Deputy Commissioner hearings will be conducted in-person, unless the Deputy Commissioner grants a video conference hearing upon the parties’ showing of “good cause.” The Commission did not give any guidance on what would make “good cause” or not. The Full Commission will conduct in-person hearings…
If you work outdoors in North Carolina, you know the summer months can be uncomfortable as temperatures begin to rise. In addition to sweating more and possibly experiencing sunburn, the summer months can also pose a risk to your physical safety as well. During the…
Vernon Sumwalt and Bruce Hamilton will once again close out the Industrial Commission’s workers’ compensation educational conference this year on Friday, October 8, 2021, teaching about the appellate court opinions published since last year’s conference. Vernon and Bruce—colleagues who work on opposite sides of cases…
Vernon Sumwalt—with co-counsel and colleague Heidi Chapman—will teach “When Death Claims Don’t Die” at the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (formerly the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers) continuing legal education seminar, “Workers’ Compensation 2021: Quirky Issues in Workers’ Comp” on September 10, 2021. The…
North Carolina construction workers continue to face life threatening risks every time they show up for a shift. Fatal construction injuries are not at all uncommon, accounting for 20% of all private industry worker deaths in 2019 alone. There are also tens of thousands of…
North Carolina attorney Mike McKay has joined the Industrial Commission as the Director of Claims Administration, one of the integral parts of the Commission. Mr. McKay is a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization,…
The North Carolina Industrial Commission has reappointed Robert Harris, Lori Gaines, and Jay Tillman to second terms as deputy commissioners. Deputy Commissioners are the equivalent of “judges” in workers’ compensation claims and State Tort Claims actions tried before the Industrial Commission.
On June 3, 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly confirmed attorney Adrian A. Phillips as the next Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission. The Industrial Commission is the State agency that oversees all State workers’ compensation claims and State Tort Claims actions in North…