Quote of the day
"I'll be able to help the community and do a lot of good.''
Eva Rowe, whose parents were killed in the 2005 BP Texas City refinery disaster, regarding the settlement of her civil lawsuit against the company
Kaiser Credits Reduction in Comp Claims for Q3 Income Spike
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente’s health plan and hospitals report that net income rose 37 percent in the third quarter, a gain the HMO attributes to a reduction in workers’ compensation and professional liability claims. By Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle
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Victims’ Daughter Settles Lawsuit Against BP
A 22-year-old woman who lost both parents in the March 2005 BP Texas City refinery explosion, which killed 15 contractors and injured at least 170 others, settles her lawsuit against the oil giant on the day jury selection was to begin. Eva Rowe had previously refused to settle as other claimants had, saying she wanted to focus attention on the incident. By Juan A. Lozano, AP via Houston Chronicle
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Grand Jury Subpoenas Chicago Records in Workers’ Comp Scandal
A federal grand jury is demanding records of Chicago city workers’ injury claims in the wake of revelations that politically-connected employees claim to be hurt at a rate that far outpaces the nation’s most dangerous jobs, and that many who have been deemed able to return to work sit idle collecting disability checks. By Fran Spielman and Tim Novak, Chicago Sun Times [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Washington Gov Touts Rate Suspension
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire says Washington employers and workers will save an estimated $315 million in workers’ compensation premiums in the second half of 2007, when the rate paid by workers and employers into the Medical Aid Fund would be reduced to zero for six months. Tacoma Daily Index
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James Hardie to Begin Asbestos Payments Next Year
Following an Australian tax ruling, Sydney-based James Hardie Industries, a major vendor of home sidings in the U.S., expects to begin paying asbestos-related compensation from a proposed new fund in 2007. By Eleanor Hall, World Today (Australia)
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Deliberations Continue in Coin Dealer’s Corruption Trial
Jurors deliberating the politically-charged Tom Noe embezzlement case are “meticulously” going over the details of the charges, according to the judge, which includes thousands of pages of documents. Noe stands accused of looting millions from coin funds he managed on behalf of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
Go to the full story in the Toledo Blade
Go to the full story in NBC4i.com (Columbus)
Former BWC Official and Government Witness Blasted as Thief, Liar
Defense attorneys blast Terrence Gasper, former investment chief for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, as a liar in the trial of two investment brokers accused of bribing him. Gasper has agreed to testify for the prosecution. By Joe Milicia, AP via Akron Beacon Journal
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$17 Million Shortfall on Tobacco Settlement Predicted
West Virginia budget officials expect major tobacco companies to come up $16.8 million short this year on their annual payment of the state’s $1.9 billion legal settlement with the tobacco industry. The state applies the first $30 million of each annual settlement payment to its workers’ compensation debts. By Justin D. Anderson, Charleston Daily Mail
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Gov-Elect Spitzer Seeks to End ‘Bickering’ on Workers’ Comp
New York Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer says he is trying to find common ground between labor leaders and business groups on issues including workers’ compensation. State AFL-CIO president Denis Hughes calls workers’ comp “one of the top three, if not the No. 1” economic challenge for the Empire State. By AP via Auburn Citizen
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