Applicant convicted of attempted perjury for lying at deposition even though the transcript was never signed

• Posted By: Harvey Brown
• September 3, 2019

This is an appellate court decision

This is a very significant case for workers’ compensation principles.

The applicant claimed an ankle injury occurred on January 24, 2017 between 1 and 2 am. The applicant wrote a memo detailing the injury including the date and time. It was also reported to the supervisor and the insurance company as having occurred on that date at that time.

The employer had video evidence of that date and time and saved the footage. No evidence of an injury was visible in the video.

The applicant’s deposition was taken and the applicant testified to the injury occurring between 3 and 4 am. The applicant was asked if he previously reported the injury at 1 am and he testified he did not.

The parties stipulated that if the unsigned original transcript was not returned within 60 days, a certified copy could be used for all purposes. The applicant did not sign and return the transcript.

The applicant was referred for prosecution and charged with seven counts of insurance fraud and three counts of attempted perjury. The jury convicted the applicant of perjury but could not reach a verdict on all
other counts. The appellate court indicated that all elements of perjury were not met at trial but under People v Post, the crime of attempted perjury was met. Therefore, the applicant’s crime of attempted perjury was upheld on appeal.

Case: People v. Ibarra

Case:

• Posted In: Appeal, Fraud, Work Injury