CA - Restitution Fight in MRI Kickback Scheme Returning to Appeals Court
02/05/2026 | 0
The fight over restitution stemming from an MRI kickback scheme is poised to return to an appellate court after a Southern California judge ordered Sam Solakyan to pay 10 carriers more than $4 million.
Attorneys for Solakyan on Monday filed with the U.S. District Court for Southern California a notice that they're appealing the amended restitution order and judgment that U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia Bashant entered Jan. 20.
The order denied Solakyan's request for a jury trial on restitution and rejected his claim that the government's pursuit of restitution constitutes v...
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The Illinois Appellate Court upheld an award of benefits to a worker for injuries sustained when he fell from a pallet.
Case: Source One Staffing v. IWCC, No. 24L4548, 01/16/2026, unpublished.
Facts: Ciro Servin Cabrera worked for Source One Staffing. In October 2019, he was assigned to a distribution warehouse. While Cabrera was standing on a pallet, someone operating a pallet jack struck it. This caused him to lose his balance and fall.
On Nov. 4, 2019, Cabrera saw Dr. Mukeshchandra Patel, who ordered him to take time off from work.
In December 2019, Cabrera saw Dr. Matthew Ross, wh...
A New York appellate court ruled that a delivery driver’s Labor Law claims against a hospital should have been dismissed and that the hospital’s third-party claims should also have been dismissed.
Case: Russell v. Lenox Hill Hospital, No. 154970/19, 01/15/2026, published.
Facts: Rad Source Technologies Inc. hired a delivery service company to transport a blood irradiator machine to Lenox Hill Hospital.
James Russell worked for the delivery service, and he got the assignment. When he arrived at Lenox Hill, the loading dock supervisor told him that the delivery truck was too ...
A New York appellate court ruled that a worker was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law claims for his injuries from a fall.
Case: Rojas v. 616 First Avenue LLC, No. 2023-03551 and 2023-12134, 01/14/2026, published.
Facts: Victor Rojas allegedly sustained injuries from a fall while working on a construction project.
According to Rojas, he was attempting to nail a piece of wood to a beam in order to level plywood before concrete was poured. The wood shifted, causing him to fall.
Although Rojas was wearing a harness, its line extended 15 to 20 feet and did not stop his fal...
Sacramento, CA [December 10, 2025] Today, POWER proudly announced its official launch as a laser-focused non-profit organized to take direct action against fraud and criminal activity in California's temporary staffing industry.
"One of the biggest crimes taking place in California's workforce is hiding in plain sight. The temporary staffing industry has become a largely unregulated playground for cri...
Excellent research on high-cost work comp claims by NCCI’s Brett Foster and Yuchen Su indicates that we need to take a step back and revisit how we characterize, think about and manage catastrophic claims.
Su and Foster categorized claims into fast-emerging (incurred losses of $1 million in the first 24 months) and slow-emerging (post-24 months).
First, top takeaways.
Causation: Fast claims are often caused by motor vehicle accidents and falls from elevation. Slow claims are often linked to strains and lifting injuries.
Shrinkage: A...
The Maryland Appellate Court ruled that a worker’s application for modification of her award was time-barred.
Case: Remmes v. State, No. 2026, 01/14/2026, unpublished.
Facts and procedural history: Jennifer Remmes worked for the Maryland State Police. She suffered injuries at work in 2011.
The Workers’ Compensation Commission determined that the injury was compensable and authorized medical treatment.
In 2018, Remmes reopened her claim to modify her award, which resulted in an additional award. She received her last payment of compensation in May 2018.
In April 2023, Remmes&rs...
IA - Bill Targets Legal Reimbursement to State From Second Injury Fund
A bill introduced Tuesday in Iowa would double how much the state can reimburse itself for legal services connected to administering the workers' compensation second injury fund, which could affect long-term funding calculations for the program.
SB 3107 would amend Iowa law to raise the annual cap on reimbursements paid from the second injury fund to the state attorney general’s office, doubling from $450,000 to $900,000.
The bill also would require the reimbursement amount to be adjusted annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, with adjustments ro...
The California Workers' Compensation Institute opened registration for its 62nd annual meeting, being held March 26 in Sacramento.
