{"attribution":{"source":"legal.exploreworldai.com","canonical":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","cite_as":"NovaCopilot, legal.exploreworldai.com (https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21)","license":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/revision","version":"legal-2026-10-11","fingerprint":"ewai:us:e0b409","proof":"sha256:f0605ca39e88b208c9993ba09eb9f159c93ddf87bd9af9c849322b3f03e8d7a1","jurisdiction":"us","lang":"en","publisher":"NovaCopilot by ExploreWorld Legal","terms":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/om"},"brand_source":"Source: NovaCopilot","item":{"schema_version":"1.0.0","id":"us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","jurisdiction":"us","lang":"en","brand_source":"Source: NovaCopilot","brand":{"product":"NovaCopilot","platform":"ExploreWorldAI","infrastructure":"ExploreWorld Legal","infrastructure_url":"legal.exploreworldai.com","legal_entity":"Valkiv Ventures 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matter","paragraphs":["para_1","para_2","para_3","para_4","para_5","para_6","para_7","para_8","para_9","para_10","para_11","para_12","para_13","para_14","para_15","para_16","para_17","para_18","para_19","para_20","para_21","para_22","para_23","para_24","para_25","para_26","para_27","para_28","para_29","para_30","para_31","para_32","para_33","para_34","para_35","para_36","para_37","para_38","para_39","para_40","para_41","para_42","para_43","para_44","para_45","para_46","para_47","para_48","para_49","para_50","para_51","para_52","para_53","para_54","para_55","para_56","para_57","para_58","para_59","para_60","para_61","para_62","para_63","para_64","para_65","para_66","para_67","para_68","para_69","para_70","para_71","para_72","para_73","para_74","para_75","para_76","para_77","para_78","para_79","para_80","para_81","para_82","para_83","para_84","para_85","para_86","para_87","para_88","para_89","para_90","para_91","para_92","para_93","para_94","para_95","para_96","para_97","para_98","para_99","para_100","para_101","para_102","para_103","para_104","para_105","para_106","para_107","para_108","para_109","para_110","para_111","para_112","para_113","para_114","para_115","para_116","para_117","para_118","para_119","para_120","para_121","para_122","para_123","para_124","para_125","para_126","para_127","para_128","para_129","para_130","para_131","para_132","para_133","para_134","para_135","para_136","para_137","para_138","para_139","para_140","para_141","para_142","para_143","para_144","para_145","para_146","para_147","para_148","para_149","para_150","para_151","para_152","para_153","para_154","para_155","para_156","para_157","para_158","para_159","para_160","para_161","para_162","para_163","para_164","para_165","para_166","para_167","para_168","para_169","para_170","para_171","para_172","para_173","para_174","para_175","para_176","para_177","para_178","para_179","para_180","para_181","para_182","para_183","para_184","para_185","para_186","para_187","para_188","para_189","para_190","para_191","para_192","para_193","para_194","para_195","para_196","para_197","para_198","para_199","para_200","para_201","para_202","para_203","para_204","para_205","para_206","para_207","para_208","para_209","para_210","para_211","para_212","para_213","para_214","para_215","para_216","para_217","para_218","para_219","para_220","para_221","para_222","para_223","para_224","para_225","para_226","para_227","para_228","para_229","para_230","para_231","para_232","para_233","para_234","para_235","para_236","para_237","para_238","para_239","para_240","para_241","para_242","para_243","para_244","para_245","para_246","para_247","para_248","para_249","para_250","para_251","para_252","para_253","para_254","para_255","para_256","para_257","para_258","para_259","para_260","para_261","para_262","para_263","para_264","para_265","para_266","para_267","para_268","para_269","para_270","para_271","para_272","para_273","para_274","para_275","para_276","para_277","para_278","para_279","para_280","para_281","para_282","para_283","para_284","para_285","para_286","para_287","para_288","para_289","para_290","para_291","para_292","para_293","para_294","para_295","para_296","para_297","para_298","para_299","para_300","para_301","para_302","para_303","para_304","para_305","para_306","para_307","para_308","para_309","para_310","para_311","para_312","para_313","para_314","para_315","para_316","para_317","para_318","para_319","para_320","para_321","para_322","para_323","para_324","para_325","para_326","para_327","para_328","para_329","para_330","para_331","para_332","para_333","para_334","para_335","para_336","para_337","para_338","para_339","para_340","para_341","para_342","para_343","para_344","para_345","para_346","para_347","para_348","para_349","para_350","para_351","para_352","para_353","para_354","para_355","para_356","para_357","para_358","para_359","para_360","para_361","para_362","para_363","para_364","para_365","para_366","para_367","para_368","para_369","para_370","para_371","para_372","para_373","para_374","para_375","para_376","para_377","para_378","para_379","para_380","para_381","para_382","para_383","para_384","para_385","para_386","para_387","para_388","para_389","para_390","para_391","para_392","para_393","para_394","para_395","para_396","para_397","para_398","para_399","para_400","para_401","para_402","para_403","para_404","para_405","para_406","para_407","para_408","para_409","para_410","para_411","para_412","para_413","para_414","para_415","para_416","para_417","para_418","para_419","para_420","para_421","para_422","para_423","para_424","para_425","para_426","para_427","para_428"],"kind":"front_matter"}],"paragraphs":[{"text":"United States Court of Appeals","paragraph_id":"para_1"},{"text":"for the Fifth Circuit","paragraph_id":"para_2"},{"text":"____________","paragraph_id":"para_3"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_4"},{"text":"____________","paragraph_id":"para_5"},{"text":"Exxon Mobil Corporation,","paragraph_id":"para_6"},{"text":"Petitioner,","paragraph_id":"para_7"},{"text":"versus","paragraph_id":"para_8"},{"text":"Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission;","paragraph_id":"para_9"},{"text":"Keith