Employer Hit With Penalties, Fees for Denying Worker's Shoulder Surgery

A Louisiana appellate court assessed $2,000 in penalties and $1,000 in attorney fees against an employer for denying an injured worker’s shoulder surgery. Karessa Thibodeaux slipped and fell while working for the High Hope Care Center in 2017. She suffered injuries to her back and right knee. After a trial, Thibodeaux was awarded workers’ compensation benefits for her injuries. In 2019, Thibodeaux filed a new suit alleging that due to her original injuries, her legs gave out, resulting in another fall that injured her neck, left shoulder, arm and wrist. In March 2022,...