IT’S ILLEGAL FOR YOUR EMPLOYER TO FIRE YOU OR MAKE YOUR LIFE DIFFICULT JUST BECAUSE YOU FILE A CLAIM FOR BENEFITS
(THIS IS WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONSULT WITH AN EXPERIENCED EMPLOYMENT LAWYER)
Florida Law is crystal clear: if you get hurt on the job you have the right to get full medical treatment and receive at least 66.66% of the wages you lose while out of work: Not only that, your employer cannot retaliate against you just because you have asserted your right to these workers’ compensation benefits. Unfortunately, employer retaliation happens all the time. If it happens to you, or someone you love, our employee rights lawyers are ready to help.
In the typical case, an employee injured at work seeks medical care and makes a claim for workers’ compensation benefits so the medical care can be paid for. The employee may lose days, even weeks, of work due to the injuries and recuperation time, and is also entitled to be compensated for lost wages through workers’ compensation. The problem is, these benefits cost the employer, and they frequently do not want to pay.
So instead of living up to their legal responsibilities, the employer terminates the employee or begins to take other actions intended to punish the employee or make the employee quit. This may take the form of reducing the employee’s work hours, changing their job title, duties or pay, constant criticism and even a refusal to give a recovering employee light duty work in accordance with the doctors’ restrictions. Florida law does not tolerate this type of behavior by an employer, when employees simply ask for the benefits they are entitled to after being hurt at work.
The Florida Statute which applies to these cases, Section 440.205, says:
No employer shall discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate or coerce any employee by reason of such employee’s valid claim for compensation or attempt to claim compensation under the Workers’ Compensation Law.
The Miami workers’ compensation and employee rights attorneys at this law firm have years of experience in enforcing this law, and protecting workers from employer misconduct. We handle these cases on a contingency basis, which means that we only get paid if, and when, we make a recovery on your behalf. If for any reason we cannot make the employer pay for the mistreatment, we won’t charge you anything. CALL US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION AT: (305) 649-5060.
Recommended Articles:
An Overview of Florida Workers’ Compensation Law
Don’t Do These Things If You Have Been Hurt On the Job!
Rights of Injured Undocumented Workers and the Importance of Legal Representation
Can I file a claim for an accident at work if I’m an independent contractor?