Sonderling, Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor,","paragraph_id":"para_10"},{"text":"Respondents.","paragraph_id":"para_11"},{"text":"______________________________","paragraph_id":"para_12"},{"text":"Petition for Review of an Order of the","paragraph_id":"para_13"},{"text":"Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission","paragraph_id":"para_14"},{"text":"Agency No. 22-0809","paragraph_id":"para_15"},{"text":"______________________________","paragraph_id":"para_16"},{"text":"Before Elrod, Chief Judge, and Smith and Wilson, Circuit Judges.","paragraph_id":"para_17"},{"text":"Cory T. Wilson, Circuit Judge:","paragraph_id":"para_18"},{"text":"This case springs from the intersection of a harrowing accident and","paragraph_id":"para_19"},{"text":"the laudable societal goal of improving and safeguarding mental health in the","paragraph_id":"para_20"},{"text":"workplace. But the case turns on a more pedestrian question of statutory","paragraph_id":"para_21"},{"text":"interpretation: Whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration","paragraph_id":"para_22"},{"text":"(OSHA) can require employers to record employees’ work-related mental","paragraph_id":"para_23"},{"text":"illnesses via the rulemaking authority conferred upon OSHA by § 8 of the","paragraph_id":"para_24"},{"text":"Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act), 29 U.S.C. § 657(c)(2). Based","paragraph_id":"para_25"},{"text":"on the text of the statute, the answer is no. Therefore, we grant the petition","paragraph_id":"para_26"},{"text":"United States Court of Appeals","paragraph_id":"para_27"},{"text":"Fifth Circuit","paragraph_id":"para_28"},{"text":"FILED","paragraph_id":"para_29"},{"text":"July 21, 2026","paragraph_id":"para_30"},{"text":"Lyle W. Cayce","paragraph_id":"para_31"},{"text":"Clerk","paragraph_id":"para_32"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_33"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_34"},{"text":"2","paragraph_id":"para_35"},{"text":"for review, vacate the agency’s rule doing so, 29 C.F.R. § 1904.5(b)(2)(ix),","paragraph_id":"para_36","court_paragraph":2},{"text":"and set aside the citation and penalty issued by OSHA in this case.","paragraph_id":"para_37"},{"text":"I.","paragraph_id":"para_38"},{"text":"A.","paragraph_id":"para_39"},{"text":"OSHA anchors its claimed authority to require employers to record","paragraph_id":"para_40"},{"text":"employees’ work-related mental illnesses in § 8 of the Act, Congress’s grant","paragraph_id":"para_41"},{"text":"of regulatory power to the agency:","paragraph_id":"para_42"},{"text":"The Secretary [of Labor], in cooperation with the Secretary of","paragraph_id":"para_43"},{"text":"Health and Human Services, shall prescribe regulations","paragraph_id":"para_44"},{"text":"requiring employers to maintain accurate records of, and to","paragraph_id":"para_45"},{"text":"make periodic reports on, work-related deaths, injuries and","paragraph_id":"para_46"},{"text":"illnesses other than minor injuries requiring only first aid","paragraph_id":"para_47"},{"text":"treatment and which do not involve medical treatment, loss of","paragraph_id":"para_48"},{"text":"consciousness, restriction of work or motion, or transfer to","paragraph_id":"para_49"},{"text":"another job.","paragraph_id":"para_50"},{"text":"29 U.S.C. § 657(c)(2) (emphasis added). Simply put, OSHA contends that","paragraph_id":"para_51"},{"text":"the word “illnesses” as used in the statute encompasses both physical and","paragraph_id":"para_52"},{"text":"mental illnesses.","paragraph_id":"para_53"},{"text":"Based on this text, OSHA promulgated the rule at issue, codified at","paragraph_id":"para_54"},{"text":"29 C.F.R. § 1904.5(b)(2)(ix). The rule requires employers to record","paragraph_id":"para_55"},{"text":"employees’ work-related mental illnesses once a qualified health care","paragraph_id":"para_56"},{"text":"provider connects the illness with the workplace:","paragraph_id":"para_57"},{"text":". . . . Mental illness will not be considered work-related unless","paragraph_id":"para_58"},{"text":"the employee voluntarily provides the employer with an opinion","paragraph_id":"para_59"},{"text":"from a physician or other licensed health care professional with","paragraph_id":"para_60"},{"text":"appropriate training and experience (psychiatrist, psychologist,","paragraph_id":"para_61"},{"text":"psychiatric nurse practitioner, etc.) stating that the employee","paragraph_id":"para_62"},{"text":"has a mental illness that is work-related.","paragraph_id":"para_63"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_64"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_65"},{"text":"3","paragraph_id":"para_66"},{"text":"29 C.F.R. § 1904.5(b)(2)(ix). There are other aspects of the rule, including","paragraph_id":"para_67","court_paragraph":3},{"text":"the right of an employer to obtain a second evaluation of the employee, that","paragraph_id":"para_68"},{"text":"are articulated in the rule’s text as well as in OSHA’s guidance for employer","paragraph_id":"para_69"},{"text":"compliance. At bottom, when an employee provides a qualifying opinion that","paragraph_id":"para_70"},{"text":"he or she “has a mental illness that is work-related,” id., the illness must be","paragraph_id":"para_71"},{"text":"recorded on OSHA Form 300 and OSHA Form 301.","paragraph_id":"para_72"},{"text":"Exxon uses an internal form, an Employee Individual Disability","paragraph_id":"para_73"},{"text":"Report (IDR), to facilitate reporting and recording of employees’ work-","paragraph_id":"para_74"},{"text":"related illness and injury diagnoses. These forms encompass both physical","paragraph_id":"para_75"},{"text":"and mental diagnoses. Form 300 is OSHA’s Log of Work-Related Illnesses","paragraph_id":"para_76"},{"text":"and Injuries, which employers must use to record covered injuries at a given","paragraph_id":"para_77"},{"text":"work site throughout the year. OSHA Forms for Recording Work-Related","paragraph_id":"para_78"},{"text":"Injuries and Illnesses, https://www.OSHA.gov/sites/default/files/OSHA-","paragraph_id":"para_79"},{"text":"RK-Forms-Package.pdf (last visited July 15, 2026). For every work-related","paragraph_id":"para_80"},{"text":"injury or illness logged on Form 300, an employer must complete Form 301,","paragraph_id":"para_81"},{"text":"the Injury and Illness Incident Report. See