$860 million in overcharges are owed to some 270,000 Ohio businesses. Judge rules that state workers' compensation fund ran up $860 million in overcharges over a decade.
Christian Science Monitor · March 21, 2013 · Julie Carr Smyth
Judge Richard J. McMonagle
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Court of Common Pleas
1200 Ontario St.
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1678
COLUMBUS, Ohio
$860 million in overcharges are owed to some 270,000 Ohio businesses. Judge rules that state workers' compensation fund ran up $860 million in overcharges over a decade.
Ohio employers are collectively owed $860 million after being overcharged for nearly a decade by the state insurance fund for injured workers, a Cleveland judge ruled Wednesday.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Richard McMonagle's decision involving the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation affects about 270,000 mostly small-business owners, many unaware they are covered by the class action. His order rejected the state's arguments for paying a smaller amount.
The lawsuit, which began in 2007, said the bureau gave discounted premiums to companies that joined group insurance plans and charged companies not in the groups excessive rates to pay for the discounts.
McMonagle ruled in December in favor of business owners who didn't participate in the group rating program, agreeing they had been charged unfair premiums from July 2001 to June 2009.
Lawyers for the businesses argued companies paying group rates were not charged premiums that covered their losses, which forced the other companies to cover the difference. The bureau discounted its group plans as high as 90 percent.
A new fee structure took effect in July 2009, after McMonagle ordered the bureau to change its system for setting premiums for injury insurance. The maximum discount set by the bureau for group plans is 53 percent.
The amount employers are owed in overcharges has been a matter of dispute. Employers suing Ohio in 2007 originally asked for $1.3 billion, which included interest on the amount claimed, but McMonagle asked them to revise the figure downward after declining to award the interest.
During an evidentiary hearing last week, the state argued the employers did not suffer any harm that entitles them to restitution.
End of excerpt. Article continues:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0321/860M-overcharge-Ohio-employers-win-lawsuit
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Court of Common Pleas
1200 Ontario St.
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1678
COLUMBUS, Ohio
$860 million in overcharges are owed to some 270,000 Ohio businesses. Judge rules that state workers' compensation fund ran up $860 million in overcharges over a decade.
Ohio employers are collectively owed $860 million after being overcharged for nearly a decade by the state insurance fund for injured workers, a Cleveland judge ruled Wednesday.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Richard McMonagle's decision involving the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation affects about 270,000 mostly small-business owners, many unaware they are covered by the class action. His order rejected the state's arguments for paying a smaller amount.
The lawsuit, which began in 2007, said the bureau gave discounted premiums to companies that joined group insurance plans and charged companies not in the groups excessive rates to pay for the discounts.
McMonagle ruled in December in favor of business owners who didn't participate in the group rating program, agreeing they had been charged unfair premiums from July 2001 to June 2009.
Lawyers for the businesses argued companies paying group rates were not charged premiums that covered their losses, which forced the other companies to cover the difference. The bureau discounted its group plans as high as 90 percent.
A new fee structure took effect in July 2009, after McMonagle ordered the bureau to change its system for setting premiums for injury insurance. The maximum discount set by the bureau for group plans is 53 percent.
The amount employers are owed in overcharges has been a matter of dispute. Employers suing Ohio in 2007 originally asked for $1.3 billion, which included interest on the amount claimed, but McMonagle asked them to revise the figure downward after declining to award the interest.
During an evidentiary hearing last week, the state argued the employers did not suffer any harm that entitles them to restitution.
End of excerpt. Article continues:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0321/860M-overcharge-Ohio-employers-win-lawsuit
This looks like it was a tangled mess but the Judge has finally ruled in favor of the many small businesses who had been financially penalized (ripped off) for not going along with the State recommendation. Many of those small businesses are probably unaware that they will benefit from this class action suit. Just wondering how soon they will turn this into something Ohio taxpayers will have to pay.
Jim is there a way to add a topic once a post has been made or does the topic adding have to be done in the first posting?
Not yet. But I'm planning on a routine that allows the page owner to move a post from one of his pages to another. Thanks!
By the way, found a cool video on the menu after the end of your Bobby Darin "Things" video: How to fly a B26. Will post it in it's own thread.
Oh good thanks, sounds like a fun video!
That's a good idea Jim. It will be helpful for mistakes or even for a change rather than removing and reposting it elsewhere.
"Show all 6 comments" resulted in the visible comments disappearing and being replaced with:
Undefined subroutine &main::allcommentsloopforpost called at get.cgi line 105.
Should be ok now.
Works like a charm.