Judge Shouldn't Have Ceded Jurisdiction to WCAB

A California appellate court ruled that a trial court judge should have made the determination of whether a worker’s family could proceed with a tort claim. Case: Hollingsworth v. Superior Court (Heavy Transport), No. B297658, 07/24/2019, published. Facts and procedural history: Kirk Hollingsworth worked for Heavy Transport Inc. and was involved in a fatal accident at work in June 2016. Bragg Investment Co. allegedly offered workers’ compensation benefits to his family. The family filed a wrongful death claim against Heavy Transport and Bragg, asserting that the employ...