According to a report from Hoodline, a contractor in Simi Valley was sentenced as part of a workers’ compensation fraud case. Mauricio Torres—the owner of a company called Vero’s Tree Service—was sentenced to one year of probation, fined $10,000.00, and ordered to pay financial restitution for knowingly failing to obtain mandatory workers’ compensation insurance coverage. […]
According to a report from Business Insurance, a physician in the San Francisco Bay Area has been charged with a crime as part of a major workers’ compensation fraud case. Dr. Gary Martinovsky is facing charges for more than three dozen insurance violations. The matter is related to allegedly fraudulent medical liens. Here, our Pasadena […]
On December 27, 2023, Business Insurance reported that long COVID issues now make up a significant share of workers’ compensation claims in California. A recent study found that around six percent of all workers who filed a COVID-19-related workers’ compensation claim in the state have subsequently gone on to develop long COVID. Here, our Fresno […]
Recently, the Insurance Journal reported that the workers’ compensation claims volume and the workers’ compensation total losses incurred both fell for self-insured employers in California in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. Notably, the year-of-year claims filed during this period were down nearly 17%. Our Bakersfield workers’ compensation defense law […]
According to PropertyCasualty360, a big rate increase is expected for workers’ compensation premiums in California in the coming year. The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently notified insurance companies that work in the system that there may be a double-digit rate increase in 2024. Here, our Fresno workers’ compensation defense law firm provides an […]
Workers’ compensation insurance is no-fault. The California Department of Insurance explains it clearly: “An injured employee does not need to prove that the injury or illness was someone else’s fault in order to receive workers’ compensation benefits.” With that being said, an employee is not automatically entitled to benefits. Unfortunately, there are cases in which […]
According to a report from the King City Rustler, two contractors from Monterey County—Elias Perez Jr. and Alejandra Perez—have received suspended prison sentences for their role in a major workers’ compensation fraud scheme that was perpetrated between 2013 and 2017. Both defendants were placed on felony probation for seven years. Here, our Monterey County workers’ […]
In California, workers’ compensation claims can be split into two broad categories: 1) Specific industry and 2) Cumulative trauma. Under Cal. Labor Code § 3208.1(b), cumulative trauma is harm “occurring as repetitive mentally or physically traumatic activities extending over a period of time, the combined effect of which causes any disability or need for medical […]
On October 31, 2023, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of an employer in the case of Jones v. Regents of the University of California. The court determined that an employee—who was injured while riding her bike leaving on campus after work—was limited to filing a workers’ compensation claim. In this […]
On November 27, 2023, the State of California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) announced the new temporary total disability (TTD) rates for 2024. Here is what to know: No changes were made to TTD rates because State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) in California did not increase last year. Below, our Fresno workers’ compensation defense law […]
