Monday, December 01, 2008

Son Denied Benefits After Mom's Death


This actually happened up the street from me. The name of the lady is 26year old Taneka Talley. She worked at the Dollar Tree in Fairfield Ca. A man came into the store on the morning of March 29th 2006. According to the alleged killer, he came into the store determined to kill a black woman. Sadly Taneka was the first person he saw.

The Dollar Tree though
has denied Taneka's only son, Larry, his mother's workers' compensation death benefits by the store's insurance company.

The reason?
The firm says the woman was killed because of her race, not her job. I am outraged!
We all pay into our indivdual State Workers Compensation benefits. Sowhat they are saying is if I happen to be injured while at work, because some fool decides that they don't like the color of my skin, then my children will be denied survivor benefits?

State workers' compensation law entitles the son to death benefits, according to Moira Stagliano, an attorney with Boxer & Gerson, the Oakland law firm that is representing Carol Frazier, Larry Talley's grandmother and legal guardian. It appears the Dollar Tree Stores' insurance carrier, Specialty Risk Services, is denying the Talley family's death benefit claim,based on the fact they claim it was a "personal" manner. The carrier claims that a "HATE CRIME" makes it personal.

WHAT?

Now this woman was at work, helping her employer, she was not in the parking lot or at lunch. So I am not quite understanding why this carrier is trying to get out of paying or compensating the family for benefits it deserves. Having worked for insurance companies(or rather dealing with them) on a client basis, I do know that IF THEY CAN they will try to minimize or fight these claims.

The suspect, Tommy Joe Thompson, is scheduled to stand trial next month on a charge of murder in the case. Police say Thompson entered the store shortly after 9 a.m. and stabbed the 26-year-old Talley once in the chest. She died a short time later.

The basis for the denial was "ridiculous," said Edgar Romano, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group. "It's a completely implausible reason to deny benefits."
I am supporting his mom in getting this message out. I live down the street from this store. They didn't treat minorities right in the store anyway. They always were following you around, like people desperately wanted to steal from DOLLAR TREE...please!


Here is how you can help, spread the word on your blogs.

Send email to Dollar Tree CEO bsasser@dollartree.com also write about it on your blog. I know it will be hard in this economy but It's time to boycott Dollar Tree.



Read More HERE

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi! Thanks.
Nice blog too ;)

Anonymous said...

I would encourage them to take this trial. I doubt there is a jury in the world that would buy that this woman was injured at work no matter how that came to be. If she'd been at home instead of on the job she'd still be alive. Insurance companie! They'll try anything to get out of paying what is due.

Anonymous said...

Look for your High Five from me HERE! :-)

Unknown said...

OMG!!! UNfreaking believable!!! I am so putting this up first thin in the morning!
A personal issue??? What??

Marvalus said...

This is absolutely ridiculous!

I say take this to trial also...I can't see a jury deciding that this was not a work injury...