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Access over workers' compensation decisions, including En Banc, Significant Panel Decisions, and writ-denied cases.

Case No. ADJ13021836; ADJ13022571; ADJ17282642; ADJ20509785; ADJ20509813
Regular
Sep 08, 2025

MARTINA VARELAS vs. PALMDALE LODGING ASSOCIATES, ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY, GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY, EMPLOYERS ASSURANCE COMPANY, SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY

Defendant Security National Insurance Company sought reconsideration of a Workers' Compensation Administrative Law Judge's (WCJ) decision regarding injuries sustained by applicant Martina Varelas. The WCJ had found that the applicant sustained injury arising out of and in the course of employment (AOE/COE) to her excretory and reproductive systems across multiple employment periods and adjudication numbers. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board granted the petition for reconsideration, concluding that the WCJ had not sufficiently explained the basis for the decision on injury AOE/COE and liability, and that the record needed further development. A final decision on the merits has been deferred pending further review.

AOE/COEexcretory system injuryreproductive system injurycumulative traumaspecific injuryslip and falldate of injuryLabor Code section 5412Labor Code section 5500.5Petition for Reconsideration
References
25
Case No. ADJ12294911
Regular
Apr 14, 2025

KHADIJAH BROWN vs. REGINALD AJAKWE, MD, RAYMOND TATEVOSSIAN, MD, MID-CENTURY INSURANCE COMPANY

Applicant Khadijah Brown sought reconsideration of a WCJ's decision that she did not sustain a psychiatric injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment (AOE/COE) and that a good faith personnel action defense was established. The Appeals Board granted reconsideration, finding that the WCJ erroneously concluded applicant did not sustain injury to her psyche AOE/COE and failed to recognize objective evidence of harassment. The Board rescinded the original findings and substituted new findings, determining that applicant did sustain injury to her psyche AOE/COE and that this injury resulted from actual events of employment. The issue of the defendant's good faith personnel action defense was deferred for further proceedings.

AOE/COEpsychiatric injuryLabor Code Section 3208.3(b)(1)actual events of employmentharassmentgood faith personnel actionVerga v. Workers' Comp. Appeals Bd.racial epithetsuspensiontermination
References
8
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Claim of Littles v. New York State Department of Corrections

A claimant was injured in an automobile accident approximately 10 feet from her workplace entrance, a prison. She applied for workers' compensation benefits. A Workers’ Compensation Law Judge initially established the claim, but the Workers’ Compensation Board reversed this decision, finding that the claimant did not sustain an accidental injury arising out of and in the course of her employment. On appeal, the court affirmed the Board's decision, concluding that there was no evidence of a special hazard at the accident location or a close association of the access route with the employer's premises that would make the accident compensable as a risk of employment.

Workers' CompensationAutomobile AccidentCourse of EmploymentArising Out of EmploymentSpecial HazardAccess RoutePublic RoadOff-premises InjuryCommuting AccidentWorkers' Compensation Board Appeal
References
8
Case No. ADJ13090134
Regular
Aug 14, 2025

OLIVIA RAMIREZ vs. ISIDRO A. MEJIA, ZINDER JANITORIAL CO., UNINSURED EMPLOYERS BENEFITS TRUST FUND, BOURBON PUB/PARADIES LAGARDERE, SENTRY INSURANCE

Applicant Olivia Ramirez sustained an injury to her knee and ankle on November 17, 2019, while employed by Isidro A. Mejia and Zinder Janitorial Co., who were uninsured for workers' compensation. The Uninsured Employers Benefits Trust Fund (UEBTF) successfully joined Paradies Lagardere as a co-defendant, alleging joint employer status. The Workers' Compensation Administrative Law Judge (WCJ) initially found Paradies to be a joint employer in Findings of Fact issued on May 15, 2025. Paradies sought reconsideration, disputing the joint employer finding and the injury arising out of and in the course of employment (AOE/COE). The Appeals Board reviewed the petition, the UEBTF's answer, and the WCJ's report, ultimately granting reconsideration but deferring a final decision on the merits, indicating further review of the record and applicable law is necessary. The decision also clarified that Labor Code sections 2775 and 2776, related to employee classification, do not apply retroactively to the date of injury in this case.

Joint employerUninsured employersParadies LagardereZinder JanitorialIsidro MejiaWCJPetition for ReconsiderationAOE/COELabor Code section 5909EAMS
References
17
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Claim of Huggins v. Masterclass Masonry

A bricklayer claimant was injured in a municipal bus shelter across from his worksite while eating lunch. A Workers’ Compensation Law Judge initially found the injury compensable, but the Workers’ Compensation Board reversed this decision. On appeal, the court affirmed the Board’s decision, holding that lunchtime injuries are generally outside the scope of employment unless the employer maintains control, which was not established. The court also rejected arguments regarding proximity to the worksite, finding no causal relationship or special hazard, and dismissed the presumption of compensability under Workers’ Compensation Law § 21 (1), noting it does not wholly relieve the claimant of the burden of proving the injury arose out of and in the course of employment.

