Case Shows New Avenue to Go After Bad-Actor Employers

An opinion out of the 4th District Court of Appeals shows a method attorneys can use to go after employers who lie on workers’ compensation forms: through a civil suit under California’s Insurance Frauds Prevention Act, said the applicants’ attorney who filed the case. The act allows the state to combat a wide range of insurance fraud. But it also contains qui tam provisions, which allow private citizens to file civil suits on behalf of the state. Applicants’ attorney Juan Armenta filed such a lawsuit against Gerald Hebb and Sunline Transit Agency, alleging Hebb ...