Robbins v. Webco, Inc.

Herbert Robbins, at age 19, lost his lower right leg to cancer. During a work shift 17 years later, his prosthesis failed. He sought a replacement through workers compensation. An ALJ denied the claim, finding that work was not the prevailing cause of the failure. Rather, the prosthesis had reached the end of its useful life and had worn out.

Robbins asserts on appeal that employers must replace prosthetics that fail in the workplace, regardless of cause. Alternatively, he contends that work was the prevailing cause of this failure. The latter claim ignores our standard of review; the former…