Monthly Archives: September 2022

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PHYSICIAN PLEADS GUILTY IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FRAUD CASE—ACCEPTED ILLEGAL KICKBACKS

According to a report from the Del Mar Times, a Southern California surgeon has pled guilty to taking illegal kickbacks and defrauding the state’s workers’ compensation claims system. Lokesh S. Tantuwaya, 55 of San Diego, allegedly accepted more than $3 million in bribes as part of a more complex healthcare fraud scheme. In this blog […]

DEFENDING A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIM ON THE GROUNDS OF “INTENTIONALLY SELF-INFLICTED” INJURY

As stated straightforwardly by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), all employers in the state must comply with the statutory mandate to provide workers with no-fault workers’ compensation coverage. California workers’ compensation allows injured employees to recover benefits regardless of fault—but there is a strict exception for intentional or self-inflicted injuries. Here, our Salinas […]

WCAB RULES THAT IDL PAYMENTS CAN BE COUNTED AS PART OF “WORKERS’ COMPENSATION” IN SERIOUS AND WILLFUL MISCONDUCT CASE

Earlier this year, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) issued an instructive decision in the case of Ayala v. Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/Lancaster State Prison. The Board found that it has the authority to increase IDL payments by 50% on the grounds of an employer’s serious and willful misconduct. Here, our Fresno workers’ compensation […]

YELLOWSTONE ACTRESS CHARGED WITH FELONY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FRAUD IN CALIFORNIA

On July 11, 2022, the California Department of Insurance announced that Q’Orianka Kilcher—a 32-year-old North Hollywood, CA actress famous for her role on the hit TV show ‘Yellowstone’—has been charged with two felony counts of workers’ compensation fraud. Authors contend that Ms. Kilcher collected more than $90,000.00 of workers’ compensation disability benefits that were not […]

UNINSURED EMPLOYER DEFENSE: HOW TO RESPOND TO A SPECIAL NOTICE OF LAWSUIT (SNOL) IN CALIFORNIA

The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) is clear: Employers in our state “are required by law to have workers’ compensation insurance.” An uninsured employer could face several different sanctions, including: Civil legal action in the form of personal injury liability; A state-issued fine that could be as high as $10,000.00 per worker; A doubling […]