Articles Posted in PIP Benefits

On February 28 of this year — just two weeks after beginning a job at an Ann Arbor recycling plant — 47-year-old maintenance technician Earl Roberts’ arm was crushed under a 500-pound gear box. Earl was seriously injured; the incident severed several tendons and muscles in his left forearm. Over the past five months, Earl has seen five doctors, and he’s still on medication to manage the pain. The doctors tell him he will have problems with his left arm for the rest of his life.

Roberts claims that ReCommunity–the North Carolina-based company under contract with Ann Arbor to operate the plant–created an unsafe work environment. What’s more, the plant manager ignored Earl’s prior expression of safety concerns. Last month, Ann Arbor terminated its contract with ReCommunity, due to repeated safety violations. ReCommunity retaliated by suing the city for unlawful breach of contract.

Continue reading

The Michigan Court of Appeals recently upheld a lower court’s grant of summary disposition to a defendant insurance company regarding a lawsuit for personal injury protection (PIP) benefits, due to the fraud exclusion in the defendant’s policy.

Plaintiff Ronald Thomas was involved in a car accident in July 2013. At the time, he was the named insured on a no-fault auto insurance policy issued by the defendant, Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company. Thomas received treatment from several medical providers for injuries arising from the accident. The plaintiff’s treating physician, Dr. James Beale, instructed the plaintiff not to drive for a period starting with the day of the accident through January 2014. At his deposition, Thomas denied driving a car at any time during that period. However, surveillance footage collected by the defendant’s employee revealed Thomas driving during that period on two separate occasions. He also used non-emergency medical transportation on both days.

Continue reading