MELANI LOPEZ vs. EMPIRE TRANSPORTATION, INC., NATIONAL INTERSTATE INSURANCE
In this workers' compensation case, the defendant sought removal of a trial setting order due to the applicant's defective Declaration of Readiness to Proceed. The defendant argued the DOR failed to detail good faith dispute resolution efforts and improperly claimed all discovery was complete while raising discovery as an issue. The Appeals Board granted removal to limit the trial scope. Consequently, the trial is now exclusively focused on whether the applicant sustained a work-related injury, deferring all other issues.