Complicated, Emotionally Fraught North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Case Hamstrings Honeybaked Ham
Most North Carolina workers’ compensation stories begin with prosaic events, such as slip and falls or back injuries. But the case of HoneyBaked Ham Manager Richard Huether began literally at gunpoint.
Back in April, a burglar attempted to rob Huether’s HoneyBaked Ham store. In the ensuing confrontation, Huether ended up shot. Subsequently, the company (which is based in Georgia) reportedly went out of its way to provide North Carolina workers’ compensation, reimbursement for costs of COBRA payments, and extra pay to make up the difference between Huether’s benefits and his normal wages. However, Huether has now reportedly been terminated from his job — just after his workers’ comp benefits ran out.
In a public statement, the company maintained that Huether was let go in order to allow him to collect social security benefits. But the injured worker was not pleased by the decision. In particular, he publicly expressed concerned that he will lose his health insurance as a result of the termination. (Given Huether’s pre-existing injuries, new insurance could cost his family as much as $5,000 a month, according to sources close to the family.)
Although social security benefits may cover therapies, treatments, and other medical costs, the process of accessing social security moneys can drag on for a long time — even for years — and thus create financial stresses in the short term.
HoneyBaked Ham is a popular franchise in the south. But the company is no stranger to controversy. A vegan protest of a HoneyBaked Ham store once resulted in the mass arrest of activists and major media coverage.
HoneyBaked Ham Fires Employee Shot in Store Robbery, The Consumerist, Sept 26, 2009
Employee injured in robbery attempt loses job, WRAL.com, Sept 26, 2009
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