Just how far are workers' compensation insurers willing to go to not have to pay benefits? According to a new federal lawsuit filed in California, they'll resort to hacking the personal information of their claimants.
As Business Insurance reports, the lawsuit is based on the case of Adela Gonzalez, who hired an LA law firm to represent her workers' compensation suit. Gonzalez claims that private investigators accessed the firm's servers to extract her personal information, including social security number, date of birth, medical information, and other confidential data.
Court records also show that the investigators have been named: William Reynolds was hired by Berkshire Hathaway and Oliver Glover was hired by Zenith Insurance. Reynolds admitted to the California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board that, over the course of several years, he had downloaded 33,000 files pertinent to workers' comp claims from various servers.
"Gain Advantage" & "Save Money"
The lawsuit filed by Gonzalez claims that the hacking went on in an effort to "gain an advantage in litigation and save money in judgments and settlements." By accessing that claimant information, insurers could then see if they could build cases against their claimants and prove, in court, that they were not deserving of the benefits that they filed for.
In fact, this how the hacking was first discovered in 2014: in an in-chambers hearing, an Oakland-based lawyer representing an insurer revealed that he had obtained a confidential intake packet between the claimant and their counsel. When the judge asked the lawyer how he had received the packet, the lawyer named HQ Sign-Up Services Inc., a service that was being used by the claimant's counsel to store confidential documents.
Stories like these make it evident why workers' compensation clients need their rights protected. At the Law Offices of Wax & Wax, our dedicated and proven Glendale workers' comp attorneys have seen firsthand at what lengths insurance providers will go to protect their bottom line. We can ensure that your right to benefits is compellingly put forth, even if it meets resistance from your provider.
Want to learn more about what we can do to help you recover the benefits you deserve? Call us today.