The California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board on Wednesday issued an en banc decision that lays out a process for resolving disputes over whether a qualified medical evaluator’s opinion was tainted by ex parte communication.
In a 6-0 opinion and order, the WCAB ruled that the Insurance Carrier of the West had properly petitioned for removal of the judge’s decision in its case against claimant Sandab Suon. Although removal is an “extraordinary remedy,” it is warranted in cases where a judge needs to determine whether there was an ex parte communication w...
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