Workers’ Comp eNews

At the end of 2020, it’s time to take stock of what transpired in the California workers’ comp world. As you may guess, it was mostly COVID, COVID COVID. Read more

Notice and an opportunity to be heard are vital hallmarks of due process. In the context of litigation, throughout the history of the United States, these cherished rights, and values, have classically included an opportunity to cross examine witnesses, and, in normal times (such as times without a pandemic), to do so in person. The intrinsic value of such an in-person opportunity is not easily measured, but typically, both litigants and the courts have identified that the ability to assess the credibility of witnesses by seeing them face to face is an essential benefit to reaching a just result in the case. Read more

Recently, a highly respected long-term interpreter who regularly appears on cases at the WCAB Los Angeles District Office shared information that was provided at a continuing education seminar on remote interpreting depositions and trials. Read more

An Interview with Presiding Judge Kathleen Ortega—Redding District Office of the WCAB by Judge Therese DaSilva, Oakland District Office of the WCAB Read more

Happy New Year! WOW! While I presume that after an extremely stressful 2020, we all looked forward to and hoped for a less stressful 2021, what we have been experiencing instead is an extreme surge in COVID-19, a political mess and an unprecedented attack on our Capitol and our democratic system of government. I am not a psychic, but my intuition tells me that we are in for another very stressful year as we deal with all that has led us to this point. Read more

Despite the elimination of vocational rehabilitation in 2005, California has continued a modified system allowing injured workers to pursue retraining in the form of a vocational voucher. Read more

Presiding Judge Stewart Crymes has served as a workers’ compensation judge since October 15, 2001 at the DWC Salinas District Office. Read more

With Uber and Lyft threatening to close their doors in California, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 22 on Election Day. Read more

My heart broke when I heard of the passing of the Notorious RBG. I only saw her once when in 1996 I was formally sworn in to appear as an attorney in front of the Supreme Court by Chief Justice Rehnquist, an event hosted by my law school Alma Mater. Read more

By the time you read this, our national election will have taken place and we will be in the midst of sorting out the impact of one of the most important elections in our lifetime. Read more