Court Puts Brakes on Complaint That Insurer, Employer Conspired to Avoid Comp

A group of truck drivers who claim their employer and its insurer misclassified them as independent contractors and conspired to force them to pay for their own comp should have taken their complaint to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, a federal appellate court ruled last week. The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals did not reach the crux of the drivers’ argument, which was that Jones Motor Co. misclassified them a independent contractors and conspired with Zurich American Insurance Co. to force them to pay $36.80-per-week premiums for “occupational accident ins...