California Labor Code grants presumptions of injury to certain types of employees. These presumptions give a litigation advantage to such employees although most presumptions are not absolute, and employers will fight them. Normally, it is an injured worker who carries the burden of proving that their injury was work-related. Special presumptions take the burden away from an injured worker and shift it to the employer who now needs to disprove that an injury was caused by the employment.

What types of employees can claim presumptions:

• City, county or district firefighters
• Sheriffs
• City police officers
• Correctional officers, inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with district attorney’s office involved in law enforcement
• County probation officers
• Certain employees of a probation office
• Peace officers under 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, fulltime basis of a county
• Lifeguards, if full-time by a county
• Airport police under subsection 830.33 of the Penal Code
• Harbor and Port police under subsection 830.33 of the Penal Code
• Los Angeles Unified School District school police