N.Y. Ruling Favors Repetitive-Stress Plaintiffs

The New York State Court of Appeals has handed a victory to repetitive-stress injury plaintiffs. The court threw out an appellate ruling that those suffering from injuries caused by extended typing on a keyboard have only three years after first using the keyboard to sue in New York. In its decision, the court said repetitive-stress injuries alleged by thousands of secretaries, data-entry workers and reporters don’t fit the so-called first-exposure rule used in lawsuits over injuries from toxic substances, like asbestos. Until now, companies have won 25 of 26 keyboard-injury cases that have made it to trial, according to a computer industry trade group. The plaintiffs claimed that they suffered repetitive-stress injuries from using computer keyboards made by Unisys Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., AT&T; Corp. and others. In repetitive-stress injuries from keyboards, pressure builds up on the nerves and tendons that pass through the wrist.