Our experienced attorneys, including a member who is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in workers’ compensation, defend and assist in the management of workers’ compensation claims for employers.
We represent self-insured employers as well as both large and small state-fund insured employers in hearings before the Industrial Commission and before the adjudication committee of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. When needed, we also handle appeals in state courts that result from work-related injuries and occupational diseases.
Our experience defending and advising clients regarding workers’ compensation claims has resulted in significant cost savings for our clients. Avoiding the payment of false claims, managing difficult claims, and settling valid claims for fair value can make the difference for state-funded employers between a significant premium reduction in group rating or a penalty rating and denial of participation in premium reduction programs. For self-insured employers, the savings in claims costs and assessments contribute to the bottom line. Our attorneys can advise employers on proactive methods to avoid claims costs, litigation, and increased premium expenses.
Experience:
- Prevailed in State ex rel. Kelsey Hayes Co. v. Grashel before the Supreme Court of Ohio. The Court held that a former employee of Critchfield’s client was not entitled to compensation for permanent total disability (PTD) based on his voluntary abandonment of the workforce.
- Prevailed in the Supreme Court of Ohio in the matter of State ex rel. Griffith v. Indus. Comm., successfully arguing that the Appellant was correctly denied Temporary Total Disability Compensation (TTD).
- Successfully argued in an Ohio Court of Appeals that an injured worker was not entitled to Temporary Total Disability on the ground that the worker had voluntarily abandoned work with her employer by violating a written work rule or policy. See, State ex rel. Apostolic Christian Home, Inc. v King.
- Successfully defended a client in an Ohio Court of Appeals case against claims of retaliatory discharge following former employee’s complaint to OSHA regarding alleged unsafe working conditions, as well as the filing of a workers’ compensation claim. See Carpenter v. Bishop Wells Services Corp.
