Court Clarifies Interaction of Statutes Governing Pretrial Settlement Offers, Comp Liens

A California appellate court upheld an award to the defendants in an injured worker’s tort action based on his failure to secure an award of damages at trial that was more favorable than the pretrial settlement offer. In March 2013, Mitchell Hunter Oakes’ vehicle was rear-ended by a truck being driven by Salvador Guzman. Guzman worked for Progressive Transportation Services Inc. and was driving in the course of his employment when the collision occurred. In the days following the accident, Oakes complained of low back pain, stiffness in his neck and a strained shou...