Q’orianka Kilcher, an actor from the hit US series Yellowstone, has been charged with workers’ compensation fraud after allegedly receiving disability payments when she was able to work.
Kilcher, who has also worked on the historical drama series The Alienist and Terrence Malick’s 2005 film The New World, appeared in four episodes in Yellowstone’s third season in 2020.
“An investigation by the California Department of Insurance found Kilcher allegedly broke the law in collecting over $90,000 in disability benefits,” reported US station KTLA earlier this week.
According to the actor’s legal team, she hurt her neck and shoulder while a passenger in a production vehicle during the filming of Dora and the Lost City of Gold.
As a result of these injuries, Kilcher told doctors that she was too injured to work.
In addition, Kilcher explained that she was offered other roles but had to turn them down due to her physical limitations.
Investigators later reviewed wage statements and found that Kilcher had worked on Yellowstone from July 2019 to October 2019 — just before seeking treatment.
According to the Department of Insurance, her work on the series ended just five days before Kilcher began collecting benefits.
The doctor later said that he would never have approved the payments had he known of her recent work history, the department alleged.
In response to these claims, Kilcher’s attorney denied that she had ever been deceptive and shared that third-party medics verified her injury and her entitlement to benefits.
Though the charges were announced on Monday (11 July), Kilcher was arraigned and pleaded not guilty on 27 May.
The Independent has reached out to a representative of Kilcher for comment.
