Call Us 919-240-4054A new client, Ralph, came to talk with us about settling his workers’ comp claim. He wasn’t sure that he needed a lawyer, but since his friend urged him to call Johnson & Groninger, he figured that it couldn’t hurt. A workers’ comp consultation is free. He met with Valerie Johnson to talk about his […]
Workers' Compensation
Valerie Johnson presents at NC Industrial Commission Conference
The North Carolina Industrial Commission (NCIC) Annual Educational Conference is now taking place in Raleigh. The three-day conference is taking place through Friday, October 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The conference covers every aspect of North Carolina workers’ compensation law. Valerie Johnson presented on Wednesday, October 8, concerning the newest Industrial Commission Rules, along […]
How not to lose your workers’ comp claim
If workers’ comp were an animal, it might be a liger, a cross between a lion and a tiger. That’s because workers’ comp claims are a crossbreed — the same as filing a lawsuit, but the courts, judges and rules are different. (Judges are called deputy commissioners and the court is called the Industrial Commission.) […]
Natural gas workers are inhaling hazardous chemical benzene
Now that North Carolina is poised to start hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in order to drill for natural gas, we are concerned about the possible health effects on workers in the gas industry. Researchers for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently finished a study of workers at six oil and gas sites […]
New edition of North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law Guidebook
The second edition of North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim, co-edited by Valerie Johnson, was released by LexisNexis on July 24. The comprehensive guide to workers’ compensation law provides guidance for the North Carolina lawyer who wants to stay on top of the many recent changes […]
Workers’ Comp 101 class at Labor School
Valerie Johnson taught Workers’ Comp 101 to more than 70 union presidents, stewards and members in Wilmington at UNC-W on July 24. The North Carolina AFL-CIO’s yearly Labor School covers a variety of subjects important to working people. Students learned the nuts and bolts: how and when to report injuries, the meaning of “injury by […]
Court says former employer has to pay workers’ compensation benefits while employee looks for a different job
If you were injured on the job and it took years for you to heal from your injury, would it then be too late to ask your former employer to give you retraining for something different, or help you look for a job? The Court of Appeals recently ruled that where an injured worker provides […]
Court sides with worker who fell for unknown reason
To be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in North Carolina for an arm injury, an injured worker needs to show that the injury was caused by an “accident”. If an employee injures his arm because of something that is an ordinary event, part of life for everyone, he is ordinarily not entitled to benefits. Sometimes, […]
All NC workers’ comp judges could be fired
Workers in North Carolina are about to be dealt another blow. Hidden in the budget bill being debated by the NC Legislature is a part that allows judges (called deputy commissioners) to be fired without any reason. Seven could lose their jobs in February, seven in August, and the rest six months later. Why should […]
Group honors Valerie Johnson for helping injured workers in North Carolina
Valerie was honored for her tireless efforts on behalf of workers’ rights in North Carolina by the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute at its 40th Annual Awards Banquet and Birthday Celebration. She also spoke at the banquet on the topic of labor and the changing political climate impacting injured workers in the state. Clayola Brown, the national president […]
