Five Things to Catch Up On: 12/9, Weekend Edition

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) -

1) TX: Subcontractor Sues Construction Co. for More than $1M After an Alleged Accident Occurred on the Job (FRIDAY)

Houston resident Armando Nunez has filed a lawsuit against Sevilla Services LLC and Alberto Monsivais, doing business as Monsivais Construction, writes Kristin Gonzales-Abella of the Southeast Texas Record. He alleges that while he was a subcontractor in Aubrey, “…he was injured when a beam he was using for support gave way and caused him to fall three stories to the ground. He alleges he needed three surgeries because of his injuries,” per the article. Nunez requests more than $1 million in damages and any other relief.

2) OH: Payroll Co. Owner Allegedly Defrauds BWC of $425K (THURSDAY)

John R. Cacaro was the owner of Employers Choice Plus, a payroll company. He has been sentenced to a half of a year in prison, along with a $10,000 fine, for allegedly defrauding OH of $425K in work comp benefits, according to Ryan Smith of Insurance Business (America) and the state Bureau of Work Comp (BWC). “…He was convicted in June after BWC and IRS investigators uncovered a scheme to short the BWC on insurance premiums he received from workers,” per the article. He allegedly used some of the money to purchase a house and motor home, per IRS Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korne in the article.

3) Robots to Take on Some Cleaning Responsibilities at Walmart (WEDNESDAY)

A San Diego startup company has helped make the idea of  “robotic janitors” come true, writes Pavel Apleyev of Bloomerang. Walmart will recruit 360 “autonomous floor-scrubbing robots” to help clean a some of its stores in a testing phase. “…The robots, which look like a cross between a miniature Zamboni and a motorized wheel chair, already scrub floors at airports in Seattle, San Diego, Boston and Miami,” Brain Chief Executive Office Eugene Izhikevich said. 

4) MO Lawsuit: Former PreCoat Metals Employee Alleges he was Fired Because of his Head Injury (TUESDAY)

St. Louis resident Ayton Wolfehart has filed a lawsuit against Precoat Metals, claiming he hurt his head during basketball outside of work in 2016, and came back to work in 2017, writes Angelica Saylo Pilo of the St. Louis Record. “…He alleges he requested training so he could properly perform his work and that the training was insufficient. He also alleges the defendant refused to accept off-work slips from his nurse practitioner,” per the article. He was terminated in October 2017, per the suit, and Wolfehart claims it is because of his disability. He requests damages at $250G, and court costs.

5) OK Work Comp Case: Did Marijuana Use Lead to an Accident on the Job? (MONDAY)

Dillon Rose crushed his hand in a machine-related incident at Berry Plastics Corp. in 2017, according to an article in The Norman Transcript. Rose later tested positive in a drug test for marijuana, which raised the question, “Was this accident caused due to marijuana use earlier?” Rose told a judge mid-November he wasn’t impaired by the activities he participated in the night before, and coworkers went on record to say he didn’t seem impaired. While the judge approved the work comp claim, “…The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission reversed the ruling, calling Rose's testimony "self-serving,’” per the article. “…Rose appealed the commission's decision to the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, which said that the commission went beyond its duty.” As of press time, Rose’s attorney hadn’t said if there will be a Supreme Court appeal.

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