The 53-year-old owner of a business headquartered in Pennsylvania faces allegations of failing to provide worker’s compensation insurance for employees after a 57-year-old employee had a finger cut off on the job. When he tried to have worker’s compensation pay for his medical expenses, he discovered that the company no longer had coverage.
Although the owner admits that he should not have dropped the insurance, he blames a sluggish economy for a need to cut costs. He also says that the employee who blames him for the mistake is disgruntled.
The business owner is also accused of failing to send the proper money of more than $4,000 to Social Security Administration for the same employee. Although the business took the money out of the worker’s checks, SSA never received the money for funds withheld in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He faces two felony charges of theft by deception and theft by failure to make the required disposal of funds.
After the employee was laid off, he submitted a claim for unemployment. During this process, he found out that the company had not been sending in his social security funds, so he contacted the police to file a report. He also attempted to reach the business owner but received no response. The business owner thought someone else at the company had sent in the monies.
Employers are legally required to pay Social Security taxes and to pay into worker’s compensation insurance. Lawyers who understand the legal government requirements of employer laws might be able to help clients recover money.
Source: Lancaster Online, “Employer charged in wage dispute,” Ryan Robertson, March 21, 2013