Yellowstone Star Q'Orianka Kilcher Cleared of Charges in Workers' Comp Fraud Case

By Nicole Drum

Yellowstone star Q'Orianka Kilcher has been cleared in a workers' compensation fraud case stemming from her work in the Dora and the Lost City of Gold movie. According to Entertainment Weekly, Kilcher, who plays tribal lawyer Angela Blue Thunder on the Paramount Network series, had been facing two felony counts of workers' comp fraud after having collected nearly $97,000 in disability benefits due to shoulder and neck injuries sustained during the filming of Dora and the Lost City of Gold in 2017. On Friday, all charges against Kilcher were dismissed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

"Today, I am beyond grateful that my case has been dismissed — tomorrow my journey begins to help raise awareness and demand more transparency for worker's rights within the workers comp system" Kilcher said in a statement in which she also thanked attorneys Camille Vasquez and Steve Cook as well as her supporters.

In 2017 Kilcher injured her neck and shoulder while riding in a production vehicle working on the Dora movie and ended up seeking medical assistance due to the severity of pain. She eventually qualified for disability insurance from the injury. The issue for the California Department of Insurance was that Kilcher collected benefits while working on Yellowstone, something that they claimed violated state law. Kilcher and her legal team maintained her innocence, stating that she not only never lied to doctors, but that doctors had agreed that the severity of her injuries entitled her to the benefits.

"Today, the judge dismissed the case against Q'Orianka Kilcher. After the charges were filed, the Workers Compensation Insurance claims adjuster retroactively changed his conclusion regarding her ability to work. We therefore determined that Ms. Kilcher did not commit insurance fraud and advised the court that we were unable to proceed," a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said in a statement.

"We are pleased that after re-evaluating this case, the District Attorney has decided to dismiss the charges against Ms. Kilcher," Kilcher's attorneys said in a statement. "The decision is a true victory, and while we are gratified that Ms. Kilcher's innocence has been vindicated, the truth is that the California Department of Insurance should never have brought this case, and Ms. Kilcher should never have been subjected to this ordeal. Having been cleared, Ms. Kilcher is excited to move forward and devote her attention to her flourishing career."

What is Yellowstone about?

The series follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, commonly called "the Yellowstone". The plot revolves around family drama at the ranch and the bordering Broken Rock Indian Reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and developers.

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In addition to Costner, the series stars Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Danny Huston, Gil Birmingham, Forrie J. Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham, Wendy Moniz, Jennifer Landon, Kathryn Kelly, and Moses Brings Plenty. Across its tenure, the series has spun out multiple spinoffs — 1883, 1923, and the forthcoming Bass Reeves and 6666 series. Sheridan has also continued to partner with Paramount on the hit series Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and the forthcoming Lioness.

When will Yellowstone return for the rest of Season 5?

Paramount Network revealed in January that the back half of Season 5 of Yellowstone will arrive sometime this summer. A specific date for the series' return has not yet been given.

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