The family and friends of a 47-year-old man who died from serious complications after a workers’ comp injury are seeking criminal charges against the claims management company and individual adjuster they say drove him to his death. Charles Romano was injured in 2003 while stocking shelves at Ralphs Grocery in Camarillo, California. The surgery he […]
Workers' Compensation
House Bill 74 creates danger of unfair influences on workers’ compensation judges
If an injured worker feels he isn’t getting the medical treatment or benefits that he has a right to, he can request a hearing from the NC Industrial Commission. An employer can request a hearing too, if it thinks that one of its workers is getting benefits he doesn’t deserve. The judges at the Industrial Commission, […]
Valerie Johnson teaches important lesson to union members
AFL-CIO workers will know what to do if they are ever hurt on the job, thanks to some helpful schooling from CJG partner Valerie Johnson. Valerie led a seminar to help union stewards and members understand the best way to protect their rights when they are injured while working. The seminar was conducted at the […]
Impartiality of workers’ compensation judges threatened by NC Senate bill
Another bill currently under consideration by the N.C. Senate has put the rights of injured workers at risk. Senate Bill 112 strips Industrial Commission deputy commissioners of the protections of the State Personnel Act, meaning they could now be subject to termination as a result of political contributions to those in a position to influence […]
Workers’ comp alert: Senate Bill 174 passes the North Carolina House of Representatives
On Thursday, June 27, the NC House voted to pass legislation that affects your rights under workers’ compensation laws. The bill changes the ways the Industrial Commission can order treatment when the insurance company has denied it. In an emergency the Industrial Commission will have to order the treatment within five days of a motion. […]
N.C. Court of Appeals orders company to pay injured worker
A decision recently handed down by the North Carolina Court of Appeals found an employer responsible for paying benefits to an employee who suffered from a serious health condition, in combination with a work-related injury, after she had returned to work doing a modified job. In workers’ compensation cases, a company may offer an injured employee […]
The rights of injured workers are at risk: CJG calls on you to act now
New legislation has been proposed that would dramatically change North Carolina’s Workers’ Compensation Laws, stripping workers of the legal protection they require when injured on the job. The new bill seriously limits the workers’ access to medical care and changes the protections workers have when they are looking for work. Injured workers would have to […]
Valerie Johnson named chair of NCAJ Workers’ Compensation Section
CJG Partner Valerie Johnson was elected chairperson of the Workers Compensation Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) at the association’s annual conference in Wilmington, June 15-18. The NCAJ is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded to protect people’s rights through professional and community legal education. The group advocates for the rights of the […]
Workers’ comp settlement deemed unjust by Court of Appeals
The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that an injured worker and his employer cannot independently agree on a settlement if the North Carolina Industrial Commission has gotten involved in the claim, according to the Triangle Business Journal. Danny Allred was injured in a motor vehicle accident while he was employee of Exceptional […]
Workers’ comp roundtable helps attorneys better help their clients
Johnson & Groninger partner Valerie Johnson organized a roundtable discussion of issues regarding North Carolina Workers’ Compensation on April 12, 2013. The 18th Annual Workers’ Comp Roundtable was held in Raleigh at the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) headquarters on April 12 and was co-led by attorney J. Griffin Morgan of Elliot, Pishko, Morgan, […]