Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods Oppose Workers' Compensation Claim for Injured Police Officer
Wal-Mart has been trying to shake off its reputation as a heartless corporation guilty of numerous counts of employment discrimination and trying to squeeze as much profit as possible by not letting its employees rise above the poverty line. This action should help.
Major corporations Wal-Mart and Tyson Food have joined a lawsuit that attempts to keep a Pine Bluff, Arkansas police officer from getting workers' compensation after he was shot in the ankle and knocked unconscious after patting down a suspect.
On March 1, 2003, the officer was patting down a suspect, who then stuck a gun in his stomach. The officer struggled for the gun, but received a gunshot wound to his left ankle, then was knocked unconscious with a blow to the head. He has claimed that he suffered neurological damage from the blow and that he walks with a limp as a result of the gunshot wound. These statements form the basis of his claim to receive workers' compensation for his injuries.
However, his claim was denied by the Workers' Compensation Commission, saying that there was no objective evidence showing that he sustained permanent physical impairment. Doctors selected by the police department and the Workers' Compensation Commission say there is no impairment, but another doctor says there is. The appeals court has twice overturned the Commission's findings, saying that the presence of bullet fragments constituted objective evidence.
The large corporations are involved because they want to weigh in on the issue. They fear that if the officer's case is found in his favor, they may have to respect the opinions of doctors other than the few carefully chosen shills that can be reliably counted on to ignore evidence and deny the claims of anyone, even a former chief of police shot in the line of duty.
It is surprising that Wal-Mart would make such a public move against workers' rights following the recent row over their attempt to take the last penny of a brain-damaged employee earlier this year.
If you have suffered a work-related injury, contact the experienced workers' compensation lawyers at Pomerantz, Perlberger, and Lewis, LLP today for a free initial consultation and case evaluation.
