Quote of the day
"Mr. Gasper is faced with a difficult period of time in his life. As a Christian and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I'm told to pray for my enemies, quote, unquote."
Michael Lewis, an investment broker charged with bribing former Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation CFO Terry Gasper, explaining why he sent Gasper a Roman Catholic Mass card
Accused San Diego-Area Couple Blames Attorney for Guilty Plea
A Norco couple contends their attorneys intimidated and coerced them into pleading guilty to multiple fraud counts and are attempting to withdraw their guilty pleas. They admitted failing to report to the state more than $4 million in taxes and workers’ compensation premiums for their now-defunct tree-trimming business; a deputy district attorney calls it a case of “buyers’ remorse.” San Diego Union-Tribune
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Florida Sweep Nets Three Alleged Workers’ Comp Cheats
Sunshine State authorities nab three people and issue at least 15 cease-and-desist orders Tuesday in a workers’ comp compliance sweep of more than three dozen construction firms. The three men arrested in Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce are accused of failing to provide workers’ compensation coverage for their laborers. By Will Greenlee, TC Palm (Fort Pierce) [With Photos] Go to the Full Story…
Peace and Freedom Party Issues Statement on Workers’ Comp ‘Scandal’
Injured workers are getting sick and dying due to massive institutional malfeasance in the California State’s Division of Workers’ Compensation and denial of just compensation claims, according to the California Peace and Freedom Party, which calls for abolishing the privatized workers’ compensation system in favor of a single statewide system. By Kevin Akin, via Indybay
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More Details on Winnipeg Dog Attack and Resulting Suit
A Winnipeg city animal services employee, along with the Manitoba Workers Compensation Board, is suing a dog owner in connection with injuries the employee suffered as he tried to seize the dog with other pound officers in September 2004. [Editor’s Note: our July 19, 2006 News Digest incorrectly stated that the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board was involved in this suit. The Workers’ Comp Executive regrets the error.] By Ross Romaniuk, Winnipeg Sun [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Opinion: Give Delinquent Mountain State Employers a Little Leeway
One possible reason that nearly one-quarter of West Virginia employers are late in paying their workers’ compensation premiums is that they have not yet adjusted to the change from the state’s former Workers’ Compensation Commission to BrickStreet Mutual, which took over the state system in January. Wheeling Intelligencer
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New York Union President: Where Were the Employers?
Denis Hughes, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, says employer groups seeking workers’ compensation reform should have joined the insurance department, the Workers’ Compensation Rating Board and union officials at the annual hearing of the New York State Insurance Department on June 28. Why weren’t they there to publicly oppose a rise in their own premium costs? The Empire Page
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Ohio Supreme Court Undoes Effects of Prior Rulings
In an extremely rare move, the Ohio Supreme Court reverses the effects of two prior rulings by deciding that the fact than an injured worker returns to work for years does not mean that the worker can claim “special circumstance” and seek higher benefits than would have been available at the time of the original injury. By Jim Provance, Toledo Blade [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Judge Says Mass Card Clearly Meant to Intimidate Star Witness; BWC Going Back to Stocks
The judge in the trial of two brokers accused of bribing former Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation chief financial officer Terrence Gasper says he can see no reason other than intimidation to explain why one of the brokers, Michael Lewis, sent Gasper a notice that a Roman Catholic Mass had been arranged for him. Gasper is expected to testify against Lewis and broker Daniel O’Neil when their trial starts in September. In other investment scandal news, the bureau plans to return stocks to its $16 billion portfolio after eliminating more risky investments. By Mike Tobin, Cleveland Plain Dealer
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