Quote of the day
"What the analyst has failed to address is the ever increasing litigation costs which will be saved, and the savings of the bureaucratic costs that are increasing by ever more burdensome governmental oversight."
Turlock attorney William Morris, disputing the California Legislative Analyst's Office's report on his proposed workers' compensation ballot measure
Attorney: Analysis Misses Key Points
Turlock attorney William Morris contends that the California Legislative Analyst’s Office overlooked key factors in responding to his proposed workers’ compensation ballot measure. The analysis, released Monday, found that the initiative could cost California employers billions of dollars and state and local governments millions of dollars. By Kelly Johnson, Sacramento Business Journal
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Suspects in Riverside County Fraud Case Released from Lockup
Four defendants in the largest case of workers’ compensation fraud in Riverside County history are released from jail after agreeing to forfeit business assets if they fail to show up for future court dates. The four face 107 felony counts of defrauding insurance carriers and the state government of more than $6 million. By Jonathan Shikes, Press-Enterprise (Riverside)
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Idaho Bill Would Make Criminals Pay Injured Officers
Under a bill headed to Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s desk, convicted criminals would have to pay a $3 fee as part of their court costs that would go toward paying some injured law enforcement officers’ full wages. They currently receive workers’ compensation, but it pays only two-thirds of an officer’s salary up to a certain pay level. Idaho Statesman via NewsEdge Corporation
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Retaliation Verdict Stings Mine Operator
A West Virginia jury awards nearly $2 million to a miner who claimed he was fired after filing a workers’ compensation claim for a broken arm. The award includes $1 million in punitive damages. By Chris Dickerson, West Virginia Record
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Parents of Shooting Victim Seek Workers’ Comp
The parents of a Tennessee woman who was killed in 2005 by her estranged husband in a state highway garage are seeking workers compensation for her children. ABC24-TV (Memphis)
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Georgia Supremes Uphold Benefits in Case of Traveling Employee
The Georgia Supreme Court narrowly upholds an award of workers’ compensation benefits to the young son of a man killed as a result of an automobile accident. Some say the 4-3 ruling exposes employers to workers’ compensation claims for nearly anything employees might do while traveling. By Alyson Palmer, Fulton County Daily Report via Law.com
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Commentary: Audit of BWC Leaves Unanswered Questions
The latest state audit of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation gives some perspective on the two-year-old scandal that has rocked the state agency, but fails to answer some key questions. Toledo Blade
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Nova Scotia WCB Illuminates Cost-Payout Disparity
Although Nova Scotia employers pay the second-highest workers’ compensation rates in Canada, injured workers in the province are paid the second-lowest workers’ comp benefits, which do not keep pace with the cost of living. By Roger Taylor, Halifax Chronicle Herald
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