before different ALJs involving varying cancers and exposures wherein employers tried to overcome the presumption of compensability. The ALJs, the ICAO and the Colorado Court of Appeals in a series of decisions essentially interpreted the presumption statute as being an irrebuttable presumption, requiring the employer to show an alternative cause for claimant’s cancer. The practical effect of this interpretation was to make the presumption statute similar to a strict liability statute. This is due to the fact that it is impossible to demonstrate that an individual’s cancer was in fact caused by something other than work as a firefighter.
THE ZUKOWSKI CASE
Mr. Zukowski began working as a firefighter for the town of Castle Rock in 2000. He underwent a physical examination at the time with his personal physician where there were some concerns raised over moles on his skin. Mr. Zukowski also worked part-time doing construction outdoors and eventually started his own business building decks and furniture. Mr. Zukowski spent a lot of time outdoors running, hiking and cycling when he was not working.
In 2002 Mr. Zukowski had five moles removed and biopsied. In 2008 he developed a mole on his right calf and ultimately in 2011 Mr. Zukowski was diagnosed with melanoma on his right outer calf at the same site where a mole that developed several years earlier. He had several surgeries to remove the mole and returned to full duty work, but made a claim for medical and temporary disability benefits under the presumption statute. At hearing the parties stipulated that Mr. Zukowski was entitled to the presumption so the only issue is whether the employer overcame the presumption. The employer presented evidence regarding Mr. Zukowski’s known risk factors for developing melanoma including exposure to the sun and a history of abnormal mole growth. The ALJ found that Castle Rock’s burden in trying to overcome the presumption was to prove by medical evidence that claimant’s cancer came from a specific cause not occurring on the job.
On appeal to the ICAO, the ICAO essentially agreed with the ALJ. Castle Rock appealed the ICAO’s decision to the Colorado Court of Appeals, arguing that the ALJ misapplied the presumption when the ALJ determined that risk factor evidence was insufficient to rebut the presumption. The Court of Appeals agreed with the town of Castle Rock, looking at cases from other jurisdictions with a similar presumption statute and concluding that employer may overcome the presumption with specific risk evidence demonstrating that the particular cancer was probably caused by a source outside of work.
The Colorado Supreme Court granted certiorari in Zukowski along with a companion case involving a similar issue. The Colorado Supreme Court agreed that Castle Rock was not required to establish an alternate cause for the cancer to overcome the presumption. The Colorado Supreme Court further held that in presenting risk factor evidence, which demonstrates the cancer was more probably caused by something other than work, can rebut the presumption.
AFTERMATH OF ZUKOWSKI
The aftermath of the Zukowski decision is not known yet. I have tried cancer cases similar to Zukowski, where multiple potential employers were liable for the cancer and ultimately won for my client, but only because the last employer in claimant’s employment history was found liable. I authored an amicus brief for the Colorado Self-Insured Association in Zukowski, so I have a pretty good idea of where these cancer cases are going.
Before Zukowski, firefighter cancer cases were very simple for claimant to prove. Claimant would appear with a doctor who would testify that the firefighter’s particular cancer fell within the types enumerated in the statute. The doctor would offer their opinion that since claimant worked for five years as a firefighter, claimant’s cancer was presumed caused by that work. There was no amount of alternate risk evidence that would overcome the presumption as interpreted before Zukowski.
After Zukowski, litigating a firefighter cancer case will be much more involved when there are other risk factors to explain the cancer. Further, every risk factor relative to a particular cancer will have to be explored. For instance, the case I tried involved prostate cancer. Claimant had a significant family history of prostate cancer and was clearly predisposed to developing prostate cancer. Further, expert testimony was presented that prostate cancer is not something one would expect to see from exposure to carcinogens as a firefighter. Is predisposition to developing cancer a risk factor after Zukowski? It is certainly not as clear a risk factor as is exposure to sun and developing melanoma, where the cause-effect relationship is clear. Therefore, I believe these cases will become cancer and fact specific.
BOTTOM LINE
Further clarification through litigated cases is required to flesh out the presumption statute. For instance, in my prostate cancer case, claimant had his prostate removed and returned to work as a firefighter. If claimant develops another type of cancer is that an entirely separate claim? If claimant’s prostate cancer spread to a different organ after the prostate was removed, is that a new claim or continuation of the same claim? Is there a medical basis to prove that the cancer has recurred in a different organ or that it is an entirely new instance of cancer? These questions arising out of the firefighter cancer presumption statute are all still unanswered.
