NWCDN Members regularly post articles and summary judgements in workers’ compensations law in your state.
Select a state from the dropdown menu below to scroll through the state specific archives for updates and opinions on various workers’ compensation laws in your state.
Contact information for NWCDN members is also located on the state specific links in the event you have additional questions or your company is seeking a workers’ compensation lawyer in your state.
Written by: Tracey Jones
Amber May appointed as the NCIC’s Chief Operating Office Effective June 1, 2023
The Industrial Commission announced that Amber May will serve as its Chief Operating Officer effective June 1, 2023. May currently serves as the Commission’s General Counsel, having returned to the Commission in March of 2022 after eight years as Rules Review Commission Counsel at the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings. Prior to joining the Rules Review Commission, May served as the Law Clerk to former Commission Chair Pamela T. Young. Before that, May worked as a Staff Attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina, where she represented clients in a wide variety of civil matters and gained substantial litigation experience. May earned her law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law and her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Meredith College.
Pam Young retiring from the NCIC Effective June 1, 2023
The Industrial Commission’s Chief Operating Officer, Pamela T. Young, is retiring effective June 1, 2023. Young’s service to the State of North Carolina includes nearly 20 years at the Industrial Commission where she served as a Deputy Commissioner from 1996-2002; a Commissioner from 2003-2014, during which time she was designated by the Governor as Vice-Chair and then Chair of the Commission; and most recently as Chief Operating Officer since 2020.
William B. Wallace appointed to serve as a Deputy Commissioner Effective March 13, 2023
William B. Wallace was appointed to serve as a Deputy Commissioner beginning March 13, 2023. Wallace began practicing workers’ compensation law in 1998, and he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in workers’ compensation cases. He is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in workers’ compensation law and a North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission certified mediator. Wallace is a former Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section. Wallace earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law. Wallace will be assigned to the Commission’s Charlotte regional office.
Elias W. Admassu appointed to serve as a Deputy Commissioner Effective February 27, 2023
Elias W. Admassu was appointed to serve as a Deputy Commissioner in the Raleigh office beginning February 27, 2023. Admassu brings considerable workers’ compensation experience to the Commission, having litigated claims before the Industrial Commission from 2009 through 2020 while representing employers and insurers. He also has significant employment law and governmental experience, having served in important advisory roles in the Chief Counsel’s Office of the North Carolina Division of Employment Security and as counsel to the Human Resources and General Counsel’s Office of the North Carolina Department of Justice over the past few years. Most recently, Admassu was a Special Deputy Attorney General responsible for representing the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in complex employment, labor, disability, and constitutional law litigation in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies. Admassu earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Phillip A. Baddour, III reappointed to the Full Commission
Governor Roy Cooper has reappointed Philip A. Baddour, III to serve a second six-year term as a Commissioner on the North Carolina Industrial Commission beginning May 1, 2023, subject to confirmation by the North Carolina General Assembly.
In March of 2017, Baddour was appointed by Governor Cooper to serve his first term as a Commissioner, and he was confirmed by the General Assembly in June of 2017. In February of 2019, Governor Cooper designated Baddour as the Chair of the Industrial Commission. Baddour previously served as a Deputy Commissioner at the Industrial Commission for 17 years. Baddour received his B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1992 and earned his law degree from Campbell University in 1996.
New Procedure: Report of Mediator Fee Invoices to be emailed when the Mediator is appointed.
On Monday, February 20, 2023, the Industrial Commission began emailing Report of Mediator fee invoices at the time the mediator is appointed. The Report of Mediator invoice will be sent to defense counsel by email shortly after the Appointment of Mediator Order is emailed.
This new procedure, which was created in response to stakeholder feedback, will give employers and carriers additional time to process and pay Report of Mediator fees. Upon receipt of the Report of Mediator invoice, the $200 fee can be paid online via credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or e-Check. A link for online payment will be provided in the email. The $200 fee also may be paid by paper check mailed to the Industrial Commission.
While the Industrial Commission strongly encourages early payment of Report of Mediator fees to avoid past due invoices, this new procedure does not change the Report of Mediator fee due date (i.e., payment of the $200 Report of Mediator fee is due no later than seven (7) days from the deadline for completing mediation or seven (7) days from the date mediation is completed, whichever is earlier). With the ability to pay Report of Mediator fees early, however, employers and carriers can avoid the risk of late payment (which may subject them to statutory penalties and interest) and can more efficiently manage and bring closure to their case files.