Quote of the day
“[T]he only issue that should have been resolved was whether the [EquityComp reinsurance participation agreement] was an illegal and void contract under the Insurance Commissioner’s prior precedential decision in Shasta Linen. That should have been the limit of the Commissioner’s rulings, but for the illicit campaign contribution of Applied and the inappropriate visit of [Applied Underwriters CEO Steve Menzies] allowed by the Commissioner that is not what happened here.”
Petition by attorney Larry Lichtenegger
Flash: Lara Sued over Applied Underwriters Case Reversals
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s troubles from the Applied Underwriters’ mess are growing. An important new legal front is opening up. Get the latest by clicking here. Workers’ Comp Executive
Idaho Falls man sentenced for perjury
Idaho’s attorney general has announced that a 47-year-old Idaho Falls man was sentenced Friday for perjury, for exaggerating work-related injuries he received when a piece of hot welding material landed in his ear in 2014. Investigators conducted surveillance and observed him driving on two occasions around the same time he’d told doctors his injuries prevented him from driving. Post Register (Idaho Falls, Idaho)
Maine Municipal Association awards town for good loss prevention records
The Maine Municipal Association this year has paid out $650,000 via its Workers Compensation Fund. It recently awarded the town of Limestone a $1,520 dividend check for its record of good loss experience and loss prevention programs. The County
Canada: Restaurant owner calls board’s ruling unfair
A Prince Edward Island restaurant owner feels he has been unfairly ordered to pay compensation for a former employee who reported being injured on the job months after the fact. He says the woman claims she re-injured her shoulder last year while lifting a 50-pound bag of potatoes but never mentioned the purported injury to him or any other staff. Journal Pioneer
Healthcare workers may have to wait decades for protections
In a 2018 survey conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians, 47 percent of emergency doctors said they’d been physically assaulted at work. A 2015 paper published in Workplace Safety & Health found 62 percent of hospital employees had been targeted by violence. But advocates and some federal lawmakers say delays in the creation of enforceable regulations to protect healthcare will continue to put them at risk, potentially for decades. WJLA [with video]