id.","paragraph_id":"para_82"},{"text":"B.","paragraph_id":"para_83"},{"text":"ExxonMobil (Exxon) operates a large petroleum refinery in Baytown,","paragraph_id":"para_84"},{"text":"Texas. The facility contains “27 distinct units, including the hydro-","paragraph_id":"para_85"},{"text":"desulfurization unit (HDU), which mixes hydrogen, sulfur, and naphtha.”","paragraph_id":"para_86"},{"text":"During repairs to the HDU in December 2021, one of its component pipes","paragraph_id":"para_87"},{"text":"ruptured. The subsequent hydrocarbon release caused a large explosion and","paragraph_id":"para_88"},{"text":"major fire, which burned for eight hours. Multiple workers who were","paragraph_id":"para_89"},{"text":"working on the HDU at the time of the explosion were injured. A significant","paragraph_id":"para_90"},{"text":"emergency response was required to evacuate the injured, combat the blaze,","paragraph_id":"para_91"},{"text":"and shut off fuel to the HDU. The destruction caused by the incident took","paragraph_id":"para_92"},{"text":"Exxon five months to remediate.","paragraph_id":"para_93"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 3 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_94"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_95"},{"text":"4","paragraph_id":"para_96"},{"text":"Employee 2 was an Exxon process technician1 who responded to the","paragraph_id":"para_97","court_paragraph":4},{"text":"explosion and ensuing fire to assist emergency response efforts. Employee 2","paragraph_id":"para_98"},{"text":"had worked at the Baytown facility since 2008. He was in a truck with","paragraph_id":"para_99"},{"text":"another employee about a quarter mile away when the HDU exploded. The","paragraph_id":"para_100"},{"text":"employees later testified that they saw flames rising more than 150 feet into","paragraph_id":"para_101"},{"text":"the air, towering above the refinery and engulfing the HDU. Immediately,","paragraph_id":"para_102"},{"text":"the pair rushed to the HDU to join the rescue efforts.","paragraph_id":"para_103"},{"text":"Once there, though not a member of the facility’s emergency response","paragraph_id":"para_104"},{"text":"team, Employee 2 volunteered to enter the burning HDU alongside Exxon","paragraph_id":"para_105"},{"text":"firefighters and guide them to several valves which needed to be closed to","paragraph_id":"para_106"},{"text":"shut off fuel to the fire. The firefighters helped Employee 2 don firefighting","paragraph_id":"para_107"},{"text":"gear, and they entered the HDU. Inside, Employee 2 led the firefighters to","paragraph_id":"para_108"},{"text":"multiple valves, which they closed before exiting the inferno. While","paragraph_id":"para_109"},{"text":"Employee 2 was recovering from this harrowing ordeal in the back of an","paragraph_id":"para_110"},{"text":"ambulance, the emergency team was told that there was still at least one","paragraph_id":"para_111"},{"text":"bypass open and feeding the fire. Employee 2 was asked to suit back up and","paragraph_id":"para_112"},{"text":"again accompany the firefighters into the burning HDU to “ensure no","paragraph_id":"para_113"},{"text":"bypasses were open or valves were open or leaking.” He did so and helped","paragraph_id":"para_114"},{"text":"the firefighters close several more valves. After surviving this second hellish","paragraph_id":"para_115"},{"text":"trip into the HDU, Employee 2 left the facility, though the fire would","paragraph_id":"para_116"},{"text":"continue to burn for hours.","paragraph_id":"para_117"},{"text":"After the accident, Employee 2 met with Exxon grief counselors to","paragraph_id":"para_118"},{"text":"discuss anxiety he felt in the wake of the conflagration. He used Exxon’s","paragraph_id":"para_119"},{"text":"employee assistance program (EAP) to connect with a licensed clinical social","paragraph_id":"para_120"},{"text":"_____________________","paragraph_id":"para_121"},{"text":"1 For privacy reasons, the employee at issue has been termed Employee 2","paragraph_id":"para_122"},{"text":"throughout the litigation. The ALJ dismissed OSHA’s citations for Exxon’s failure to","paragraph_id":"para_123"},{"text":"record the mental-illness injury of two other Exxon employees (dubbed Employee 1 and","paragraph_id":"para_124"},{"text":"Employee 3) who were also involved in the emergency response and diagnosed with PTSD.","paragraph_id":"para_125"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 4 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_126"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_127"},{"text":"5","paragraph_id":"para_128"},{"text":"worker (LCSW), Sydney Adams-Ordonio, the owner, clinical director, and","paragraph_id":"para_129","court_paragraph":5},{"text":"psychotherapist at Kingwood Consulting Center. Following a series of visits","paragraph_id":"para_130"},{"text":"with Employee 2 in January, February, and March 2022, Adams-Ordonio","paragraph_id":"para_131"},{"text":"diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from","paragraph_id":"para_132"},{"text":"the incident. Her office faxed an IDR detailing her diagnosis to Exxon,","paragraph_id":"para_133"},{"text":"including a clinical history and her clinical opinion.","paragraph_id":"para_134"},{"text":"Adams-Ordonio also recommended that Employee 2 see another","paragraph_id":"para_135"},{"text":"LCSW at her Kingwood clinic, Rachel Brown. After meeting with Employee","paragraph_id":"para_136"},{"text":"2, Brown also diagnosed him with a “textbook case of PTSD” and","paragraph_id":"para_137"},{"text":"subsequently sent her diagnosis to Exxon via an IDR.","paragraph_id":"para_138"},{"text":"While seeing the LCSWs, Employee 2 was also evaluated by his","paragraph_id":"para_139"},{"text":"primary health provider, Dr. Cesare Castillo. Castillo also diagnosed","paragraph_id":"para_140"},{"text":"Employee 2 with PTSD resulting from his experience during the HDU fire.","paragraph_id":"para_141"},{"text":"He notated his diagnosis on an IDR and prescribed him medication.","paragraph_id":"para_142"},{"text":"Generally, once Exxon’s medical team receives IDRs from medical","paragraph_id":"para_143"},{"text":"providers, they are forwarded to Exxon’s risk management and business line","paragraph_id":"para_144"},{"text":"team. That team then