Attorneys Warn 4th DCA Decision Has Opened Door to Civil Liability for UR Providers

A ruling by the California 4th District Court of Appeal last week has attorneys abuzz with theories on whether the exclusive remedy of the workers' compensation system may not be so exclusive after all. In King v. CompPartners, the court said that an injured worker could potentially assert a viable tort claim against a utilization reviewer for failing to warn him about the potential risks associated with the withdrawal from his psychotropic medications. The court found that the physician who provided a medical opinion as to the reasonableness and necessity of Kirk King's ongoing ...