workers’ compensation News

Eight Texas Chemical Plant Workers Treated for Toxic Gas Exposure

Eight people were taken to a hospital for treatment on Monday after a toxic gas leak at Altivia Chemicals’ plant in La Porte, Texas, local officials said. An update on their condition was not immediately available. The city canceled a …

Florida Injury Attorney Begins Prison Time for Defrauding Former Players in NFL Lawsuit

A Florida injury attorney who led a class-action lawsuit on behalf of former NFL players, then defrauded his clients out of millions of dollars, is in federal prison after he was sentenced to 14 years. Phillip Timothy Howard, 62, who …

State Supreme Court Upholds Attorney Fees in Tennessee Workers’ Comp Case

In what could be seen as a rare win for the claimants’ bar in Tennessee, the state Supreme Court upheld a $50,500 award of attorney fees, an amount that is almost double the workers’ compensation benefits paid to the injured …

Claims Business: NYSIF, Alacrity and Tenco

NYSIF Launches Mobile Claims App New York State Insurance Fund has launched a new Claim Mobile App to improve communication and provide injured workers with real-time information about their workers’ compensation claims. The app allows claimants to access their claim …

N.J. Supreme Cites ‘Authorized Vehicle Rule,’ Awards Benefits for Auto Crash

Typically, workers who are injured during their commute to work aren’t eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The New Jersey Supreme Court highlighted an exception to that rule in a unanimous decision Tuesday. The high court held that a pest control …

Florida Man Sentenced for Role in Workers’ Compensation Fraud Conspiracy

A federal judge has sentenced Ramon Paz of Lakeland, Florida to 33 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud to avoid paying for workers’ compensation insurance. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, Paz …

Cannabis Worker Dies on the Job from Asthma Attack, the First Reported Case in US

The U.S. cannabis production industry’s first reported occupational asthma death took the life of a worker in Massachusetts, federal health and safety officials said. The woman, 27, was working in a cannabis cultivation and processing facility when she experienced worsening …

At SpaceX, Worker Injuries Soar in Elon Musk’s Rush to Mars

One windy night at Elon Musk’s SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, Lonnie LeBlanc and his co-workers realized they had a problem. They needed to transport foam insulation to the rocket company’s main hangar but had no straps to secure the …

Pa. Court Rules Workers’ Comp Insurer Must Pay for Injured Worker’s CBD Oil

Eight months after it ruled that medical marijuana is covered under workers’ compensation, a Pennsylvania appeals court has concluded that an injured worker’s cost of CBD oil is also reimbursable. A Commonwealth Court has found that CBD oil qualifies under …

Claims Fraud: Maryland, California and Florida

Maryland A Maryland claims adjuster pleaded guilty to one count of theft after she was caught manipulating auto insurance claims so she could steal from her employers, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown’s office said Thursday. Laurelle Monet Manley-Williams, 34, …