Follow-up: Emails-Prosecutors Got Texas Mutual "Great Publicity"
Travis County prosecutors say the money they get each year from a large insurance company to prosecute workers’ compensation fraud helps both consumers and businesses by holding down premiums and maintaining a stable market for employers.
But behind the scenes, top officials in the district attorney’s office are highlighting other benefits: They say they’re generating a lot of money and good PR for Texas Mutual Insurance Company.
Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune and the Austin American-Statesman show officials from the DA’s office have even used those claims to ask Texas Mutual for more money to prosecute the company’s fraud cases.
Texas Mutual, the largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Texas, has authorized payments of some $4.7 million to the Travis County district attorney’s office since 2000 to prosecute fraud cases for the company. The agreement has come under scrutiny at the Travis County courthouse and the state Capitol following a joint Tribune/Statesman investigation last month that raised questions about the deal. Critics say the public-private partnership constitutes a basic conflict of interest, and officials have since temporarily suspended the agreement.
Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/25/emails-prosecutors-got-texas-mutual-great-publicit/
Earlier threads:
Justice for hire? Giant insurer pays government lawyers to pursue fraud charges September 9, 2015
Follow-up: Officials Want Review of Privately Funded Prosecutions September 14, 2015
Follow-up: Travis County Can't Stop Privately Funded Prosecutions September 23, 2015
Follow-up: Travis County Prosecutor-For-Hire Deal with Texas Mutual Ins. Co. Postponed September 30, 2015
Travis County DA sues Texas to fight controversial Texas Mutual Ins. Co. contract’s release October 13, 2015
