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Insurance

Avoid liability for contractor’s actions by staying out of its business

06/01/2007

Consider this scenario: Your organization needs to have repairs done to your premises and you hire an independent contractor to do the job. When one of the workers is hurt after the contractor ignores obvious safety hazards, is your organization on the hook if the injured employee looks around for deep pockets to sue?…

After winning the lawsuit, city lost its insurance

06/01/2007

The city of Fort Oglethorpe had to scramble to find insurance after the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency canceled its property and liability coverage due to excessive claims …

Employee running errand still covered by comp

06/01/2007

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that a construction superintendent killed in an auto accident was covered by workers’ compensation benefits, even though he was on leave to run personal errands at the time of the crash …

Georgia State Health Benefits Plan battles with program vendor

06/01/2007

Two-and-a-half years and $7.2 million into its contract with New York-based Vitech Systems Group, an employee benefits system provider, the state of Georgia is looking for a refund …

Grappling With the ‘Uncharted Territory’ of N.J. Civil-Union Law

06/01/2007

The New Jersey law that grants all the rights and responsibilities of marriage to civil-union couples has plunged employers and employees into a legal quagmire …

Big verdict for shallow pockets: Passaic workers to pay $2.6 million

06/01/2007

When Michigan-based Masco Corp. closed its Bath Unlimited plant in Passaic and laid off more than 115 employees, 86 of them filed workers’ compensation claims. Masco smelled a rat, and took an unusual step …

Cigna fined for steering employers wrong on HMO changes

06/01/2007

The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance has fined Cigna HealthCare of New Jersey and Connecticut General Life $2.1 million for deceiving employers, and ordered Cigna to restore better coverage to 2,123 small businesses …

It’s final: Non-Lawyer reps OK at unemployment comp hearings

06/01/2007

After years of litigation and legislation, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has finally put the issue to rest: Employers are free to represent themselves or hire a non-attorney advisor to present their case when an employee wants an unemployment compensation hearing …

Employee hurt in pre-Employment screening gets disability comp

06/01/2007

An employee who was injured by a blood pressure cuff during a pre-employment physical will receive total disability benefits from Virginia-based General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board has ruled …

Pa. Supreme Court: Employers free to go it alone on UC appeals

06/01/2007

Thanks to a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling, employers may now attend unemployment compensation appeals hearings without an attorney. The court overturned a 2005 Commonwealth Court ruling …