California’s workers’ comp experience rating system is proving to be an effective tool for improving workplace safety, but the system is problematic for the smallest rated employers. A new study indicates that these employers are becoming safer once they get an X-Mod, but are paying a far higher price than others if they do incur …
California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su and the Emeryville-based firm ZipRealty (Nasdaq: ZIPR) reached an agreement to settle a statewide wage and hour action for $4.8 million and no admission of guilt that the realty company routinely failed to pay its real estate agents the required minimum wage. It appears, however, that no one is …
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office won a workers’ comp premium fraud and payroll tax evasion case involving a San Francisco based cleaning firm, WWC Window Cleaning. The prosecutors secured a plea of no contest to three felony counts and a restitution agreement for $321,350, half of which State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) will receive. …
The District Attorney’s office in San Bernardino County is pursuing charges against two individuals for allegedly conspiring to defraud FirstComp Insurance Co. of more than $100,000 in workers’ comp premiums. One of the defendants — Gregory Santolucito of Hesperia — is also accused of then lying on an application for workers’ comp coverage that was …
Up and down the state investigators are filing charges against alleged workers’ comp cheats for not paying the entire premium they owe or receiving benefits they are not entitled to. Overall costs to the system are significant with loss estimates ranging north of $600,000 in avoided premiums for the owners of a roofing business and …
The threshold for entering California’s experience rating system for workers’ comp has been relatively static for several years, but that is changing in 2012. The “decrease” in the pure premium rates approved by Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is going to boost the X-Mod threshold to $23,300 — a $6,600 increase or nearly 39%. The change …
State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) is moving to collect on a $50 million plus costs award it won in its dispute with Select Staffing and Onvoi Business Solutions, but it faces a stiff fight over the money. The parties were back in court to argue Select’s request to stay the enforcement action, while it also …
The owner of an Orange County tree trimming business faces more than four dozen felony charges and up to 31 years in prison stemming from an alleged scheme to avoid workers’ comp premiums and state taxes, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office. The Orange County DA is handling prosecution of business owner Jose …