Posted on 10/10/2007 11:11:06 AM PDT by Lucky9teen
INDIANAPOLIS - An Indiana appeals court upheld a worker's compensation award Tuesday for an exotic dancer who was injured while performing on a pole at a strip club.
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Angela Hobson and ordered the state Worker's Compensation Board to determine if she was entitled to double compensation.
Hobson claimed she suffered neck pain and numbness after injuring herself while dancing at the Shangri-La West club in Fort Wayne on Dec. 20, 2001. She underwent surgery for a herniated disc in her cervical spine, according to court records.
Hobson said she reported her injury to her employers, but they later denied knowledge of the injury.
In 2006, the compensation board awarded her temporary total disability benefits and other compensation totaling more than $10,000 and found that Shangri-La did not have a worker's compensation policy and was not approved as a self-insurer.
Shangri-La appealed, arguing that the board erred when it found Hobson more credible than its witnesses. But the court declined to reweigh the evidence and upheld the original award, adding a 5 percent increase due to the passage of time.
The court also instructed the board to determine whether Hobson was entitled to double compensation due in part to the allegation that Shangri-La violated state law by not having worker's compensation insurance.
Dino Zurzolo, who owned the club at the time, said the lack of worker's compensation insurance at the time was a temporary oversight due to a missed payment.
A phone message left late Tuesday for attorney Samuel Bolinger, who represents Wholesalers Inc., the company that does business as Shangri-La, was not immediately returned.
Sure, Dino.
Pictures?
You're welcome!
Was the pole OSHA approved?
Now you’re opening up a whole new can o’ worms. OSHA would require wearing steel toed safety shoes, hard hat, and an approved climbing belt with safety strap.
Is this a great country we live in or what !........;o)
Ok .......who greased the brass pole again ?
Don’t see a problem with that. As long as they don’t require the girls wear pants. That would be going too far.
It’s all where those leather straps were worn.
The paper cuts are hell.
Never stuff new bills in her g-string for just such reason !
I heard you tried IOU’s... :)
Monopoly money....hey that’s fake ! Shutup so’s yer tit’s !
“Hobson claimed she suffered neck pain and numbness after injuring herself while dancing at the Shangri-La West club in Fort Wayne on Dec. 20, 2001.”
Couldn’t have been those 8 inch heels she was wearing.
“found that Shangri-La did not have a worker’s compensation policy and was not approved as a self-insurer.”
Why would they need the insurance. Don’t most of the dancers pay to dance at the club and only get paid via tips? I don’t think they constitute being labeled an employee. That would be like a band member getting injured while playing at a bar and filing a claim against worker’s comp. Also I imagine most dancers don’t claim all their income, wouldn’t open the dancer to a whole lot of scrutiny over her income.
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