Our workers’ compensation attorneys have learned that FedEx Ground has agreed to pay the Commonwealth of Massachusetts several million dollars to settle allegations that they misclassified drivers as independent contractors. According to the attorney general, FedEx’s classification of drivers denied the state workers’ compensation, payroll taxes, and unemployment assistance contributions,…
Despite a request from the Worker’s Compensation Rating Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts to raise rates by 4.5 percent, Attorney General Martha Coakley has reviewed the industry’s proposed rates and determined that current rates will need to be reduced by 2.4 percent. Coakley says the proposed rate hikes would have cost…
A 34-year-old Belmont man faces charges of workers’ compensation fraud and larceny in excess of $250. He reportedly suffered a work injury in August, 2006 while working as a heavy machinery mechanic in Milford, Massachusetts. He had surgery for that injury the following year and collected workers’ compensation benefits of…
The Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled that Liberty Mutual was right to deny workers’ compensation benefits requested by a self-employed carpenter. The solo proprietor had severely injured his hand in 2005. An administrative judge at the Industrial Accident Reviewing Board had earlier ruled in favor of Liberty Mutual, and the…
A Framingham lawyer has filed a lawsuit against FedEx on behalf of a former FedEx driver from Brockton, Massachusetts. The former driver worked at the company’s West Bridgewater terminal and claims he was misclassified as an independent contractor instead of an employee so that the shipping company could avoid paying…
A former flight attendant for Delta Air Lines who sustained severe back injuries when an aircraft came to an abrupt stop on the runway attempted to file a personal injury suit against the airline. After several spinal surgeries, she was still unable to return to work as a flight attendant.…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $136,000 in fines against a Massachusetts contractor that was working on a project involving the removal of asbestos-containing material at Boston Beth Israel Hospital last fall. OSHA inspectors discover 19 alleged safety violations, among them a failure to conduct an initial asbestos…
According to a new study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, patients receiving workers’ compensation who are treated for back pain related to a herniated disk experience better results with nonsurgical treatment. Depending on the individual case, nonsurgical treatment options can include pain-relieving drugs, home exercise, and/or physical therapy. Overall,…
The Boston Globe reports that a 32-year-old former TJX employee and Massachusetts resident has pleaded guilty to charges he lied under oath and schemed to falsely collect workers’ compensation benefits. The man has since moved to Florida. According to a press release from the attorney general’s office, he was arraigned…
The state’s highest court ruled that a Peabody High School teacher is entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits for injuries she sustained while voluntarily chaperoning a school ski trip. The teacher sought workers’ comp coverage for her medical expenses following a 2004 injury on a ski trip to Vermont. Her…