Report: Illinois Work Comp Arbitrator Sought Favor on Her Claim

A newspaper’s ongoing investigation has found that an Illinois workers’ compensation arbitrator asked for help with her own personal injury case while scheduling a hearing in an unrelated case. The apparent request for an exchange of favors raises ethical questions.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the arbitrator linked the settlement of her personal claim to setting a hearing date in a case handled by the Illinois attorney general’s office that was pending before her.

The newspaper obtained a report on the matter from the inspector general’s office of the attorney general. The report on the arbitrator’s questionable actions has been submitted to an attorneys’ disciplinary board.

Mitch Weisz is chairman of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. He declined to comment about any investigation of the arbitrator, who’s still hearing cases.

Information from: Belleville News-Democrat