WCRI: Defense Fees Outpaced Most Study States

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefPayments by Florida carriers and employers to defense attorneys outpaced the median of 16 study states and jumped by 12% in 2009, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) said on Tuesday.WCRI noted a similar trend in payments for lump-sum settlements, which also increased by 12% that year for claims with 12 months of experience.WCRI concluded in CompScope Benchmarks for Florida, 12th Edition, that rising medical costs, moderate increases in indemnity payments and an uptick in claims frequency combined to reverse the gains Florida employers saw...