Owners indicted for fraud face lawsuit

• A man who was severely injured in a work-related incident at an Austin, Texas restaurant, la Barbecue, filed a personal injury and fraud lawsuit on his behalf.
• Aaron Gomez lost four fingers on his dominant hand in 2016 in what he alleges is due to unsafe working conditions and training.
• The civil lawsuit was filed more than a year after the restaurant’s owner LeAnn Mueller and her wife, Alison Clem, who managed la Barbecue, were indicted in a $350,000 workers’ compensation fraud scheme related to the incident.
• Mueller died in June at the age of 51, according to multiple media reports. Court records show that due to her death, the case against her was dismissed. Clem is scheduled to go to trial on those felony criminal charges in Travis County at the end of this month.
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Texas Mutual awards $2M in safety grants to policyholders

• Texas Mutual Insurance Company awarded over $2 million in safety grants to policyholders. The safety grant program opened in July and eligible policyholders were invited to apply on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Safety grant applicants were asked to provide company information and detail what types of equipment they planned to purchase and how it would improve safety and health conditions in their workplace.
• Applications were reviewed by a grant committee of safety professionals who ensured that applicants were asking for approved equipment that aligned with their business operations.
• After an extensive review process, 1,343 policyholders were approved for a $1,500 grant to be used toward the purchase of approved safety equipment listed in their application.
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Work Comp College offers a scholarship program

• WorkCompCollege.com launched its new multi-tiered scholarship program to support those looking to expand their professional education within the workers’ compensation ecosystem.
• The scholarship program is open to current professionals working in the workers’ compensation field and those who are looking to pursue this profession.
• The scholarship program will award full scholarships to the Workers’ Recovery Professional certification training to any recipient of a Kids’ Chance scholarship who wishes to have a career in the industry.
• There are Partner Scholarships available with the support of Ametros, as well as the law firms Hennessey & Roach, P, C., Walker, Revels, Greninger, PLLC, and Evans & Dixon, L.L.C.
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Construction worker injures, attorney arrested

• A president and managing partner at a Minnesota personal injury law firm has been arrested after troopers say he was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Hinckley that left a construction worker injured.
• Minnesota State Patrol says the lawyer was headed northbound when it struck the worker who was on the right shoulder.
• The worker was taken to Essentia Hospital in Sandstone for treatment. Troopers say he is expected to recover from his injuries.
• Investigators claim the lawyer didn’t stop after the crash but was pulled over shortly after and was then taken into custody.
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