determines whether to record the reported illness on","paragraph_id":"para_145"},{"text":"OSHA’s Form 300 Log and complete a Form 301 Incident Report. Per 29","paragraph_id":"para_146"},{"text":"C.F.R. § 1904.5(b)(2)(ix), this process encompasses both physical and","paragraph_id":"para_147"},{"text":"mental diagnoses that are work related.","paragraph_id":"para_148"},{"text":"Here, after receiving and reviewing Employee 2’s IDRs, Exxon","paragraph_id":"para_149"},{"text":"determined that neither Castillo nor the two LCSWs had “appropriate","paragraph_id":"para_150"},{"text":"training and experience,” as provided in 29 C.F.R. § 1904.5(b)(2)(ix), to","paragraph_id":"para_151"},{"text":"diagnose recordable work-related mental illnesses. Exxon informed","paragraph_id":"para_152"},{"text":"Employee 2 that his providers did not meet the relevant diagnostic criteria.","paragraph_id":"para_153"},{"text":"Thereafter, Employee 2 contacted and visited another provider listed in","paragraph_id":"para_154"},{"text":"Exxon’s EAP portal, Dr. Chelsea McCann. McCann conducted a battery of","paragraph_id":"para_155"},{"text":"assessments of Employee 2, leading her also to diagnose him with PTSD","paragraph_id":"para_156"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 5 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_157"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_158"},{"text":"6","paragraph_id":"para_159"},{"text":"stemming from the HDU fire. She transmitted her diagnosis of Employee 2","paragraph_id":"para_160","court_paragraph":6},{"text":"and an IDR to Exxon. McCann further recommended that Employee 2 not","paragraph_id":"para_161"},{"text":"return to work for an additional six months.","paragraph_id":"para_162"},{"text":"Upon receiving McCann’s diagnosis and IDR, Exxon acknowledged","paragraph_id":"para_163"},{"text":"that McCann was qualified to give a mental illness opinion under 29 C.F.R.","paragraph_id":"para_164"},{"text":"§ 1904.5(b)(2)(ix). However, Exxon opted to seek another evaluation, per","paragraph_id":"para_165"},{"text":"OSHA guidance that “[i]n the event that the employer does not believe the","paragraph_id":"para_166"},{"text":"reported mental illness is work-related, the employer may refer the","paragraph_id":"para_167"},{"text":"case . . . for a second opinion.” Occupational Injury and Illness Recording","paragraph_id":"para_168"},{"text":"and Reporting Requirements, 66 Fed. Reg. 5916, 5953 (Jan. 19, 2001).","paragraph_id":"para_169"},{"text":"When Exxon requested that Employee 2 meet with its designated","paragraph_id":"para_170"},{"text":"provider, Dr. Heather Joppich, for another evaluation, Employee 2 refused.","paragraph_id":"para_171"},{"text":"He reasoned that Dr. McCann had provided Exxon’s second opinion: After","paragraph_id":"para_172"},{"text":"all, he found McCann at Exxon’s behest after Exxon rejected his three","paragraph_id":"para_173"},{"text":"previous providers’ diagnoses, and he found her through Exxon’s EAP.","paragraph_id":"para_174"},{"text":"Notwithstanding Employee 2’s refusal to meet with Joppich, Exxon","paragraph_id":"para_175"},{"text":"forwarded his file to her, and she examined the records provided. She","paragraph_id":"para_176"},{"text":"determined that Employee 2 did not have work-related PTSD. Based on","paragraph_id":"para_177"},{"text":"Joppich’s opinion, Exxon concluded that Employee 2 did not have a","paragraph_id":"para_178"},{"text":"recordable work-related mental illness.2","paragraph_id":"para_179"},{"text":"The union representing Exxon’s Baytown employees informed","paragraph_id":"para_180"},{"text":"OSHA of Exxon’s decision. Following an investigation, OSHA issued a","paragraph_id":"para_181"},{"text":"Citation and Notification of Penalty to Exxon in June 2022. The citation","paragraph_id":"para_182"},{"text":"alleged an “other-than-serious” violation of the Act’s recordkeeping","paragraph_id":"para_183"},{"text":"_____________________","paragraph_id":"para_184"},{"text":"2 Similarly, Exxon declined to record Employee 1’s and Employee 3’s work-related","paragraph_id":"para_185"},{"text":"mental illness diagnoses.","paragraph_id":"para_186"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 6 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_187"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_188"},{"text":"7","paragraph_id":"para_189"},{"text":"standard for failing to record Employee 2’s PTSD diagnosis as a work-","paragraph_id":"para_190","court_paragraph":7},{"text":"related mental illness on Forms 300 and 301.","paragraph_id":"para_191"},{"text":"Exxon challenged the citation before the Occupational Safety and","paragraph_id":"para_192"},{"text":"Health Review Commission (OSHRC), which assigned the matter to an","paragraph_id":"para_193"},{"text":"administrative law judge (ALJ). See How OSHRC Works,","paragraph_id":"para_194"},{"text":"https://www.OSHRC.gov/how-OSHRC-works (last visited July 15, 2026)","paragraph_id":"para_195"},{"text":"(explaining administrative adjudicatory process). Following a four-day","paragraph_id":"para_196"},{"text":"hearing, the ALJ affirmed the citation as to Employee 2. The ALJ also","paragraph_id":"para_197"},{"text":"assessed a $691 monetary penalty against Exxon. Exxon petitioned OSHRC","paragraph_id":"para_198"},{"text":"for review of the ALJ’s decision. OSHRC did not direct the case for review,","paragraph_id":"para_199"},{"text":"so the ALJ’s decision became the final order of the OSHRC. Exxon then","paragraph_id":"para_200"},{"text":"petitioned this court for review.","paragraph_id":"para_201"},{"text":"II.","paragraph_id":"para_202"},{"text":"Administrative agencies are “creatures of statute.” Nat’l Fed’n of","paragraph_id":"para_203"},{"text":"Indep. Bus.(NFIB) v. OSHA, 595 U.S. 109, 117 (2022). Accordingly, they","paragraph_id":"para_204"},{"text":"“must point to explicit Congressional authority justifying their decisions.”","paragraph_id":"para_205"},{"text":"Inhance Techs., L.L.C. v. EPA, 96 F.4th 888, 893 (5th Cir. 2024) (quotation","paragraph_id":"para_206"},{"text":"omitted). Courts look to a statute’s text to determine whether Congress","paragraph_id":"para_207"},{"text":"granted an agency the authority it claims. Id.","paragraph_id":"para_208"},{"text":"As the Supreme Court explained in Loper Bright Enterprises v.","paragraph_id":"para_209"},{"text":"Raimondo, courts “must exercise their independent judgment in deciding","paragraph_id":"para_210"},{"text":"whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority.” 