Supreme Court Tosses Workers' Fee Awards as Unreasonably Low

The Alaska Supreme Court overturned an award of fees to two injured workers as unreasonably low. Case: Rusch v. Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Nos.  S-17069, 17070 and 7422, 12/06/2019. Facts: Sandra Rusch and Brenda Dockter worked for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. Both suffered injuries at work and filed workers’ compensation claims. Each initially attempted to pursue the claims while self-represented, but both wound up hiring attorney David Graham, who obtained substantial settlements. However, the settlements did not resolve the ...