In a March 4, 2015 decision, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania awarded former center Chukwunweze Sonume (“Chukky”) Okobi $779 per week in workers’ compensation benefits, along with awarding over $22,000 in attorney’s fees and costs, due to multiple injuries sustained during his time in the National Football League.
Okobi played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2001 to 2007, and then was signed by the Arizona Cardinals in 2007 and Houston Texans in 2008. In 2009, Okobi filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following hearings in 2009-2011, the Workers’ Compensation Judge found that Okobi was entitled to receive total disability benefits beginning on June 3, 2008 (following claimant’s release from the Texans) to the date of the decision and continuing. The Judge also awarded over $5,000 in costs and over $17,000 in fees on the basis that the Steelers “unreasonably” contested the claim.
The decision noted that the Steelers were properly precluded from presenting their own medical expert witness due to multiple delays with respect to the physician’s testimony and precluded from offering evidence of post-injury earnings which had not been produced as directed at multiple hearings. The decision also discussed the physical nature of the claimant’s training and everyday activities as an NFL player, and credited Okobi’s testimony that he could no longer perform those tasks as a result of ongoing back, neck, and left arm pain due to injuries sustained while in the NFL. The decision also affirmed the Judge’s decision to award costs and fees on the bases that the Steelers did not issue a notice of denial, paid for all the medical bills incurred, failed to offer any evidence to dispute the injuries, and did not dispute notice of the injuries.
For more: see http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/03/steelers_must_pay_workers_comp.html#incart_river and Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc. v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Okobi), No. 94 C.D. 2014, 2015 Pa. Commw. Unpub. LEXIS 156 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsyvlania, March 4, 2015)/