RULING CLEARS WAY FOR $53 MILLION FOR INJURED WORKERS

            COLUMBUS- Lawyers for injured workers suing the
state say an Ohio Supreme Court ruling Wednesday paves the
way for the state to return more than $53 million wrongfully
taken from workers.  The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
disputes the figure.

         The court ruled that the bureau wrongfully took money
from hundreds of injured workers under a law that was previ-
ously declared unconstitutional.

         That declaration came in an unanimous ruling Wednesday
involving the proper jurisdiction for lawsuits alleging money
taken improperly by the state.

          The money was taken from workers from 1993 to 2001
using a state law that allowed the bureau to claim repayment
for injury benefits if workers also received private insurance
settlements.

          “The only question that needs to be asked is why is the
state still holding on to the money?” Ronald Maurer, a Dayton
lawyer and co-counsel on a class-action lawsuit pursuing the
money, said Thursday.

           The $53 million number “is a worst-case figure,” said Jer-
emy Jackson, BWC spokesman.

CLASS COUNSEL:     

            DWORKEN & BERNSTEIN CO. L.P.A.
                        Patrick J. Perotti, Esq.
                        Patrick T. Murphy, Esq.

            BASHEIN & BASHEIN CO. L.P.A.
                        W. Craig Bashein, Esq.
                        Paul W. Flowers, Esq.

            DYER, GAROFALO, MANN & SCHULTZ
                        Ronald Maurer, Esq.
                        John Smalley, Esq.