603 U.S. 369,","paragraph_id":"para_211"},{"text":"412 (2024). Where Congress has “clearly delegated discretionary authority","paragraph_id":"para_212"},{"text":"to an agency,” we discharge our duty by “independently interpret[ing] the","paragraph_id":"para_213"},{"text":"statute and effectuat[ing] the will of Congress subject to constitutional","paragraph_id":"para_214"},{"text":"limits.” Mayfield v. Dep’t of Lab., 117 F.4th 611, 617 (5th Cir. 2024) (quoting","paragraph_id":"para_215"},{"text":"Loper Bright, 603 U.S. at 395). We must “independently identify and respect","paragraph_id":"para_216"},{"text":"such delegations of authority, police the outer statutory boundaries of those","paragraph_id":"para_217"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 7 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_218"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_219"},{"text":"8","paragraph_id":"para_220"},{"text":"delegations, and ensure that agencies exercise their discretion consistent with","paragraph_id":"para_221","court_paragraph":8},{"text":"the APA.” Loper Bright, 603 U.S. at 404. “Doing so requires using ‘all","paragraph_id":"para_222"},{"text":"relevant interpretive tools’ to determine the ‘best’ reading of a statute; a","paragraph_id":"para_223"},{"text":"merely ‘permissible’ reading is not enough.” Mayfield, 117 F.4th at 617","paragraph_id":"para_224"},{"text":"(quoting Loper Bright, 603 U.S. at 400). The question is whether the rule “is","paragraph_id":"para_225"},{"text":"within the outer boundaries” of Congress’s delegation. Id. at 617–18.","paragraph_id":"para_226"},{"text":"III.","paragraph_id":"para_227"},{"text":"We must determine whether the best reading of 29 U.S.C.","paragraph_id":"para_228"},{"text":"§ 657(c)(2), which grants OSHA authority to “prescribe regulations","paragraph_id":"para_229"},{"text":"requiring employers to maintain accurate records of . . . work-related deaths,","paragraph_id":"para_230"},{"text":"injuries and illnesses,” confers upon OSHA the power to promulgate its","paragraph_id":"para_231"},{"text":"mental-illness recording rule. Exxon contends that § 657(c)(2) does not","paragraph_id":"para_232"},{"text":"delegate OSHA sufficient authority to authorize the rule; OSHA","paragraph_id":"para_233"},{"text":"disagrees.3","paragraph_id":"para_234"},{"text":"The Act itself leaves “illnesses” undefined. So to ascertain the best","paragraph_id":"para_235"},{"text":"reading of that term, we examine its statutory context, consider dictionary","paragraph_id":"para_236"},{"text":"definitions contemporaneous with the Act’s enactment, and generally","paragraph_id":"para_237"},{"text":"appraise the statutory delegation of power from Congress to OSHA.","paragraph_id":"para_238"},{"text":"First, statutory context. “When words have several plausible","paragraph_id":"para_239"},{"text":"definitions, context differentiates among them.” United States v. Hansen,","paragraph_id":"para_240"},{"text":"599 U.S. 762, 775 (2023). And a word is given more precise content by the","paragraph_id":"para_241"},{"text":"words with which it is associated. Fischer v. United States, 603 U.S. 480, 487","paragraph_id":"para_242"},{"text":"(2024). Here, “illnesses” could plausibly encompass physical or mental","paragraph_id":"para_243"},{"text":"_____________________","paragraph_id":"para_244"},{"text":"3 Exxon also contends the rule should be vacated under the Administrative","paragraph_id":"para_245"},{"text":"Procedure Act and on due process grounds. Because we conclude that § 657(c)(2) does","paragraph_id":"para_246"},{"text":"not authorize the mental-illness rule, we do not reach these alternative claims.","paragraph_id":"para_247"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 8 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_248"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_249"},{"text":"9","paragraph_id":"para_250"},{"text":"diagnoses, or both. But the context in which “illnesses” is deployed in","paragraph_id":"para_251","court_paragraph":9},{"text":"§ 657(c)(2) supports a narrower reading, cabined to physical ailments.","paragraph_id":"para_252"},{"text":"Recall that Congress delegated rulemaking authority for OSHA to","paragraph_id":"para_253"},{"text":"require employers’ recording of “work-related deaths, injuries and illnesses","paragraph_id":"para_254"},{"text":"other than minor injuries requiring only first aid treatment and which do not","paragraph_id":"para_255"},{"text":"involve medical treatment, loss of consciousness, restriction of work or","paragraph_id":"para_256"},{"text":"motion, or transfer to another job.” 29 U.S.C. § 657(c)(2). The statute","paragraph_id":"para_257"},{"text":"conjoins “injuries” and “illnesses,” suggesting that the categories should be","paragraph_id":"para_258"},{"text":"read similarly, and distinct from “work-related deaths.” Id.; see United States","paragraph_id":"para_259"},{"text":"v. Koutsostamatis, 956 F.3d 301, 307 (5th Cir. 2020) (discussing the canon of","paragraph_id":"para_260"},{"text":"noscitur a sociis); A. Scalia & B. Garner, Reading Law: The","paragraph_id":"para_261"},{"text":"Interpretation of Legal Texts 196 (2012) (same). The text then","paragraph_id":"para_262"},{"text":"excludes “minor injuries” (without separately referencing minor","paragraph_id":"para_263"},{"text":"“illnesses,” again suggesting Congress intended one category, not two) from","paragraph_id":"para_264"},{"text":"the purview of the statute’s recordkeeping and reporting obligations. 