Quote of the day
"In Iraq, there is so much more at stake. If the employer is negligent, the employee doesn't just slip and fall and hurt his back. The employee could be killed or dismembered."
Marc Miles, attorney for relatives of four men working for the security company Blackwater USA, who were killed by a mob in 2004
Editorial: Sooner State Senate Should OK Workers’ Comp Judges
The Oklahoma Legislature is considering whether to give Oklahomans the chance to vote on whether the governor’s appointments and reappointments to the Workers’ Compensation Court should also require approval of the state Senate. Absolutely, they should. Oklahoman
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Oklahoma Court Affirms Denial of Diet Claim
In an unpublished opinion, an Oklahoma appeals court affirms a workers’ compensation court’s denial of an injured worker’s claim for benefits to pay a nutritionist for her diet program. By Janice Francis-Smith, Journal Record
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Iraq Contractors Sue KBR for Exposure to Carcinogen
Nine Americans who, in 2003 went to Iraq to repair a water injection plant, are accusing KBR, then a subsidiary of oil conglomerate Halliburton, of knowingly exposing them to deadly sodium dichromate and failing to provide them with the protective equipment needed to keep them safe. By Farah Stockman, Boston Globe
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Corrections Officer Busted for Fraud After Hannah Montana Run
Prosecutors say a video shows a 41-year-old Connecticut correctional officer running a 40-yard-dash in women’s clothing and high heels, in a contest for Hannah Montana concert tickets, while receiving workers’ compensation and claming he was too injured to work. Associated Press
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AIG Accuses Competitors of Racketeering
American International Group Inc., which set aside $301 million to repay Connecticut workers’ compensation programs it shortchanged, alleges that rivals including Liberty Mutual Group Inc. also duped regulators. In federal court papers, AIG claims Liberty Mutual, The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. and a predecessor of Travelers Cos. broke racketeering laws by “conspiring” to dump shared costs onto AIG while suppressing probes into their own practices. By Hugh Son, Bloomberg via Hartford Courant
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New York Corrections Officer Admits to Filing False Medical Forms
A 42-year-old officer at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, N.Y., pleads guilty to filing false medical leave forms, according to the New York State Attorney General. Officials discovered the alleged fraud before any workers’ comp benefits were paid. By Rocco LaDuca, Utica Observer-Dispatch
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Mountain State Man Charged with Illegally Seeking Benefits
A 37-year-old West Virginia man pleads guilty to a misdemeanor count of wrongfully seeking workers’ compensation benefits after going to work for another employer, the state insurance commissioner announces. Charleston Daily Mail
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