Question What impact do the recent collective bargaining agreements equalizing pay between the Men’s and Women’s US Soccer teams have on employers outside of professional sports? Answer Following protracted equal pay litigation, the U.S. Soccer Federation has agreed to pay the U.S. Men’s National Team and the U.S. Women’s National Team equally, which (at least…
Question Must the North Carolina State Health Plan provide transgender employees with gender affirming medical services (hormone therapy, surgery, and other affirming treatments)? Answer As of now, yes. A District Court judge has ruled in Kadel v. Folwell that refusal to cover gender confirmation procedures and treatment violates the Equal Protection Clause and Title VII of the…
As part of the employer’s and carrier’s prompt investigation of a claim, NCIC Rule 608 allows the taking of a recorded statement to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the injury. Rule 608 is broad in scope. It requires the adjuster to tell the claimant the statement they are giving may be used to determine…
A recent unpublished case from the Court of Appeals, Suazo v. Gutierrez-Bojorquez, reiterates the importance of obtaining certificates of insurance and ensuring coverage has not lapsed before allowing subcontractors to begin work on a project. Without proper coverage, general contractors can be held liable for injuries of their subcontractor’s employees. The plaintiff in Suazo was…
We saw during March 2020 the great migration for businesses to a mainly, and at times exclusively, work from home model. While businesses have re-opened their offices to their employees, data from the Pew Research Center shows that many Americans are still working from home and would want to continue to work from home even…
This is the third and final article in a three-part series discussing different aspects of compensability of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina, including: Part 1: Are all communicable diseases the same? Does the designation of an epidemic or pandemic change the way statutes are interpreted?; Part 2: What are the critical factors for…
This is the second article in a three-part series discussing different aspects of compensability of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina, including: Part 1: Are all communicable diseases the same? Does the designation of an epidemic or pandemic change the way statutes are interpreted?; Part 2: What are the critical factors for determining compensability…
This is the first article in a three-part series discussing different aspects of compensability of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina, including: Part 1: Are all communicable diseases the same? Does the designation of an epidemic or pandemic change the way statutes are interpreted?; Part 2: What are the critical factors for determining compensability…
In Macias v. BSI Associates, Inc. d/b/a Carolina Chimney, No. COA 19-299 (November 5, 2019), a recent unpublished opinion, the Court of Appeals reiterated its adherence to the Hayes doctrine for determining whether an injured worker is an “employee” and therefore entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, or an “independent contractor” and not entitled to any…