Quote of the day
"These kinds of events are the very things that elected officials and department heads dread. However, we have to deal with it. I felt we dealt with it in a very straightforward manner."
Yuba County Sheriff Virginia Black, about the settlement of a sheriff deputy's lawsuit that arose out of a 2003 hazing incident in which he was injured
Go to the full story in the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville – Yuba City)
Yuba County Settles Deputy’s Hazing Suit
A former Yuba County sheriff’s deputy will get a $430,000 settlement in a lawsuit against the county involving workers compensation, insurance, and civil liability issues. The deputy claimed he sustained shoulder injuries during a 2003 hazing incident other officers tackled him and bound him with duct tape. By Daniel Witter, Appeal-Democrat (Marysville – Yuba City)
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West Virginia’s Comp Insurer Reports $52 Million Profit So Far
Officials with BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co., West Virginia’s private workers’ compensation insure that took over the old state-run system January 1, announce at its first annual meeting that the company made a $52 million profit during its first six months. They expect the funds to help BrickStreet pay back the $200 million the state loaned it to start business. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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Marsh USA on Rhode Island Lt. Gov’s Radar
Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty names Marsh USA, an insurance broker hired to evaluate bids for a contract to administer the state’s workers’ compensation claims, in his call for an investigation of all state contracts. Fogarty cites reports that the company was fined $75,000 in Oregon last year for overcharging public entities. By Elizabeth Gudrais, Providence Journal
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Former Kentucky Cop Sues over Defective Pacemaker
A former Pikeville, Ky., police captain sues the Kentucky League of Cities’ workers’ compensation fund, among other defendants, alleging physical and mental pain in connection with a 2005 heart attack. He claims he is experiencing ongoing medical problems because his pacemaker failed. By Mary Music, Appalachian News-Express (Pikeville, Ky.)
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Illinois Worker Alleges Retaliatory Firing
A Downstate Illinois worker sues his employer, claiming it fired him a week after he made a claim for injury benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act.
By Ann Knef, Madison – St. Clair (Ill.) Record
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Asbestos Victims Lobby Group Wants Jail for Negligent Employers
The Australian Safety and Compensation Council estimates more than 2000 Australians die annually from work-related diseases including asbestosis and mesothelioma. An Asbestos Diseases Foundation official calls for legislation in the South Australia that would subject “rogue” employers to imprisonment.
Go to the full story by Tracie McPherson, the Advertiser via Adelaide Now
Go to the full story by AAP via the Age (Melbourne)
In New South Wales, Insurers Must Explain Denials
Insurers will have to tell injured workers why they deny or reduce workers’ compensation payments under new changes to the New South Wales workers’ comp scheme. The commerce minister says the changes are intended to reduce disputes. By AAP via Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
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Dairy State School District Stays with Carrier
Satisfied with the rates charged by Des Moines, Iowa-based Employers Mutual Casualty Company, the Baraboo, Wisc., school district declines to bid out its property, liability and workers compensation insurance for next year. By Christina Beam, Baraboo News Republic
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Florida Approves NCCI’s Amended Rate Filing
Florida insurance commissioner Kevin McCarty approves an amended rate filing submitted by the National Conference on Compensation Insurance, and effective Jan. 1, 2007, workers’ compensation insurance rates will fall by a statewide average of 15.7 percent. The decrease is the fourth consecutive rate drop since the government reformed the state’s workers’ compensation system in 2003. South Florida Business Journal
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