"Yellowstone" actress Q'orianka Kilcher charged with workers compensation fraud
"Yellowstone" actress Q'orianka Kilcher was charged with two felony counts of workers compensation fraud in connection with an injury she said she suffered while acting in the film "Dora and the Lost City of Gold."
Kilcher, 32, of North Hollywood, was charged following an investigation by the California Department of Insurance. She self-surrendered and was arraigned on May 27. Her attorney appeared in court Monday on her behalf, and her next scheduled court date is on Aug. 7.
According to the Department of Insurance, Kilcher claimed to have injured her neck and right shoulder while acting in the movie "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" in October of 2018. Kilcher was treated by a doctor a few times that year, but the DOI says she stopped treatment and did not respond to the insurance company handling her claim on behalf of her employer. In October of 2019, Kilcher contacted the insurance company saying she needed treatment and told the doctor handling her claim she had been unable to take on work since the injury because her neck pain was too severe, according to the DOI. Based on those statements, Kilcher began to receive temporary disability benefits.
A review of her wage information from Kilcher's employer determined Kilcher worked as an actress on the television show "Yellowstone" from July 2019 to October 2019, DOI officials said. According to records, Kilcher returned to the doctor and started receiving disability benefits five days after last working on "Yellowstone."
The doctor on Kilcher's claim said if they had been aware of her recent employment history, they would have never granted her the disability payments, DOI officials said. Between Oct. 14, 2019 and Sept. 9, 2021, Kilcher received $96,838 in disability benefits the DOI said was "undeserved."
"Yellowstone" and "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" were both Paramount Productions. Paramount Global is the parent company of both Paramount Productions and CBS 2/KCAL 9.