Everything to Know About Yellowstone Actress Q'orianka Kilcher's Insurance Fraud Case
Q'orianka Kilcher is currently facing fraud charges following her work on Paramount Network's hit series Yellowstone.
On July 11, the California Department of Insurance said in a release that the actress allegedly broke state law by collecting disability benefits while she worked on the show's third season in 2019.
While filming Dora and the Lost City of Gold in October 2018, Kilcher allegedly injured her neck and right shoulder, according to the insurance department's statement.
The department alleges that she then saw a doctor a few times that year but allegedly "stopped treatment and did not respond to the insurance company handling her claim on behalf of her employer."
A year later in October 2019, Kilcher allegedly contacted the insurance company to say she needed treatment and told a doctor that she had been unable to accept work offered to her since the injury occurred "because her neck pain was too severe." She started receiving temporary total disability benefits after making these claims, according to the release.
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The investigation later found that Kilcher worked on the Paramount Network's Yellowstone from July 2019 to October 2019, "despite her statements to the doctor that she had been unable to work for a year," and received "disability benefits five days after last working on the show." Kilcher reportedly collected a total of $96,838 in disability benefits from Oct. 14, 2019, through Sept. 9, 2021.
From Kilcher's current charges to her next scheduled court date, here's everything to know about the actress' fraud case.
RELATED: Yellowstone Actress Q'orianka Kilcher Charged with Workers' Compensation Insurance Fraud
Who is Q'orianka Kilcher?
Q'orianka Kilcher is an actress best known for her film roles as Pocahontas in Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World, and Kaʻiulani in the 2009 film Princess Kaiulani.
Her most recent work includes The Alienist in 2018, Dora and the Lost City of Gold in 2019, and Channing Tatum's recent film Dog. She also played attorney Angela Blue Thunder in four episodes of Yellowstone's third season in 2020, which is the center of her fraud case.
What was Q'orianka Kilcher charged for?
According to the California Department of Insurance, Kilcher has been charged with two felony counts of workers' compensation insurance fraud.
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What was Q'orianka Kilcher's plea?
Kilcher self-surrendered and was arraigned on May 27, 2022, where she pleaded not guilty in her case, Law360 reported.
When is Q'orianka Kilcher's next scheduled court date?
After Kilcher's attorney appeared in court in Los Angeles on her behalf on July 11, the actress' next scheduled court date is set for Aug. 7.
What punishment could Q'orianka Kilcher face if convicted?
The Washinton Post reports that if convicted, Kilcher could face up to five years in state prison and a $50,000 fine for each count she is charged with.
