BNSF Railway Company, Petitioner v. Michael D. Loos

  1. November 15, 2018

    Agency Deference May Be At Risk In High Court Railroad Row

    A pending U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether compensation for an injured railroad worker's lost wages should be taxed could jeopardize the deference that courts have afforded government agencies in interpreting legislation for nearly 35 years.

  2. November 06, 2018

    Justices Ask BNSF To Justify Stake In Taxing Lost Wages

    During oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in BNSF Railway Co.'s dispute over whether a former employee's compensation for lost wages should be taxed, justices strove to understand what's at stake for the railway company to be engaged in the fight at all.

  3. October 11, 2018

    In High Court Row, BNSF Says Damages To Ex-Worker Taxable

    BNSF Railway Co. told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that compensation for a former employee's lost time following a workplace injury is taxable under a railroad retirement law, responding to the worker's assertion that it isn't taxable because no work was actually done to receive the payment.

  4. September 19, 2018

    Lawyer Group Tells Justices Taxing Lost Rail Wages Unfair

    The American Association for Justice told the U.S. Supreme Court that damages given for lost wages cannot be taxed under a railroad statute because they do not fall under its definition of taxable income, and that ruling otherwise would not be fair because it would impede fair settlement offers when workers are injured in the future.

  5. September 18, 2018

    Labor Union Says Lost Wages Not Taxable Under Railroad Law

    A labor union and an association of plaintiffs' attorneys has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to find that wage loss awards should not be taxable under a railroad retirement statute and argued that the railroad company pushing for them to be taxable had an ulterior motive, saying railroads could use the tax to reduce wage loss awards that result from future injuries.

  6. September 11, 2018

    Ex-BNSF Worker Tells Justices Damages Are Exempt From RRTA

    A former employee of BNSF Railway Co. has told the U.S. Supreme Court the satisfaction of a judgment under the Federal Employers' Liability Act is not subject to taxation under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act because tort damages do not fall within the RRTA's definition of taxable income.

  7. July 30, 2018

    Gov't Backs BNSF In Row Over Taxability Of Lost-Time Wages

    BNSF Railway Co. gained another ally in its U.S. Supreme Court fight to reduce a former employee's compensation for lost wages following a workplace injury, when the federal government filed a brief in its support on Friday saying the compensation should be taxed.

  8. July 27, 2018

    High Court Told Lost Time Pay Is Taxable Under Railroad Law

    The Association of American Railroads asked the Supreme Court on Friday to reverse an Eighth Circuit finding that certain awards for lost wages were not subject to payroll taxes under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act because a proper reading of the law means the awards should be taxed.

  9. July 20, 2018

    Compensation For Lost Wages Should Be Taxed, Justices Told

    BNSF Railway Co. urged the U.S. Supreme Court to offset compensation for a former employee's lost wages, following a workplace injury, by payroll taxes on that amount, saying Friday the U.S. Congress clearly intended to tax such compensation.

  10. May 16, 2018

    High Court Payroll Row Raises Other Employee Tax Concerns

    The latest tax dispute to hit the U.S. Supreme Court dockets may be narrowly limited to the rail industry, but the possibility of an IRS regulation being struck down could open a can of worms on what kinds of employee compensation can be taxed.