A man from Montevallo has been found guilty of workers’compensation fraud.

A jury in the Shelby County Circuit Court found 44 year-oldRobert Burrows guilty of two counts of making false statements to receiveworkers’  compensation benefits. Hewas also convicted on one count of second-degree theft. According to courtdocuments, the jury found that Burrows “misrepresented an injury he receivedwhile working at an auto parts store.”

Attorney General Troy King explained the verdict in a pressrelease, saying “it is a crime for someone to misrepresent an injury in orderto get workers’ compensation funds longer than he should… I am pleased that thejury returned a guilty verdict, and that this defendant will be heldaccountable for his crime.”

If you or someone you know has been injured in a NorthCarolina Workplace, please contact a Raleigh Workers’ Compensation lawyer ofScudder & Hedrick, PLLC, by calling 919-851-3311. 

A new government study shows that employers and employeesunderreport workplace injuries and illnesses.

The report released by the Government Accountability Officeis the culmination of a yearlong federal program that examines how employerskeep records of workers injured on the job. The GAO found that employees tendto underreport injuries and illness for fear of losing their job or being disciplined.The report shows that 67 percent of occupational health practitioners said theyobserved workers who feared disciplinary action for reporting an injury. 46percent agreed that this fear was a factor in the underreporting of injuries.

The report also cited employer safety incentive programs canalso lead employees to underreport injuries. These incentives offer bonuses toworkers for creating safe work sites.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a North CarolinaWorkplace, please contact a Raleigh Workers’ Compensation lawyer of Scudder& Hedrick, PLLC, by calling 919-851-3311.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office insouthern California announced a $160,000 civil settlement against a truckingcompany for failing to provide employees with workers’ compensation insurance.

Nelson Francia, of Nelson Francia Trucking, had longtimelocal contracts with the bulk mail transportation division of the United StatesPostal Service’s Richmond office. Under the state businesses and professionscode, these contracts gave local prosecutors jurisdiction to litigate the casein cooperation with Postal Service inspectors and the state Department ofInsurance.

Francia Trucking admitted no liability in the settlement butwill be required to pay $50,000 in civil penalties and investigative costs. Theremainder of the $160,000 judgement will be suspended. However if Francia failsto secure permanent workers’ compensation for employees as required by law, hewill be required to pay the remaining balance.

If you or someone you know has been injured in theworkplace, please contact a Raleigh Workers’ Compensation Attorney of Scudder& Hedrick, PLLC, by calling 919-851-3311.

The 2.000 workers at the Nashville, Tennessee General Motorsplant stand to collect more money for their old workers’ compensation claims.

Timothy Coock, who injured his arm working at the SpringHill plant in 2007 sued the car company to remove the cap on his claim. UnderTennessee law, a worker’s injury claim is capped at a certain amount based onformula, that cap can be lifted however, if the company is sold to a newowner.  Cook’s attorney, RockyMcElhaney, argued that that cap was lifted when GM filed for bankruptcy in Mayand set up a new company.

Without the cap on injury claims, workers could receive upto four times as much money for their claim. McElhaney said “ A claim that hadbeen worth $10,000 could be worth $30,000 or more.” He estimated the potentialcost to GM is as much as $15 million.

In the lawsuit paperwork, GM argued that the payouts shouldremain capped because while the new GM runs the plant, it transferred liabilityof the workers’ compensation claims to the new company as well.

If you or someone you know  has been injured in the workplace, please contact the RaleighWorkers’ Compensation Lawyers of Scudder & Hedrick, PLLC by calling919-851-3311.

Three years after American International Group Inc. agreedto pay a $343 million settlement to resolve allegations that it underreportedworkers’ compensation premiums to states, the company is still involved innegotiations with insurance regulators in several states.

New York based AIG entered a settlement agreement with theNew York Attorney Eliot Spitzer and the New York Insurance Department todisperse $343 million among states for allegedly underpaying premium taxes andresidual market assessments between 1985 and 1996.

However most of the money remains in a trust fund whileinsurance regulators negotiate with AIG to decide whether a larger settlementis in order. One insurance regulator was quoted as saying “Not all states weresatisfied with the size of the agreement… In terms of the settlement capping at$343 million, AIG may not be out of the woods.”

The original deadline for states to opt into the 2006agreement was set for that year, but has been extended several times and is nowset for December 31 of this year.

If you or someone you know has been injured in theworkplace, please contact the Raleigh Workers Compensation Attorneys of Scudder& Hedrick, PLLC by calling 919-851-3311.

International Paper Co. has settled a federal lawsuitstemming from a 2008 explosion that killed a contract worker at a Mississippiplant and injured 22 others.

The explosion at International Paper’s Redwood plant killed28 year-old Marcus Christopher Broome. Several workers were left with seriousburns and other injuries when a 12-story recovery boiler exploded as workersattempted to restart it after annual maintenance.

Attorney for the plaintiffs, Billy Quin, said of theexplosion. “The manner in which the recovery boiler was brought on line at theredwood plant was extremely reckless and in complete disregard for the welfare ofeveryone working on and around the boiler that day.”

If you have been injured in the workplace, please contactthe Raleigh Worker’s Compensation Lawyers of Scudder & Hedrick, PLLC bycalling 919-851-3311.