Retired WC Lawyer Defends embattled State Senator

A freshman New York state senator accused of a conflict of interest for lobbying the State Workers’ Compensation Board to drop plans to change its fee schedule is being defended by a retired colleague. State Sen. Marc Panepinto (D-Buffalo), who is also a partner in Dolce Panepinto, a personal injury and workers’ compensation law firm, was accused of not seeking clearance from the state’s legislative ethics panel before lobbying the board, according to a July 15 WorkCompCentral story. Daniel T. Sawers, a retired Hamburg, New York, lawyer who said he is a friend...