Stripper Shot on the Job Will Get New Workers’ Comp Hearing

May 2, 2017

There has been quite the debate over how much a South Carolina stripper should be compensated after being shot while on the job.

Last week the state’s highest court ordered a new hearing in the woman’s case.

The decision comes two years after Supreme Court justices ruled that the woman was an employee of the club, not an independent contractor, a determination that meant she was entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.

The woman was working as an exotic dancer at the Boom Boom Room Studio 54 in Columbia in 2008 when a stray bullet struck her in the abdomen during a fight. According to court records, she suffered internal injuries, resulting in the loss of a kidney.

The club had argued that the woman was simply a contractor and wasn’t on its books as an employee. But, the court found in its initial ruling, the club chose the woman’s dance music, required her to perform dances for certain customers, and barred her from leaving work early without risk of a fine.

In that 2015 ruling, the high court left it to the Workers’ Compensation Commission to determine how much of a benefit the woman should receive, an award ultimately set at $75 a week. The panel, according to justices, provided no documentation for how it arrived at that amount.

The court pointed out it wasn’t saying the amount had been too low or too high but rather that the commission’s order “was devoid of any specific and detailed findings of fact to substantiate the award.”

If you have been injured on the job in Florida, you are entitled to workers compensation benefits. Workers compensation claims cover all types of injuries, including:

• Broken bones
• Back injuries
• Knee problems
• Wrist injuries including carpal tunnel syndrome
• Heart attacks
• Burns
• Shoulder pain
• Neck pain
• Shootings
• Work-related death

Workers compensation benefits cover all necessary and reasonable medical expenses for the duration of your injury. If your employer is refusing to provide you with medical care, disability benefits or a suitable settlement, our Florida Worker’s Compensation Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help.

Call us today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online for a free consultation.