February 20, 2017 In a lawsuit filed in late December 2016, two former Microsoft employees allege the development of post-traumatic stress disorder from reviewing and reporting content such as child pornography, bestiality and murder. While Microsoft concedes the work is difficult, the company contends the position safeguards the internet experience of users. As such, Microsoft…
December 20, 2016 Mere days before a scheduled workers’ compensation price increase, a Florida judge halted the increase because of reported legal violations. Another state agency vowed to appeal. Earlier in 2016, the state determined that some parts of Florida’s workers’ compensation laws were unconstitutional. The National Council on Compensation Insurance, which handles rates proposals,…
In August 2016, a jury awarded a man’s family nearly $27 million in a workers’ compensation case after he lost his life when he fell 30 feet while at work and suffered a head injury after part of a wall collapsed. The case highlighted the importance of shared liability, workers’ compensation involvement and responsibility in…
September 25, 2016 A complaint filed in U.S. District Court against the tech conglomerate Hewlett-Packard in August 2016 alleges that the company discriminated against older employees. The company began downsizing in 2012 amid restructuring, eventually laying off more than 80,000 employees. However, the workers have claimed that they were specifically targeted due to their age….
July 5, 2016 The NFL has reached a legal settlement with former players who suffer from cognitive impairment as a result of concussions and on-the-field collisions. Payouts could reach as high as $5 million each, but will take months to arrive—and some players don’t have that long to wait. Financially strapped with no money left…
June 5, 2016 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of 3,000 workers from a pork processing plant who brought a single, class-action lawsuit against Tyson Foods Inc. to recover overtime pay. Businesses closely watched the case, hoping new limits on class-action lawsuits would be passed. Much to their dismay, the courts defended the use of…
April 20, 2016 Could utilization review physicians and UR provider companies face liability lawsuits filed by injured workers alleging they were damaged by the administration of the UR process? Perhaps. That appears to be possible under certain circumstances after a 2016 decision by the California Court of Appeal 4th District, Kirk King v. CompPartners. Read the…
November 30, 2015 On Sept. 8, 2015, a jury awarded a restaurant worker in Los Angeles $1,661,800 for unjust termination and sexual and racial harassment after they found he was wrongfully fired from his job. A local diner hired the plaintiff as a shift leader in June 2012. A few months later, he transferred to…
June 9, 2015 A San Francisco UberX driver is asking for workers’ compensation insurance to cover him in a lawsuit filed on April 28, 2015, after his face was cut by a passenger during the nightshift. The company states that drivers are independent contractors although the driver wants to be classified as an employee. Abdo…
Click here to visit the original story at ProPublica Over the past decade, states have slashed workers’ compensation benefits, denying injured workers help when they need it most and shifting the costs of workplace accidents to taxpayers. by Michael Grabell, ProPublica, and Howard Berkes, NPR, March 4, 2015 (Photo Credit: Jeff Swensen, ProPublica) Dennis Whedbee’s crew was rushing to…