Arizona Laws 23-970. Misrepresentation of payroll, job description, job function or loss history affecting premium payment; violation; classification; penalty; statute of limitations; civil action
A. It is unlawful for an employer to wilfully misrepresent to an insurance carrier the amount of payroll, the job description or job function of an employee, or the employer’s loss history, on which the premium for workers’ compensation insurance to be paid to the insurance carrier is based.
Attorney's Note
Under the Arizona Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 6 felony | up to 1 1/2 years | up to $150,000 |
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 23-970
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Compensation: means the compensation and benefits provided by this chapter. See Arizona Laws 23-901
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Insurance carrier: means every insurance carrier duly authorized by the director of the department of insurance and financial institutions to write workers' compensation or occupational disease compensation insurance in this state. See Arizona Laws 23-901
- Wilfully: means , with respect to conduct or to a circumstance described by a statute defining an offense, that a person is aware or believes that the person's conduct is of that nature or that the circumstance exists. See Arizona Laws 1-215
B. An employer that violates subsection A is guilty of a class 6 felony.
C. In addition to the punishment that may be imposed pursuant to subsection B, an employer that violates subsection A is liable for a penalty of up to three times the amount of the difference in premium paid and the amount the employer should have paid. The penalty shall be collected in a civil action by the insurance carrier, in addition to any other damages that are incurred by the insurance carrier due to the misrepresentation, including costs and attorney fees. The insurance carrier shall initiate the civil action within four years after the date the insurance carrier knew or with the exercise of reasonable diligence should have known of the misrepresentation. The insurance carrier may initiate the civil action regardless of whether a criminal action is brought against the employer.