Stefan Latorre has successfully argued many cases, but he is most proud of two precedent setting cases. In the case of Francisco Ruiz v. Belk Masonry, the North Carolina Court of Appeals established the right to workers’ compensation benefits for injured workers regardless of their immigration status. Prior to this case, undocumented workers were routinely denied workers’ compensation benefits solely because of their lack of legal status. This seminal case, made it possible for all injured undocumented workers to receive workers’ compensation benefits in North Carolina.
Mr. Latorre also successfully argued the case of Vicente Acosta v. Edwin Painting, where the Industrial Commission in a case of first impression determined that an injured worker who was not fluent in the English language was entitled to an interpreter for all medical appointments. Prior to this case, insurance companies refused to provide interpreters for some medical appointments, thus depriving them of the ability to communicate with their doctors and obtain proper medical treatment. An then all the testimonial we are doing .