According to an article by Meg Kinnard on Insurance Journal, an argument continues to ensue over the amount a South Carolina stripper should receive in workers’ compensation benefits after getting shot on the job.
LeAndra Lewis was shot in the abdomen by a stray bullet during a fight while she was working as an exotic dancer back in 2008 at the Boom Boom Room Studio 54 in Columbia, South Carolina. Court records indicated that her injuries were severe internally, even resulting in loss of one of her kidneys.
The initial 2015 Supreme Court court ruling found that because the club chose the music that Lewis’ danced to, required her to perform dances for specific customers, and prohibited her from leaving work before her shift was over without paying a fine, that she was, in fact, an employee, in contradiction of the owners claims that she was only considered a contractor. Lewis was awarded a new hearing with South Carolina’s highest court last month, approximately two years later.
The Supreme Court originally left the benefit amount decision to the Workers’ Compensation Commission, who awarded Lewis $75 per week. The argument now continues between the Workers’ Comepnsation Commission and the Supreme Court, as the justices are suggesting that the workers’ compensation panel provided no documentation to substantiate how they arrived at the benefit amount, not that it was too low or too high.
Also note, in a largely cash-driven business, we imagine it would be hard to determine an accurate number.