29","paragraph_id":"para_265"},{"text":"U.S.C. § 657(c)(2). All the “minor injuries” excluded—those “requiring","paragraph_id":"para_266"},{"text":"only first aid” and that “do not involve medical treatment, loss of","paragraph_id":"para_267"},{"text":"consciousness, restriction of work or motion, or transfer to another job”—","paragraph_id":"para_268"},{"text":"most naturally refer to physical, not mental, harms. Id.","paragraph_id":"para_269"},{"text":"OSHA fails to explain how § 657(c)(2)’s carveout of “minor injuries","paragraph_id":"para_270"},{"text":"requiring only first aid” squares with its assertion that “injuries and","paragraph_id":"para_271"},{"text":"illnesses” encompass both physical and mental conditions. Likewise,","paragraph_id":"para_272"},{"text":"OSHA does not explain how mental illnesses fit with the “injuries”","paragraph_id":"para_273"},{"text":"excepted from the Act’s reporting requirements because mental conditions","paragraph_id":"para_274"},{"text":"do not implicate “restriction of work or motion” or “loss of consciousness.”","paragraph_id":"para_275"},{"text":"To the contrary, OSHA’s own articulation of “first aid” bolsters the","paragraph_id":"para_276"},{"text":"conclusion that § 657(c)(2) is concerned with physical, not mental,","paragraph_id":"para_277"},{"text":"workplace harms:","paragraph_id":"para_278"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 9 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_279"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_280"},{"text":"10","paragraph_id":"para_281"},{"text":"First aid refers to medical attention that is usually administered","paragraph_id":"para_282","court_paragraph":10},{"text":"immediately after the injury occurs and at the location where it","paragraph_id":"para_283"},{"text":"occurred. It often consists of a one-time, short-term treatment","paragraph_id":"para_284"},{"text":"and requires little technology or training to administer. First","paragraph_id":"para_285"},{"text":"aid can include cleaning minor cuts, scrapes, or scratches;","paragraph_id":"para_286"},{"text":"treating a minor burn; applying bandages and dressings; the use","paragraph_id":"para_287"},{"text":"of non-prescription medicine; draining blisters; removing","paragraph_id":"para_288"},{"text":"debris from the eyes; massage; and drinking fluids to relieve","paragraph_id":"para_289"},{"text":"heat stress.","paragraph_id":"para_290"},{"text":"What is First Aid?, https://www.OSHA.gov/medical-first-aid/recognition","paragraph_id":"para_291"},{"text":"(last visited July 15, 2026). True enough, as OSHA asserts, § 657(c)(2)","paragraph_id":"para_292"},{"text":"“contains no distinction between physical and mental illness.” But that is","paragraph_id":"para_293"},{"text":"more likely because the statute simply does not include mental illnesses","paragraph_id":"para_294"},{"text":"within its sweep, rather than because OSHA’s position reflects the best","paragraph_id":"para_295"},{"text":"reading of the statutory text.","paragraph_id":"para_296"},{"text":"Adjusting the aperture to look at the forest as well as the trees, the","paragraph_id":"para_297"},{"text":"larger recordkeeping framework set forth in § 657(c)(1)–(3) supports our","paragraph_id":"para_298"},{"text":"conclusion. Subsection (c)(1) requires employers to maintain records","paragraph_id":"para_299"},{"text":"“necessary or appropriate for the enforcement of [the Act] or for developing","paragraph_id":"para_300"},{"text":"information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational accidents","paragraph_id":"para_301"},{"text":"and illnesses,” while subsection (c)(3) directs employers to “maintain","paragraph_id":"para_302"},{"text":"accurate records of employee exposures to potentially toxic materials or","paragraph_id":"para_303"},{"text":"harmful physical agents.” 29 U.S.C. § 657(c). The statute also requires","paragraph_id":"para_304"},{"text":"employers to inform employees of exposure to toxic materials or harmful","paragraph_id":"para_305"},{"text":"physical agents. Id. § 657(c)(3). These recordkeeping requirements,","paragraph_id":"para_306"},{"text":"including those in subsection (c)(2), have a simple end: the documentation","paragraph_id":"para_307"},{"text":"of accidents, injuries, or illnesses caused by physical dangers of the workplace.","paragraph_id":"para_308"},{"text":"These records serve as the jumping-off point for OSHA to fulfill the","paragraph_id":"para_309"},{"text":"general mission Congress gave the agency. The recordkeeping and reporting","paragraph_id":"para_310"},{"text":"requirements found in Section 8 of the Act are part of a larger inspection","paragraph_id":"para_311"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 10 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_312"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_313"},{"text":"11","paragraph_id":"para_314"},{"text":"regime that confers on OSHA inspectors the authority to “enter without","paragraph_id":"para_315","court_paragraph":11},{"text":"delay” to “inspect and investigate” any place of employment and examine","paragraph_id":"para_316"},{"text":"“all pertinent conditions, structures, machines, apparatus, devices,","paragraph_id":"para_317"},{"text":"equipment, and materials therein.” 29 U.S.C. § 657(a). The enumerated","paragraph_id":"para_318"},{"text":"objects of OSHA’s wide-ranging inspection power are categories of things","paragraph_id":"para_319"},{"text":"that risk physical harm. This buttresses that a narrower, physical-rather-than-","paragraph_id":"para_320"},{"text":"mental understanding of “illnesses” reflects the best reading of § 657(c)(2).","paragraph_id":"para_321"},{"text":"Contemporaneous dictionary definitions of “illness” are consistent","paragraph_id":"para_322"},{"text":"with a narrower reading of that term in § 657(c)(2). See Restaurant Law Ctr.","paragraph_id":"para_323"},{"text":"v. Dep’t of Lab., 120 F.4th 163, 171 (5th Cir. 2024) (“Terms that the statute","paragraph_id":"para_324"},{"text":"leaves undefined should be given their ordinary, contemporary, common","paragraph_id":"para_325"},{"text":"meaning[,]” often adduced through “contemporary dictionary","paragraph_id":"para_326"},{"text":"definitions.”). Dictionaries from around 1970, when the Act was legislated,","paragraph_id":"para_327"},{"text":"define “illness” as: (1) “A disease or ailment of such a character as to affect","paragraph_id":"para_328"},{"text":"the general soundness and healthfulness of the system seriously, and not a","paragraph_id":"para_329"},{"text":"mere temporary indisposition,” Black’s Law Dictionary (4th rev.","paragraph_id":"para_330"},{"text":"ed. 1968); (2) “Sickness; disease. For some purposes including of both","paragraph_id":"para_331"},{"text":"severe and slight attacks, even attacks of a less grave