Q’Orianka Kilcher, who plays Angela Blue Thunder in the popular Paramount drama series, Yellowstone, has been charged with two counts of workers’ compensation fraud. As claimed by the California Department of Insurance, Kilcher had allegedly collected $96,838 in unmerited disability assistance.
Kilcher allegedly told her doctor that she injured her neck and right shoulder while filming Dora and the Lost City of Gold and was too injured to work. Although she did see her doctor a few times that year for injuries, she allegedly stopped treatment and did not respond to her insurance company’s handling of her injury claim in October 2018. A year later, Kilcher reportedly reached out to the insurance company requesting treatment and told her doctor she could not accept work due to the severity of her neck pain. Following her statements to her medical provider, Kilcher began receiving temporary disability benefits. An investigation later found that she was allegedly filming Yellowstone while telling her medical provider she could not work.
Kilcher self-surrendered and was brought to court on May 27th, 2022; Kilcher appeared again in court on July 11th, 2022. Since California law prohibits injury misrepresentation with the intent to receive workers’ compensation insurance benefits, Kilcher could face up to five years in state prison, according to the California Department of Insurance, and a $50,000 fine for each count of fraud.
Kilcher’s other television credits include FX drama Sons of Anarchy, Neverland starring Kiera Knightley (Pride and Prejudice), Netflix series The Killing and Longmire, Emmy-winning series The Alienist, and Drunk History. Kilcher also starred as Pocahantas in the 2006 Academy Award-nominated film, The New World, opposite actors Colin Farrell (The North Water), Christopher Plummer (Beginners, Departure), Christian Bale (The Fighter), and Wes Studi (Reservation Dogs).
Kilcher’s next scheduled court date is August 7th, 2022.