Justices: Work Comp Panel Doesn't Have to Be Neutral

A workers' compensation panel does not have to be neutral by statute, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled. In AT&T Alascom v. Orchitt, S-12058, 07/06/2007, the justices rejected AT&T's argument its due process rights were violated because the Workers' Compensation Board panel chair, who was elected to an officer position in the Alaska Chapter of the AFL-CIO the summer before the hearing, was not an impartial trier of fact. "The Workers' Compensation Act provides for panels of three members: a representative of labor, a representative of industry, and the commissioner of labor or the desig...