During World War II, several Hollywood directors left Tinseltown to create movies about the war that would inform and entertain the folks at home. The conflict changed all of them, and their wounds summarize the difficulties many returning military contractors face. When John Ford shipped off to Midway in early 1942, he believed that it would be a quiet, out-of-the-way …
More private contractors will soon be on the front line as tensions continue to simmer between North Korea and the United States. The Department of Defense (DoD) just awarded Gilbane a $133 million contract to expand Camp Humphreys, which is essentially between Seoul and Anjeong-ri. The strategically located Camp Humphreys is already home to the busiest Army airfield on the …
The Trump administration has reduced the usage of military contractors, a decline that may be a one-off aberration or may be the beginning of a trend. The U.S. government currently employs about 42,000 translators, security personnel, administrators, and other private contractors overseas, a figure that has dropped about 10% since the last days of the Obama administration. Since 2015, the …
The Supreme Court of the United States refused to dismiss a pair of disputes between KBR and former military contractors injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. In court documents, the Houston-based firm said that it had the same immunity to lawsuits from injured servicepeople that the United States government enjoyed. Furthermore, the judicial branch has no inherent authority to issue decisions …
The uncertainty over the change in presidential administrations that has affected some other sectors has not had any measurable impact on civilian contractor overseas jobs, according to Charmaine Bell at Engility Corporation. However, that is subject to change depending on “what’s happening around the world, the federal budget, and of course the current political landscape,” she added. For the most …
Barnett, Lerner, Karsen & Frankel, P.A. are pleased to have been a corporate supporter for the Fifth Annual Silver Hawk Golf Tournament sponsored by a local elementary school in Miami, Florida. A full field of golfers and their families enjoyed the tournament and beautiful day on Saturday, May 20, 2017. Barnett, Lerner, Karsen & Frankel, P.A. are delighted to have …
A large Chinese military installation will be less than five miles from one of the most important U.S. military bases in the Horn of Africa. Chinese officials characterized the installation in Djibouti, which has a coastline along the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb at the edge of the Red Sea, as a “logistical support” facility that helps facilitate peacekeeping efforts elsewhere in Africa. …
Following a spirited debate, the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee approved a measure that would reconfigure the workers’ compensation system in Florida. Much of the discussion about PCB IBS 17-01 centered on attorneys’ fees, which under the approved 34-page bill, could be as high as $250 an hour. Business groups insisted that a rate that high would drive up employer costs, …
Bills in both the State House and Senate would allow Florida workers, especially first responders, suffering from job-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to file workers’ compensation claims. Dr. Deborah Beidel, a psychology professor at the University of Central Florida, says that many first responders are exposed to conditions and events like those commonly experienced in war zones, such as the Pulse …
Fighters from Malhama Tactical, a small organization of private military contractors who are the latest self-proclaimed protectors of oppressed Sunni minorities all over the globe, are the newest such warriors to arrive in Syria. Little is known about their leader, Abu Rofiq, a pseudonym that means “father of Rofiq.” He is apparently a 24-year-old jihadist from Uzbekistan, and many of …
Most states other than Florida have workers’ compensation programs that include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder coverage for first responders, and Senator Keith Perry (R-Gainesville) wants the Sunshine State to join the crowd. In the wake of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, many first responders were diagnosed with PTSD because of the horrific scene at the nightclub. Because the current system does …
48-year-old Orquidea Quezada of Orlando will spend the next 18 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to a sprawling workers’ compensation fraud scheme that involved an elaborate employee renting arrangement. U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr. also entered a $585,000 money judgement against Ms. Quezada. According to investigators, Orquicely Construction, LLC fabricated payroll records to obtain various …
