Quote of the day
“This is a question for law enforcement to look into with the investigatory powers that only they possess. Did Steve Menzies, who is the interested party in the pending sale [of Applied Underwriters], did Steve Menzies or someone else related to him provide the money to the contributors?”
Jerry Flanagan, litigation director, Consumer Watchdog
Flash: Ricardo Lara: Was it Money Laundering & Bribery?
Calls are emerging for a criminal investigation of California’s insurance commissioner and the insurance industry executives linked to political contributions. The scandal is also expanding to other politicians. Get the latest by clicking here. Workers’ Comp Executive
Florida governor’s ‘war’ against trial lawyers
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the need for a more business-friendly court system is guiding his appointments to the Florida judiciary. Key Florida Supreme Court rulings, including a 2016 decision in which the court’s old liberal majority struck down limits on attorney fees in workers’ compensation benefits challenges, highlight the difficulty in balancing competing interests. The ruling was blamed for significant increases in workers’ comp premiums. Florida Phoenix
L&I proposes drop in workers comp insurance rates
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries is proposing a drop in workers’ compensation rates for a third year in a row. Rates dropped 2½ percent in 2018, and L&I lowered the rate 5-percent in 2019, the largest decline in over 10 years. KPUG
Former Ohio sheriff’s deputy convicted of workers’ comp fraud
A 56-year-old Zanesville, Ohio man and former county deputy sheriff must reimburse the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation nearly $235,000 following his felony conviction for workers’ compensation fraud. Investigators discovered he worked as a process server and investigator for several law firms from January 2007 to March 2016 while collecting disability benefits from the Ohio BWC. WHIZ (Zanesville, Ohio)