Employer Sanctioned for 'Unfounded Litigiousness'

The North Carolina Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that an employer deserved to be hit with attorney fees as a sanction for its "unfounded litigiousness" in a comp case, although it vacated the $13,212.50 award because the Industrial Commission had relied upon improper grounds to assess those fees against Garda USA. "We have no hesitation in concluding that Garda’s conduct satisfies the statutory criteria for imposing attorneys’ fees," the court said. The company had falsely stated it did not possess any written documents concerning a worker's 2012 i...