Neck - spinal cord injury $180,000.00
Employee injured neck. Company doctor releases to limited duty, and ends medical treatment, after 3 -4 months of treatment. Employee returned to work with ongoing disability. Employer/Self-Insured denied additional medical treatment, claiming original injury "resolved", cuts off disability checks, and then fired employee. I requested hearing, got second opinion doctor, and re-instatement of weekly income benefits; negotiated a change of physician, and additional medical treatment, including authorization for surgery on c-spine.
Lower back injury $135,000.00
Employee injured lower back. Because of pre-existing back injury (not related to work), the Employer/Insurer cut off benefits and denied claim after a few months, based on their company doctor 2Ud opinion stating that the on the job back injury has "resolved" (call on its' own) and current problems are from pre-existing injury. I got opinion from 2 doctors, who also did successful fusion surgery, that current injury was related to work and that all of the current disability was connected to the current injury which would include "aggravation of the old injury".
Shoulder injury $67,500.00 + surgery and 4 months medical treatment after settlement
Company sends employee back to work at so called "light duty" but it's really regular duty, before injury healed up. Insurer then denies treatment and lost income benefits for the injury, claiming it didn't happen on the job and furthermore was "unreported". I got a change to a new doctor, who recommended surgery and said the injury was related to job.
Carpal Tunnel and Neck and Spine injury $35,000.00
Company denied carpal tunnel as "not job related" because the company doctor asked the claims adjustor whether he should "treat this under workers' comp". Not too surprisingly, the adjustor's response was, "no, this is not work related." Injury is treated under group insurance. Client also had prior injury to neck and spine, with same employer.
Client came to me several years later, after terminating the original attorney wanted client to accept a final settlement of $15,000.00. Prior attorney had not filed a claim for the carpal tunnel. Meanwhile, the statute of limitations for additional disability benefits on the neck injury had expired.
I filed claim for the Carpal Tunnel using as a "fictional new accident date" the current date client was forced out of work to have the surgery. Even though carpal tunnel diagnosed several years ago, no work had been missed for it (thus creating under Georgia law), a "fictional new accident date". Client had surgery for both arms, and an additional surgery on the spine.
Head and Brain injury $40,000.00
With no objective findings of trauma to the brain after employee hit his head, Employer/Insurer denied any disability benefits, and tried to cut off further medical treatment. Employer threatened to fire employee, who continued to have difficulty performing mental requirements of the normal job duties. I got in-depth evaluation by neuro-psychologist, and filed motion for and obtained Order designating the neuro-psych the authorized treating physician and ordering the recommended treatment plan be authorized.
Tennis Elbow (epicondylitis) $30,000.00
This is a highly controversial injury and one the insurers like to deny, claiming it's not related to work activity. This company tried to use an "intennediary" bureaucratic service to perform "record reviews" by administrators to decide whether medical treatment recommended by treating doctor was "reasonably necessary"- I filed hearing requests and got all medical treatment paid for as recommended, including two surgeries and full disability benefits paid for two years, with some late penalties also.
Sprained Ankle $20,000.00
Employee fell off ladder and sprained ankle while working for an uninsured
subcontractor. Filed claim against both uninsured sub and the General Contractor (as statutory employer, which is an employer "by law"). General Contractor vigorously pursued financial assets and information about sub, who had fraudulently represented that it did have WC insurance, and claimed client was not an "employee", because the sub called all his employees "subcontractors". I filed hearing request, naming both sub and general contractor, and arranged for medical treatment from doctors on a "lien" basis against the case We settled for split recovery flow both sub and general contractor.
Knee injury - Employee twisted knee in slip and fall. Employer/Insurer vigorously contested that fail occurred in course of employment and denied all income and medical benefits. I took to full hearing and got an Order making company pay for: 1.) back lost wages benefits, with late fees, penalties and assessed attorney fees; and 2.) all medical treatment prior to hearing at the full cost billed by the provider (not the lower fee schedule allowed if treatment given under authorized workers compensation), and 3.) for continued medical treatment, including knee surgery, and income benefits over 3 year period.
Lower back injury $15,000.00
No objective findings to correlate to severe pain employee having after a slip and fall on the job. Employer tries to force employee back to light duty work, "sitting in a chair". Employee "unreasonably" refused to sit in chat for S hours. Prior to hiring me, employee had hired 3 other attorneys. First attorney fired her. Aside from the original company doctor who sent her back to light duty, no second opinions or change of physicians had been requested or negotiated. Little if any medical treatment had been provided or documented over a three year period. Third attorney obtained offer of $5,000 settlement and advised employee take that. Employee hired me instead. After deposition, two days before the hearing, we settled the claim for $15,000.00.
