Actress Q’orianka Kilcher has been charged in Los Angeles County with workers’ compensation fraud, officials announced Monday.
“An investigation by the California Department of Insurance found Kilcher allegedly broke the law in collecting over $90,000 in disability benefits,” according to a news release from the agency.
Though California law prohibits workers from misrepresenting injuries to medical providers in an effort to collect insurance benefits, Kilcher allegedly worked on the hit show “Yellowstone” after she had told a doctor that she was too injured to work.
While acting in the movie “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” in October 2018, the 32-year-old actress allegedly injured her neck and right shoulder.
Kilcher, who lives in North Hollywood, went to see a doctor a few times that year, but stopped treatment and did not respond to the insurance company that was handling her claim on behalf of her employer, officials said.
Then, a year later, Kilcher contacted the insurance company saying she needed treatment. She allegedly told the doctor handling her claim that she had been offered work since her injury, but had been unable to accept it because her neck pain was too severe.
Based on her statements to the doctor, Kilcher began receiving temporary total disability benefits, officials said.
The investigation also found that Kilcher had worked on “Yellowstone” from July to October 2019 despite the statements she had made to the doctor indicating that she was unable to work for a year.
“According to records, she returned to the doctor and started receiving disability benefits five days after last working on the show,” officials said.
The doctor on Kilcher’s claim later stated if they had been aware of her employment history, they would have never granted the disability payments.
Officials said that from Oct. 14, 2019, through Sept. 9, 2021, Kilcher received $96,838 in undeserved disability benefits.
The actress, who is also known for her roles in “The Alienist” and “The New World,” turned herself into authorities and was arraigned earlier this year.
Her attorney appeared in court on Monday and her next scheduled court date is Aug. 7, officials said.
The case is being prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.