Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog

Published on: April 23, 2020

Illinois Business Groups File Lawsuit Against COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Emergency Rule

A group of retailers and manufacturers in Illinois filed a lawsuit this week against an emergency rule change to the state’s workers’ compensation laws.

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission passed the emergency rule last week after it was requested by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The amendment requires the employers of first responders and other essential employees to pay workers’ compensation benefits to workers who test positive for COVID-19, assuming the worker contracted the virus on the job.

Published on: April 21, 2020

Workers’ Compensation Premiums Likely to Dip as Employment Declines, New Report Finds

by Brian Silber

A new analysis released Monday by the Florida-based National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) speculates that workers’ compensation premiums in the U.S. will likely drop as employment declines and businesses fail due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The NCCI analysis, titled Economic Impacts of Coronavirus on Workers Compensation, examines how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the workers’ compensation insurance system in the U.S.

Published on: April 21, 2020

Leslie Joe Zeagler Charged with DUI Manslaughter for Crash in Fort Myers, FL, that Killed Toddler

by Brian Silber

Authorities in Fort Myers have announced the arrest of the driver responsible for a crash that killed a three-year-old girl in February.

Leslie Joe Zeagler, 30, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, DUI, DUI manslaughter, and driving on a suspended license. She is being held in the Lee County Jail with no bond set. It is unclear if she has acquired the services of an attorney.

Published on: April 18, 2020

U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florida Announces Task Force to Investigate and Prosecute COVID-19 Fraud

by Brian Silber

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has announced a new task force made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, whose mission is to identify and prosecute fraud related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan announced the task force on April 13 in response to the growing threat of scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force will review and investigate all credible leads of coronavirus fraud, but will primarily focus on complaints of price gouging and hoarding of crucial medical supplies as well as schemes that seek to exploit vulnerable populations.

Published on: April 16, 2020

OSHA Issues Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19 that Occur at Work

by Brian Silber

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim guidance for enforcing its recordkeeping requirements for cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that occur in workplaces.

The guidance clarifies under what circumstances non-essential employers in low-risk industries (e.g. construction) should record a case of COVID-19 on a job site as an illness, since it can be difficult for those employers to determine whether workers who contract the virus did so due to exposure at work.