(a) Any advertisement which solicits persons to file workers’ compensation claims or to engage or consult counsel or a medical care provider or clinic to consider a workers’ compensation claim in any newspaper, magazine, circular, form letter, or open publication, published, distributed, or circulated in this state, or on any billboard, card, label, transit advertisement or other written advertising medium shall state at the top or bottom on the front side or surface of the document in at least 12-point roman boldface type font, except for any billboard which shall be in type whose letters are 12 inches in height or any transit advertisement which shall be in type whose letters are seven inches in height and for any television announcement which shall be in 12-point roman boldface type font and appear in a dark background and remain on the screen for a minimum of five seconds and for any radio announcement which shall be read at an understandable pace with no loud music or sound effects, or both, to compete for the listener’s attention, the following:
NOTICE
Making a false or fraudulent workers’ compensation claim is a felony subject to up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.
(b) Any television or radio announcement published or disseminated in this state which solicits persons to file workers’ compensation claims or to engage or consult counsel to consider a workers’ compensation claim under this code shall include the following spoken statement by the announcer of the advertisement:
“Making a false or fraudulent workers’ compensation claim is a felony subject to up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.”
(c) This chapter does not supersede or repeal any regulation which governs advertising under this code and those regulations shall continue to be in force in addition to this chapter.
(d) For purposes of subdivisions (a) and (b), the notice or statement shall be written or spoken in English. In those cases where the preponderance of the listening or reading public receives information other than in the English language, the written notice or spoken statement shall be in those other languages.
(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 904, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)