Call Us 919-240-4054The principal of a Houston, Texas high school and two other school officials have been charged for failing to report several students’ allegations of sexual abuse, according to the Associated Press. Two 17-year-old male students of Sharpstown High School reported to Principal Rob Gasparello that they had been inappropriately touched by a teacher at the […]
Law Blog
Valerie Johnson asks to keep workers’ comp costs paid by insurance companies, not injured workers
The North Carolina Industrial Commission, the agency that manages the workers’ compensation system, has an Advisory Council appointed to advise the chair of the Commission on important issues that he faces in doing his job. The Council includes representatives of the insurance industry, large employers, Commissioners, and representatives of injured workers such as Valerie, who […]
Lenoir woman wins $1 million pre-suit
A woman severely injured when a tractor trailer hit her car received a $1 million dollar settlement from the truck’s insurance company, according to court documents. Melanie Moll was driving to pick up her son from school in Lenoir County when a truck.that was attempting to pass her in a no-passing zone t-boned her vehicle […]
Injured workers must prove what caused their injury
An injured worker who can’t prove what exactly caused the injury is not entitled to benefits, according to a recent ruling issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Sonya Chaffins, a former employee of Tar Heel Capital Corporation, filed for workers’ compensation after an injury to her shoulder on the job in 2010. Chaffins had suffered a […]
Distracted driving fatalities on the rise
Deaths as the result of distracted driving are on the rise, according to a new study published in Public Health Reports. Distracted drivers are about 1.6 times more likely as non-distracted drivers to mortally hit a pedestrian at marked crosswalk and about three times as likely to hit a pedestrian walking on the shoulder of […]
Valerie introduces new essential guide for injured workers
Workers have a new tool for navigating the difficult and often confusing workers’ compensation process. CJG attorney Valerie Johnson has authored a manual to answer workers’ questions and address their concerns. Valerie is distributing the second edition of her workers’ comp book, Workers’ Comp 101: Lessons You Need to Learn Before It’s Too Late to employees […]
Leukemia drug puts patients at risk of stroke
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended sales of a once-promising leukemia drug because of “the risk of life-threatening blood clots and severe narrowing of blood vessels.” The drug Iclusig, also known as ponatinib, has been linked to severe and sometimes fatal heart attacks, strokes and loss of blood flow to the extremities, sometimes […]
Miner death toll rises
Four coal workers were killed within the first eleven days of the government shutdown, according to reports. The deaths add to the mounting 2013 coal miner death toll, which lists 18 fatalities as of Oct. 17. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announces each fatality on their website but the […]
Worker advocacy groups challenge USDA proposal to speed up work
The hard job of a poultry plant worker is about to get harder, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposal to increase processing speed by 25 % and replace most federal safety inspectors. The proposed USDA increase means that instead of processing 140 birds a minute, workers will process 175 per minute. As part […]
Drunk driver who killed two cyclists gets 24 years
A drunk driver’s attempt to appeal two second degree murder convictions was rejected by the NC Court of Appeals. In April 2011, a drunk Thomas Howard Grooms Jr., struck and killed a father and son out for a Sunday morning bicycle ride on River Road in Wilmington. This month, the North Carolina Court of Appeals […]
