Groundbreaking Victory: Illinois Workers’ Comp Award for Firefighter’s Melanoma

In the late fall, Bobber, Teich & Pippin LLC former partner Alan Karpel secured an important arbitration decision awarding workers’ compensation benefits to a 50-year-old fire captain from a southwest suburban department who was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. The arbitrator determined that his cancer was caused by his occupation—marking what is believed to be the first Illinois case awarding workers’ compensation benefits for melanoma.

The employer has appealed the decision, and the matter is now pending before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. We are proud to stand alongside the firefighters and first responders who put their health on the line every day, and we remain committed to advocating for the protections they deserve.