A motorist who claimed he suffered injuries after his vehicle was rear-ended on a Fort Wayne street was denied relief in a small claims court, but his fortunes took a U-turn Thursday when the Indiana Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s rulings. David Martin sued Jose Ramos in Allen Superior Small Claims Court after Ramos struck the back of…
A lawsuit says a northern Indiana city shares responsibility for a crash that killed two children and a man who were walking along a sidewalk. Authorities say Leonard Grosswiler was driving in August 2017 when his vehicle struck five pedestrians in Elkhart, killing 8-month-old Dolly Thomas, 11-year-old Courtney Smith and 22-year-old Shawn Wolcott. He was sentenced in December to 15…
Worker misclassification in the construction business, done to avoid workers’ compensation and payroll taxes, is a growing problem nationwide, and Indiana is no exception, according to a local news report. Legitimate commercial contractors told an Indiana TV station this week that fraudulent misclassification appears to be spreading in the industry. Some contractors can shave 30% off their bids by classifying…
A woman is suing Mayfield Health Center, alleging the long-term care facility improperly cared for her mother, contributing to her mother’s death. Linda Brown filed a complaint on Feb. 14 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging they breached their duty to provide appropriate care to her mother, Christine Miles. According to the complaint, from January-March 2017, Miles “suffered from multiple…
Are employees injured at work more likely to file under workers’ compensation instead of group health insurance when their group health plan has a higher deductible? The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found evidence they do in a new study it says has great relevance since the number of workers in health insurance plans with high deductibles is growing. “In…
An Illinois appeals court held that questions remain over whether the Chicago White Sox and their roofing contractor failed to protect an electrician who slipped and fell on the roof, suffering career-ending nerve damage. In Zahumensky v. Chicago White Sox Ltd., the Appellate Court of Illinois, 1st District, 1st Division on Tuesday reversed a circuit court decision that dismissed the…
Injured miners and construction workers are in the occupations most likely to receive an opioid prescription, the study shows. Injured workers living in “rural” or “very rural” areas were up to 25% more likely than urban injured workers to receive opioid painkillers. Injured workers in rural areas are more likely to receive prescriptions for opioids, a new study shows. The…
A woman is suing Advocate Christ Medical Center and others medical providers, alleging they enrolled another woman in a medical trial despite her not meeting study criteria. Lisa Villanova, who is serving as executor of the estate of Evelyn Gall, filed a complaint on Jan. 24 in Cook County Circuit Court. According to the complaint, Gall — who suffered from…
The National Council of Insurance Legislators is in the early planning stages of possibly creating a model law on workers compensation drug formularies, the organization’s spokesman confirmed on Friday. Details on the proposed NCOIL Workers’ Compensation Drug Formulary Model Act are included in NCOIL’s spring meeting agenda, provided to Business Insurance. The meeting is set for March 14-17 in Nashville…
A large number of employers not regulated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s electronic record-keeping rule are voluntarily submitting data to the agency, but they should refrain from doing so in the future because that information could be used against them in OSHA enforcement actions, according to attorneys representing employers. The electronic record-keeping regulation, formally known as the…