The theme of the 2026 meeting is "When Old Models No Longer Hold." The event will examine the cyclical nature of workers' compensation, where California's system is in the current cycle and how developing economic and political dynamics will shape the direction of the system in the years to come.
Sarah Bohn, vice president of research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, will provide an update on the California...
After more than a week of unanswered questions, the California Division of Workers' Compensation on Tuesday confirmed that Administrative Director George Parisotto has retired from state service.
Parisotto's last day at the helm of the DWC was Friday, and the position will remain vacant until the governor appoints a replacement, a DWC spokesperson said in the first substantive response to questions about the director's status since Jan. 22.
WorkCompCentral reached out to the DWC on Jan. 22 to confirm or refute reports that Parisotto was leaving at the end of the month, and to...
The Kansas Court of Appeals upheld a finding that a hog farm employee had suffered wage loss after an on-the-job injury and remanded for the Workers’ Compensation Board to revisit the amount of his “task loss.”
Case: Martinez v. Haverkamp Brothers Inc., No. 128,693, 01/16/2026, unpublished.
Facts: Sergio Martinez worked for Haverkamp Brothers Inc., a hog farm. He initially worked primarily as a breeding technician, but after being injured at work in 2015, he was assigned an accommodated position, performing in-office duties.
Before this employment, Martinez completed six y...
A federal appellate court denied an employer’s challenge to a worker’s black lung benefits, holding that the judge’s finding of total disability was supported by the worker’s pulmonary evaluation results.
Case: Clinchfield Coal Co. v. OWCP, No. 23-1667, 01/15/2026, published.
Facts: Vernon Vanderpool worked in underground coal mines for more than 20 years. After retiring, he filed a claim for compensation under the Black Lung Benefits Act.
After Vanderpool filed his claim, the Department of Labor sponsored a pulmonary evaluation conducted by Dr. Esther Ajja...
A New York appellate court upheld a grant of summary judgment for a worker on his Labor Law claim for his fall from a ladder, as well as the dismissal of the defendants’ third-party claim for indemnification.
Case: Callan v. RCB3 Nominee LLC, No. 158801/19, 01/15/2026, published.
Facts and procedural history: Frank Callan allegedly suffered injuries in a fall from a ladder while working on a construction project.
He filed suit against the property owner and the construction manager, asserting a claim for a violation of Labor Law Section 240(1).
Section 240(1) imposes absolute liabili...
A New York appellate court ruled that summary judgment could not be granted in a Labor Law dispute because of conflicting evidence on whether the worker was required to perform his job at an elevation.
Case: Leon v. Plaza Construction LLC, No. 151025/20, 01/15/2026, published.
Facts: Manuel Leon allegedly suffered injuries while working on a construction project while handing rebar to co-workers for installation.
According to Leon, he had to stand on a work table to sort through loose rebar. He claimed that the rebar then shifted under his foot, causing him to lose his balanc...
A Seattle-area bus driver has been charged with taking more than $50,000 in compensation payments while allegedly working other jobs.
Clifford Wayne Dumas, 67, repeatedly attested that he was injured and incapable of working. He received benefits from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, including $26,000 in wage replacement payments, $16,000 in medical care and nearly $14,000 in vocational training.
Despite his statements to the contrary, an investigation revealed that Dumas was working the entire time, L&I alleges. Dumas pleaded not guilty Jan. 5 in King...
A California lawmaker introduced a bill that would indefinitely extend authorization for employers to use prepaid debit cards to pay indemnity benefits.
AB 1683, introduced Monday by the Assembly Insurance Committee, would eliminate statutory language that would shut down the debit card pilot program at the start of 2027.
State Compensation Insurance Fund is the only carrier that offered prepaid cards under the definition of the pilot created in 2018, according to a report that the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation released for public comment in December.
Be...
Legislation that would require employers to continue paying health insurance premiums for injured workers would add more than $500 million in new costs over six years, according to an analysis by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
HB 2372 and SB 6067 would require employers to cover 100% of their contribution for health care benefits for workers injured on or after July 1 who suffer a permanent total disability. The bill would clarify that the employer's payment for health benefits is not included in the worker's wages when calculating benefits.
L&I estimate...