and serious character","paragraph_id":"para_332"},{"text":"than a disease,” Ballentine’s Law Dictionary 580 (1969 ed.);","paragraph_id":"para_333"},{"text":"(3) the “state of being ill; indisposition; sickness,” The Random House","paragraph_id":"para_334"},{"text":"Dictionary of the English Language 710 (1970 ed.); (4) “a","paragraph_id":"para_335"},{"text":"“disease; ailment; malady; disorder of health [or] sickness,” Webster’s","paragraph_id":"para_336"},{"text":"Second New International Dictionary 1280 (1957). None of","paragraph_id":"para_337"},{"text":"these definitions expressly contemplate non-physical conditions.","paragraph_id":"para_338"},{"text":"Indeed, Ballentine’s contains a separate entry for “mental illness,” but","paragraph_id":"para_339"},{"text":"that entry merely points the reader to the definition for “insanity.”","paragraph_id":"para_340"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 11 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_341"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_342"},{"text":"12","paragraph_id":"para_343"},{"text":"Ballentine’s Law Dictionary 792 (1969 ed.).4 And “insanity” is","paragraph_id":"para_344","court_paragraph":12},{"text":"defined as: an “unsound, deranged, delirious, or distracted condition of","paragraph_id":"para_345"},{"text":"mind”; or a “condition of mind so impaired in function, or so deranged, as to","paragraph_id":"para_346"},{"text":"induce a deviation from normal conduct in the person so afflicted”; or “a","paragraph_id":"para_347"},{"text":"degree of mental incapacity as renders one unable to understand and deal with","paragraph_id":"para_348"},{"text":"the common affairs of life”; or “sickness [and] physical disease, consisting","paragraph_id":"para_349"},{"text":"of a diseased or disordered condition or malformation of the organs or tissues,","paragraph_id":"para_350"},{"text":"through which the mind receives impressions, and operates, and by which","paragraph_id":"para_351"},{"text":"the will and judgment are impaired, and conduct rendered irrational.” Id. at","paragraph_id":"para_352"},{"text":"635 (emphasis added). If anything, this reference to “mental illness” ranges","paragraph_id":"para_353"},{"text":"well afield of the text, context, and purposes of § 657(c)(2).","paragraph_id":"para_354"},{"text":"By contrast, OSHA proffers only a single contemporaneous","paragraph_id":"para_355"},{"text":"definition of “illness,” as an “unhealthy condition of body or mind,” to","paragraph_id":"para_356"},{"text":"support its reading of the statute. See Webster’s Third New","paragraph_id":"para_357"},{"text":"International Dictionary 1127 (1961). However, at least one","paragraph_id":"para_358"},{"text":"preeminent authority warns that the source of that definition is “to be used","paragraph_id":"para_359"},{"text":"cautiously because of its frequent inclusion of doubtful, slipshod meanings","paragraph_id":"para_360"},{"text":"without adequate usage notes.” Scalia & Garner, supra, at 422 (2012).","paragraph_id":"para_361"},{"text":"Justice Scalia himself addressed a similar situation to the one here in which","paragraph_id":"para_362"},{"text":"the Federal Communications Commission offered up a definition from","paragraph_id":"para_363"},{"text":"Webster’s Third as sole support for its position that there was “sufficient","paragraph_id":"para_364"},{"text":"ambiguity to entitle the Commission to deference in its acceptance of the","paragraph_id":"para_365"},{"text":"broader meaning.” Int’l MCI Telecomms. Corp. v. Am. Tel. & Tel. Co., 512","paragraph_id":"para_366"},{"text":"U.S. 218, 226 (1994). Writing for the Court, Justice Scalia rejected the","paragraph_id":"para_367"},{"text":"agency’s assertion and emphatically noted that “[u]pon its long-awaited","paragraph_id":"para_368"},{"text":"_____________________","paragraph_id":"para_369"},{"text":"4 The contemporaneous edition of Black’s Medical Dictionary likewise equates the","paragraph_id":"para_370"},{"text":"“mental illness” with “insanity” as well. Black’s Medical Dictionary 476, 571","paragraph_id":"para_371"},{"text":"(1961) (definition of “Insanity” simply states “see Mental Illness”).","paragraph_id":"para_372"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 12 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_373"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_374"},{"text":"13","paragraph_id":"para_375"},{"text":"appearance in 1961, Webster’s Third was widely criticized for its portrayal of","paragraph_id":"para_376","court_paragraph":13},{"text":"common error as proper usage.” Id. at 228 n.3. Given that OSHA “must","paragraph_id":"para_377"},{"text":"point to explicit Congressional authority justifying [its] decisions,” Inhance","paragraph_id":"para_378"},{"text":"Techs., 96 F.4th at 893, we are unpersuaded.","paragraph_id":"para_379"},{"text":"OSHA offers additional extratextual arguments in favor of a broader","paragraph_id":"para_380"},{"text":"reading of the statute, but they are also unpersuasive. First, OSHA argues","paragraph_id":"para_381"},{"text":"that the Act’s legislative history favors its understanding of the statute.","paragraph_id":"para_382"},{"text":"OSHA suggests that the Act’s “legislative history indicates that [the Act]","paragraph_id":"para_383"},{"text":"arose from concerns about both physical and mental work-related illnesses,”","paragraph_id":"para_384"},{"text":"citing to the Senate Report on the Act and to statements given in Senate","paragraph_id":"para_385"},{"text":"subcommittee hearings. See Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:","paragraph_id":"para_386"},{"text":"Hearings S. 2193 and S. 2788, Before the Subcomm. on Labor of the S. Comm. on","paragraph_id":"para_387"},{"text":"Labor and Public Welfare, 91st Cong., at 112 (1969); S. Rep. No. 91-1282, at","paragraph_id":"para_388"},{"text":"20 (1970), reprinted in Legislative History of the OSH Act of","paragraph_id":"para_389"},{"text":"1970, at 160 (1971); 116 Cong. Rec. 37325 (1970), reprinted in","paragraph_id":"para_390"},{"text":"Legislative History of the OSH Act of 1970, at 413 (1971). But","paragraph_id":"para_391"},{"text":"legislative history is “not law.” Matter of DeBerry, 945 F.3d 943, 949 (5th","paragraph_id":"para_392"},{"text":"Cir. 2019). Even so, the legislative history cited by OSHA would not resolve","paragraph_id":"para_393"},{"text":"the statutory question here because nothing in it pertains to the definition of","paragraph_id":"para_394"},{"text":"“illnesses” as that term used in § 657(c)(2).","paragraph_id":"para_395"},{"text":"Second, OSHA seeks refuge in Congress’s declaration of purpose","paragraph_id":"para_396"},{"text":"behind the Act, namely “assur[ing] so far as possible every working man and","paragraph_id":"para_397"},{"text":"woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and [preserving]","paragraph_id":"para_398"},{"text":"our human resources.” 