Mineola Man Receives $3.7M Settlement in Injury Suit

A Mineola man has received $3.7 million in a settlement stemming from a 2005 construction accident in which he was injured after falling off scaffolding at a private residence in New Jersey.

Jose Moreira allegedly performed work at the residence of Carlos Peixoto and his wife, Christine Macedo-Peixoto in Tewksbury Township when on Oct. 1, 2005 when he suffered the fall from the scaffolding, claiming that it was not constructed properly.

The Hunterdon County Democrat is reporting that Peixoto “convinced Moreira to say he was an employee of Macedos Construction Company, Inc., in order to file a workers’ compensation claim with the company’s provider, Virginia Surety Workers’ Compensation,” when he was actually employed by D Rice Contracting.

Virginia Surety paid Moreira in excess of $250,000 according to federal court papers.

According to the Hunterdon County Democrat, Moreira is seeking to hold members of the Macedo family members “personally liable instead of letting them hide behind the ‘sham’ corporation.”