Author Archives: Joseph Yrulegui

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION DEFENSE: FOUR THINGS CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LC 132(A)

California requires employers to provide no-fault workers’ compensation benefits to their employees. Any employee who suffers a job-related injury or impairment has the right to file for workers’ compensation benefits without any “pushback” from their employer. Under California Labor Code Section 132(A), “it is the declared policy of this state that there should not be […]

CALIFORNIA MAN ADMITS TO FAKING INJURY TO DEFRAUD WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE

According to a report from My News LA, a Riverside County, California man has agreed to plead guilty in a workers’ compensation fraud claim. Angel Luis Maces, 24 of San Jacinto, was charged after allegedly faking a work-related injury in order to collect thousands in undue workers’ compensation benefits. In this article, our Fresno workers’ […]

A VIOLATION OF LABOR CODE SECTION 6400 COULD LEAD TO A ‘SERIOUS AND WILLFUL’ MISCONDUCT CLAIMS

Workers’ compensation insurance helps to ensure that people hurt on the job have access to medical care and financial support. Workers’ compensation benefits are no-fault: An employee can recover compensation regardless of whether the employer caused the accident. In turn, workers’ compensation is a sole legal remedy for injured employees. Workers generally cannot file a […]

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CAL-OSHA AND THE CAL-OSHA APPEALS PROCESS

Passed by the United States Congress in 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act created “OSHA”—the federal agency responsible for setting and enforcing certain workplace safety standards. Notably, the federal law grants states the authority to manage their own OSHA programs as long as certain requirements are met. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health […]

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SUBROGATION IN CALIFORNIA: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FUTURE CREDITS

Subrogation issues are often among the most complicated aspects of a workers’ compensation claim. As simply defined by Black’s Law Dictionary, subrogation allows one party to recoup costs from another. In workers’ compensation claims, subrogation may allow an insurer or employer to recover costs paid from another party. One of the key things to know […]

EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THE PENALTIES FOR NOT PROVIDING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION IN CALIFORNIA

The California Department of Industrial Relations is clear: “California employers are required by law to have workers’ compensation insurance, even if they have only one employee.” A business or nonprofit organization that improperly fails to provide workers’ compensation coverage may face serious sanctions. In this blog post, our Fresno workers’ compensation defense lawyers highlight the […]

CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION COMPANY CHARGED IN $25 MILLION WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FRAUD CASE

On June 1, 2021, the California Department of Insurance announced that the owner of a Los Angeles County construction company has been arraigned on charges related to a $25 million workers’ compensation fraud scheme. Nissim Vaknin of Encito, California is facing felony fraud charges on the grounds that he intentionally understated his company’s payroll. In […]

SEVEN INDICTED IN RELATION TO BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION THEFT SCHEME

On June 2, 2021, the California Department of Insurance announced that a grand jury has issued indictments on seven people who allegedly stole workers’ compensation benefits and are part of a scheme operated through a Bakersfield-based vocational training school. In this article, our Bakersfield workers’ compensation defense attorneys provide an overview of the workers’ compensation […]

SACRAMENTO EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FRAUD

On April 16, 2021, the California Department of Insurance issued a press release announcing workers’ compensation fraud charges against Ahmad Zaki Noori, a 41-year-old man from Sacramento. Mr. Noori is facing felony charges after allegedly knowingly misrepresenting a workplace injury in order to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Here, our Fresno workers’ compensation defense attorneys provide […]

WCIRB CALIFORNIA ISSUES WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ‘LOSSES AND EXPENSES’ REPORT FOR 2020

On June 25, 2021, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) released its official report on workers’ compensation “losses and expenses” for the year 2020. In total, workers’ compensation insurers paid out more than $12 billion to process and resolve claims in California last year—a nearly 10% decrease when compared to 2019. In […]