Court Tosses Award to Injured Worker on Doctor's Equivocal Opinion

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania overturned an award of benefits to an injured worker, finding the equivocal opinion of his treating doctor was insufficient to establish an industrial cause for his back pain. Case: PetSmart Inc. v. WCAB (Sauter), No. 85 C.D. 2019, 08/15/2019, published 10/30/2019. Facts and procedural history: John Sauter worked for PetSmart Inc. He injured his back while at work on Aug. 31, 2015. Sauter informed PetSmart of his injury the day it happened. PetSmart issued a denial of liability on Sept. 21, 2015. The next day, Sauter filed a workers’ compensatio...