Lunch Break InjuryBus Shelter AccidentScope of EmploymentEmployer ControlCausal RelationshipSpecial HazardFortuitous CoincidenceWorkers' Compensation LawAppellate ReviewWorkers' Compensation Board Decision
References
14
Case No. ADJ1966949 (GOL 0095232)
Regular
Mar 19, 2012

ARMANDO OROZCO (ARMANDO OROZCO JUAREZ) vs. PACIFIC VINEYARD COMPANY, STATE COMPENSATION INSURANCE FUND

This case involves a defendant employer's petition for reconsideration of a finding that the applicant sustained an injury arising out of and in the course of employment (AOE/COE). The employer contended the AOE/COE finding lacked substantial evidence, particularly questioning the applicant's account of falling off a tractor and being run over. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) denied the petition, adopting the WCJ's report which found the applicant's testimony persuasive, supported by employer witnesses attesting to his trustworthiness, and contradicted by unreliable defense expert testimony. The WCJ also noted a prior employer letter disputing the *nature* of the injury, not its occurrence, and the fact the applicant showed scarring.

AOE/COEPetition for ReconsiderationFinding of FactCompromise and Releasesubstantial evidenceWCJdefendant employerapplicantState Compensation Insurance Fundinjury
References
1
Case No. ADJ16007451
Regular
Aug 25, 2025

MINA RADJABI vs. CENTURY COMMUNITIES, INC./INSPIRE HOME LOAN; BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESTATE INSURANCE COMPANY dba BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESTATE COMPANIES

The applicant, Mina Radjabi, alleged a cumulative trauma injury to multiple body parts from July 2019 to February 2022 while employed by Century Communities, Inc./Inspire Home Loan. The case initially settled by Compromise and Release in March 2023, with the defendant maintaining a denial of injury AOE/COE. A lien claimant, Woodland Psyche Center, represented by PureMD Group Lomita, filed a petition for reconsideration after its lien for treatment was denied by a Workers' Compensation Administrative Law Judge (WCJ). The WCJ denied the lien because Woodland Psyche Center failed to prove injury arising out of and in the course of employment (AOE/COE) and its medical reports did not comply with regulatory requirements for proving a contested claim. The Appeals Board, after reviewing the petition and the WCJ's report, adopted the WCJ's findings and denied the petition for reconsideration, concluding that the lien claimant did not establish causation or due process violations, and that the treatment provided was outside the employer's Medical Provider Network.

Workers' Compensation Appeals BoardPetition for ReconsiderationLabor Code section 5909TimelinessTransmission Date60-Day RuleNotice of TransmissionElectronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS)Report and RecommendationLien Claimant
References
10
Case No. ADJ4276340 RDG 0095395 ADJ7960157
Regular
Aug 15, 2013

David Sandrock vs. Independent Business Forms, Inc., Preferred Employers Insurance Company

The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) granted reconsideration and amended a prior decision regarding David Sandrock's cumulative trauma claim. The WCAB found that Sandrock's cumulative trauma injury ending July 28, 2006, is not presumptively compensable because no claim form was filed with the employer, as required by Labor Code sections 5401 and 5402. The Board determined that the insurer, Preferred Employers, did not violate due process by submitting the case on briefs at a conference. The WCAB deferred the issue of injury arising out of and occurring in the course of employment (AOE/COE) and returned the matter to the trial level for further proceedings.

Workers' Compensation Appeals BoardReconsiderationFindings and OrderCumulative TraumaPresumptive CompensabilityClaim Form90-Day Investigation PeriodDue ProcessIndustrial InjuryAOE/COE
References
1
Case No. ADJ15359587
Regular
Mar 03, 2025

SOON HEE HWANG vs. KOREAN RED GINSENG COMPANY, OAK RIVER INSURANCE COMPANY

Applicant Soon Hee Hwang filed a claim for injuries sustained during employment. The Workers' Compensation Judge initially found no injury arising out of and in the course of employment (AOE/COE), disallowing the liens of WestStar Physical Therapy and WSPT Network. The lien claimants petitioned for reconsideration, arguing that the WCJ erred in not relying on the Qualified Medical Evaluator's opinion as substantial evidence. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board granted the petition, rescinded the original Findings and Order, and substituted a new Findings and Order, concluding that the applicant did sustain injury AOE/COE and deferring the remaining lien issues.

AOE/COEPetition for ReconsiderationLien ClaimantsQualified Medical Evaluator (QME)Substantial EvidenceOccupational Group NumberContinuous TraumaSpecific InjuryPrimary Treating Physician (PTP)Findings and Order (F&O)
References
19
Case No. ADJ17068636
Regular
May 19, 2025

KATHLEEN ZEPEDA vs. CALIFORNIA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT MUTUAL BENEFIT CORPORATION

Applicant Kathleen Zepeda claimed injury to her abdomen, back, and lower extremities while employed by California Baptist University. Lien claimant Medland Medical Group and defendant California Baptist University both sought reconsideration of a February 19, 2025 Findings and Award (F&A). The F&A entitled Medland Medical Group to payment for medical-legal costs related to an April 26, 2023 report but did not find an injury arising out of and in the course of employment (AOE/COE). The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) denied the defendant's petition for reconsideration, granted the lien claimant's petition for reconsideration, and affirmed the F&A with an amendment to explicitly state that the lien claimant failed to meet its burden of establishing injury AOE/COE.

Workers' Compensation Appeals BoardLien ClaimantPetition for ReconsiderationFindings and AwardMedical-Legal ReportPrimary Treating PhysicianInjury AOE/COESubstantial EvidenceContested ClaimMedical Treatment Costs
References
5
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