LOS ANGELES—I was an art teacher at Sepulveda Middle School in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, when on December 8, 2000 I was sprayed in my face with the toxic chemicals from a fire extinguisher by one of my students. I was gasping for air, and my tongue was swelling and my nose closing. The rest of my students were exposed to the chemicals and they were also getting very sick. Another teacher died from a similar injury at another school in June 2000. Neither paramedics nor Hazmat clean-up were ever called, and 180 of my students sat exposed to the toxic yellow dust from the fire extinguisher which coated surfaces all over the room for months. I have documented lung damage, Fibromyalgia, pain, and exhaustion. Dr. Silverman, a rheumatologist, rated me 100% disabled due to Fibromyalgia from being sprayed at work. Because of a teacher’s union grievance, the L.A. school district admitted that I had suffered an “Act of Violence” physical injury in 2002. I have a twelve-year-old Worker’s Comp case. I was receiving benefits until 2009 when they were cut off.
Since then, all L.A. Unified School District and Workers Comp have wanted to do was lower my rating and deny my benefits. They did it by violating Insurance Code 1871.4, committing fraud and breaking other laws. My case went all the way to the California Supreme Court. Not one judge would base their decisions on the substantiated evidence and make a fair, just and impartial decision.
The Van Nuys Workers Comp Board Judge in my trial—Jerold Cohn—made a medical diagnosis. He is not a doctor. He changed all the facts and testimony, added his own facts, and used inadmissible evidence. He lost Dr. Silverman’s original reports, delayed my case, maligned my character, and libeled me throughout all of his Findings, Opinions and Decisions.
He found a willing “Partner in Crime”, Dr. John Stalberg who changed all the facts to adopt Judge Cohn’s medical diagnosis. LAUSD paid Dr. Stalberg $16,770—that’s $700 a page—for his 2011 Medical Report. Dr. Stalberg hadn’t seen me, talked to me, or examined me for four years. He admitted under oath, in 2012 that he didn’t even have all the records, or the evidence to prove Judge Cohn’s medical diagnosis. And he didn’t care.
Another “Partner in Crime” was Dr. Alvin Markowitz who did a stethoscope exam to determine Fibromyalgia instead of the standard pressure point exam. No ethical doctor uses a stethoscope to determine Fibromyalgia.
Criminal Fraud, Corruption and Injustice—that’s my California Workers’ Comp Case. Millions of California injured workers experience the same criminal corruption in their Workers Comp Cases. It’s time for ALL injured workers to unite. UNITED WE CAN WIN!
Contact me at: 818-631-0513, ROZYWOW@AOL.COM. I’m on Rev. Pinkney’s Radio Show blogtalkradio/pinkney every Sun 2-4 PM PST
I am an injured worker from Los Angeles, California. I was injured at work lifting heavy equipment. I have a torn sacreal disc, a 6-7 mm hernia at the L5 S1. I was diagnosed by an Orthopedic surgeon as having a degenerative disc disease, impeding nerves onmy left side. I was reccomended for fusion surgery. This happened to me in October of 2013. I am still fighting for surgery, with a slew of surgeons who have reccomended fusion surgery. My condition has worstened to the point where an exacerbation lands me in the hospital for a week. My doctor submitted rfa’s daily while I was there. Every day I would fast in case it was approved. It wasn’t. My condition has progressed and now my right side is also worsening, it was originally my left side that lost reflexes and the shooting pain was on my left. Now my right side is hypo reflexive as well and pain radiates on both sides. I was diagnosed with Caude Equina, but that doesn’t mean anything to WC. Please help me have a voice that isn’t muted by the deafening sound of corporate greed. I can’t fight them without losing everything I have worked for. My attorney fights for me, but the WC board keeps throwing apparently legal curveballs that undermine the AME’s decisions that urge for my surgery asap. There is no urgency in this corrupt game of corporate manipulation, they deny, deny, deny, they hope I will soon die.
Hi I have my son here who was injured at Toyota. He was beaten for months by employees at his Job. He has autism. The workers their increased his workload after he told on them regarding the beatings. To date he has lost half of his teeth as a result of the beatings, he has also injured his back and shoulder needing surgery. His employer is contesting his injury claims and has been for a year now. They just recently fired him claiming he abandoned his Job. He has not been paid since he was injured either. The insurance people are denying him because he could not give them a verbal recording over the phone because he is not very verbal, he offered to do it in writing but they said no. He did so anyways and they denied his claim. To date he continues to fight.