29 U.S.C. § 651(b). Per OSHA, this means that the","paragraph_id":"para_399"},{"text":"mental illness recording requirement is fully justified because “[i]f a worker","paragraph_id":"para_400"},{"text":"is unable to work due to a work-related mental illness, this objective cannot","paragraph_id":"para_401"},{"text":"be achieved.” But as the Supreme Court has explained, “it is a commonplace","paragraph_id":"para_402"},{"text":"of statutory construction that the specific governs the general.” RadLAX","paragraph_id":"para_403"},{"text":"Gateway Hotel, L.L.C. v. Amalgamated Bank, 566 U.S. 639, 645 (2012)","paragraph_id":"para_404"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 13 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_405"},{"text":"No. 25-60108","paragraph_id":"para_406"},{"text":"14","paragraph_id":"para_407"},{"text":"(quoting Morales v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 504 U.S. 374, 384 (1992)).","paragraph_id":"para_408","court_paragraph":14},{"text":"Here, the general intent of Congress that employees have “safe and healthful","paragraph_id":"para_409"},{"text":"working conditions” yields to the more specific rulemaking authority","paragraph_id":"para_410"},{"text":"bestowed by Congress to its agency delegee. And in the context of","paragraph_id":"para_411"},{"text":"§ 657(c)(2), that rulemaking authority does not allow OSHA to mandate","paragraph_id":"para_412"},{"text":"employers’ recording work-related mental, as opposed to physical, injuries","paragraph_id":"para_413"},{"text":"and illnesses.","paragraph_id":"para_414"},{"text":"IV.","paragraph_id":"para_415"},{"text":"However commendable OSHA’s desire to improve mental health in","paragraph_id":"para_416"},{"text":"the workplace, like all agencies, OSHA’s authority to regulate toward that","paragraph_id":"para_417"},{"text":"end is constrained by the limits of power Congress delegated to the agency.","paragraph_id":"para_418"},{"text":"OSHA’s reading of 29 U.S.C. § 657(c)(2) to encompass the power to","paragraph_id":"para_419"},{"text":"regulate workplace mental illnesses may be plausible. But the best reading of","paragraph_id":"para_420"},{"text":"the statute is narrower: that “illnesses,” as used there, refers to physical,","paragraph_id":"para_421"},{"text":"and not mental, work-related ailments and conditions.","paragraph_id":"para_422"},{"text":"Based on that reading of § 657(c)(2), OSHA exceeded its statutory","paragraph_id":"para_423"},{"text":"authority in promulgating 29 C.F.R. § 1904.5(b)(2)(ix) to require employers","paragraph_id":"para_424"},{"text":"to record employee-reported work-related mental illnesses. We therefore","paragraph_id":"para_425"},{"text":"GRANT Exxon’s petition and VACATE both the citation and penalty","paragraph_id":"para_426"},{"text":"OSHA imposed in this case as well as the rule itself.","paragraph_id":"para_427"},{"text":"Case: 25-60108 Document: 60-1 Page: 14 Date Filed: 07/21/2026","paragraph_id":"para_428"}],"word_count":3958,"cites":["595 U.S. 109","603 U.S. 369","599 U.S. 762","603 U.S. 480","512\nU.S. 218","566 U.S. 639","504 U.S. 374","96 F.4th 888","117 F.4th 611","956 F.3d 301","120 F.4th 163","945 F.3d 943"],"cited_by":[],"sha256":"6739fc052cbc26f441d4e408be509923abc91a79efe31ff57f43831ca078b023","source_url":"http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/25/25-60108-CV0.pdf","fetched_at":"2026-10-02T06:42:22.086+00:00","canonical":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/ai/judgments/us/ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","risk_graph":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/risk?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","relations_graph":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/relations?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","changes":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/us-praxis/changes","agent":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/us-praxis/agent?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","verification":{"stored_sha256":"6739fc052cbc26f441d4e408be509923abc91a79efe31ff57f43831ca078b023","recomputed_sha256":"6739fc052cbc26f441d4e408be509923abc91a79efe31ff57f43831ca078b023","intact":true,"checked_at":"2026-10-11T14:29:05.844Z"}},"hash":"sha256:f0605ca39e88b208c9993ba09eb9f159c93ddf87bd9af9c849322b3f03e8d7a1","version":"legal-2026-10-11","expires":"2026-10-12T00:00:00.000Z","dependency":{"index_version":"legal-2026-10-11+legal-2026-10-11+2026-10-11T14:14:29","content_hash":"sha256:f0605ca39e88b208c9993ba09eb9f159c93ddf87bd9af9c849322b3f03e8d7a1","revalidate_after":"2026-10-11T15:29:05.979Z","max_copy_age_seconds":3600,"policy":"revalidate-required; attribution-preferred","changelog":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/dependency","verify":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/verify","stale_copy_invalid":true},"canonical":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21","follow":[{"rel":"risk","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/risk?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21"},{"rel":"relations","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/relations?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21"},{"rel":"agent","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/us-praxis/agent?id=us:ca5-25-60108-2026-07-21"},{"rel":"obligations","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/obligation-chain"},{"rel":"changes","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/whats-new?jurisdiction=us"}],"disclaimer":"Source reference with official identifier. 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