Colantoni, Collins, Marren, Phillips & Tulk, LLP can provide your business with assistance on all of your workers’ compensation needs. If you are a professional sports team or league, we can help you with your California workers’ compensation problems.
Read about the specialty you are interested in below, or simply call the firm and ask to speak with any of our partners.
We look forward to working with you and guiding your business as it grows and prospers.
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Workers’ Compensation Defense
The firm has dedicated attorneys in the office who practice workers’ compensation defense. The firm does not handle claims on behalf of employees but rather, provides only defense of workers’ compensation claims on behalf of employers, insurance companies and third party administrators.The firm employs certified workers’ compensation specialists (certified by the State Bar of California in the field of workers’ compensation). All of our attorneys have extensive litigation experience. We hire attorneys who are not afraid to litigate, take ‘unpopular’ positions and will fight for their client’s rights and interests. The firm prides itself on being an aggressive, yet practical law firm. The firm understands that some workers’ compensation claims need to go to trial and as such, the firm aggressively defends such cases and provides a full defense including trial, petitions for reconsideration, and appeal work. (The firm has defended appeals all the way to the California Supreme Court.)
Our firm listens to the client. We understand that in some cases, an employer needs to litigate a case all the way through trial and it is imperative that certain cases be tried. Alternatively, the firm also understands that many cases require prompt settlement for a reasonable amount of money in order to limit litigation costs, close claims and drop reserves. The firm prides itself on listening to the client and understanding the needs of each and every client on each and every specific case. There is no set formula for handling workers’ compensation cases in our firm; each case is treated individually based upon the specific fact pattern involved in each particular file. On cases which need to be resolved, the firm actively facilitates case closure by promptly scheduling medical evaluations, rating reports, filing DORs and requesting conferences in order to facilitate claim settlement. Additionally, on cases where it is possible, the firm will attempt to resolve cases at depositions.
Colantoni, Collins, Marren, Phillips & Tulk, LLP believe that defending a workers’ compensation claim can be done in a cost-effective manner. The firm bills at a very reasonable hourly rate and does accept alternative fee arrangements to handle workers’ compensation claims in some circumstances.
In order to learn more about the firm’s thriving workers’ compensation practice, please contact one of our partners, Christian Colantoni, J. Barry Collins, Shara Marren, Terisa Phillips, Robert Tulk or our Client Relations Director, Michelle Devine.
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Sports Law Litigation
Colantoni, Collins, Marren, Phillips & Tulk, LLP have a thriving practice in Sports Law. The firm represents Major League Baseball for all 30 of its teams. Additionally, the firm represents the National Football League and approximately 30 of its 32 teams. The firm also represents the ECHL and its member teams as well as several Major League Soccer teams and several NHL teams.The firm represents professional sport teams when their players file workers’ compensation disability claims in the state of California. Unfortunately, there has been a proliferation of such claims in the last five years with former athletes filing cumulative trauma claims in California for injuries they allege were due to their professional athletic career. This firm has been retained by the leagues and teams to represent them and defend these claims. We first try to see if there is proper jurisdiction in the state of California for these claims and if there is not, we will try to have the cases dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. If jurisdiction is properly in California, the firm looks for all other available defenses including aggressively pursuing apportionment, trying to have the cases precluded based upon an expiration of the statute of limitations and trying to aggressively fight permanent disability.
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Labor Code 132a Defense
If your business receives a California Labor Code section 132a claim, this firm can assist. A 132a claim is very similar to a civil wrongful termination type claim and this firm seeks to have these cases dismissed as they are rarely found to have merit.The firm will meet with you, find out about your business, learn the facts of the situation you are in and defend this allegation aggressively on your behalf. These cases require specific expertise and familiarity with the worker’s compensation appeals board procedure and rules and regulations and should be handled only by a seasoned workers’ compensation firm. Our firm has defended employers at numerous WCAB venues and has successfully won several of these cases.
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Serious & Willful Claims Defense
These claims are filed by employees seeking to exponentially add to their workers’ compensation recovery. The employee will file these claims alleging what amounts to gross negligence on the part of the employer which allegedly caused the injury. This firm is adept at defending such claims as they are similar to a civil trial in that they require careful discovery, possible site inspections and preservation of products to prove that the employer did not engage in conduct which was serious and willful. The firm has defended numerous employers with such allegations.Because these claims have the potential to add to a workers’ compensation recovery, and because an adverse finding may also carry OSHA fines, it is important to retain experienced qualified counsel. Our firm can navigate through these rough waters and guide you to a successful result.